On January 5, 2017, the first public performances of excerpts from the opera Człowiek z Manufaktury took place in the Łódź Grand Theatre. 40 composers from Poland, Spain, Iran, USA and Italy had registered to participate in the international composing competition held to create the opera. Among them, four finalists (Rafał Janiak,Katarzyna Brochocka, Aleksander Nowak and Kamil Cieślik – pictured above) were chosen as a result of a tie. Their 10-15 minute submissions written for soloists, mixed choir and symphony orchestra were performed by the Łódź Grand Theatre Orchestra under the baton of Wojciech Rodek and guest artist Małgorzata Walewska, one of the leading opera mezzo-sopranos in the world.
The staged performances were recorded and presented online at the ManuFaktura website, where audience participation played a key role in deciding which composers continued on to the next round. One was decided by online votes and the other was chosen by jury members (Krzysztof Penderecki, Elżbieta Penderecka, Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa, Dr. Urszula Kryger, Dr. Maciej Tworek, and Dr. Wojciech Rodek). The official verdict was announced on January 30 at noon: Katarzyna Brochocka was chosen by the audience and Rafał Janiak by the jury.
The two selected finalists are new required to compose a full act from the opera by May 10, prior to the public performance at Łódź Grand Theatre in mid-June. From these, the jury will select a Grand Prix winner who will receive a cash prize in addition to those already awarded, as well as the opportunity to compose the full score of Człowiek z Manufaktury. The premiere of the full work is scheduled for November 2018 on the occasion of the 185th birth anniversary Izrael Poznański.
[Source: manufaktura.com] dzienniklodzki.pl, dzienniklodzki.pl]