The International Festival of Krakow Composers (formerly known as Days of Music by Krakow Composers) has been present among the cultural events in Krakow since 1989. The main purpose of the Festival is the promotion and presentation of contemporary, professional work of Krakow composers (from classics and professors, through the outstanding middle generation to the youngest composers and students of composition) created in relation to the musical tradition of neighbouring countries, countries of the European Union and music of the world. This concept is realised via organisation of concerts and meetings with composers. What is more, there are organised special lectures during the Festival (conducted, among others, by the music theorists of the Academy of Music in Krakow and musicologists of the Jagiellonian University). For the last 20 years the musicologist Jerzy Stankiewicz was the art director and the author of the Festival’s programme. From the 2014 the person responsible for the Festival is the composer Marcel Chyrzyński.
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen!
The 28th International Festival of Krakow Composers continues the idea of former editions, presenting the work of Polish artists in the context of international art. This year’s edition of the festival focuses on the music of Latin America. During twelve concerts, compositions by Polish authors will be performed side by side with the works by Mexican, Argentinean and Brazilian as well as Portuguese composers.
When developing this year’s program, I focused on the idea of presenting diversity of contemporary music, as well as the variety of movements and paths chosen by composers in search of their own musical language. The festival will be inaugurated with the concert featuring works by the composers, who represent totally different musical strands, even though they were all born in 1971. You will have a chance to listen to compositions by Wojciech Widłak, Marcel Chyrzyński, Mikołaj Górecki, Paweł Mykietyn and Maciej Zieliński, performed by Sinfonietta Cracovia under the baton of Bassem Akiki and with the participation of world-renowned virtuosos, a violinist Kaja Danczowska and a British cellist Gemma Rosefield.
You will be accompanied by distinguished instrumentalists throughout the festival. The two concerts of the so-called Krakow Composers’ School will feature performances of a clarinetist Roman Widaszek and the Silesian Quartet, whereas in the first performances concert will play an oboist Mariusz Pędziałek and a saxophonist Alina Mleczko. The TWOgether Duo ensemble, a laureate of the Polityka’s “Passport” Award 2012, will star in the concert “From tango to psalm”, performing compositions by Astor Piazzolla, Igor Santos, Hanna Kulenty, Wojciech Ziemowit Zych, Aleksander Nowak and Zaid Jabri.
Special attention should be paid to young soloists, the Chamber Orchestra and the State Secondary Music School Symphony Orchestra directed by Maciej Koczur. It is their debut at the festival and I’m certain that they will impress you with their interpretations of contemporary pieces.
The list of our foreign guests include well-known Portuguese clarinet virtuoso Nuno Pinto, who will introduce works by composers from his country and Zakopane Lyrics for electronically modified clarinet and computer sound layer by Magdalena Długosz. Electronic music lovers will be delighted with the concert of Andrea Pensado, a composer and performer from Argentina.
The 28th Festival will be crowned by the first performance of an oratorio by the Krakow composer Juliusz Łuciuk written to the words of the Roman Triptych by John Paul II (part III : The Mount in Moriah). I hope that this year’s concerts will be an unforgettable experience and that they will fulfill your expectations.
Marcel Chyrzyński
Artistic Director