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Warsaw | 47th ZKP Musicological Conference "The Past in Music – Music towards Tradition"

On October 25-27, 2018, at the Art Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw (26 Długa Street) will host the 47th Musicological Conference of the Polish Composers' Union "The Past in Music - Music towards Tradition".

The year 2018 is also the 70th anniversary of the Section of Musicologists of the Polish Composers' Union, therefore all of you are cordially invited to take part in the conference. The first panel session will be devoted to the history and present, and will feature Katarzyna Dadak-Kozicka, long-term chairwoman of the Musicologists Section, the author of the book Obrońcy dobra powierzonego, which talks about the beginnings of the ZKP and the Musicologists Section; Iwona Lindstedt, editor-in-chief of "Polish Musicological Yearbook," and Sławomir Żerańska-Kominek, editor-in-chief of "Musicology Today". The conference participants' lectures will also be devoted to issues in the history of music as well as etnomusicology, anthropology and sociology of music, incorporated in two complementary thematic areas, announced with the title of conference. The first one concerns various forms of the presence of music of the past in the culture of a given period, the second – the relation of music to a tradition identified with a given musical genre, a center, a region or a social group.

The conference is being prepared by the Program Committee composed of Agnieszka Draus, Paweł Gancarczyk, Barbara Przybyszewska-Jarmińska and the chairwoman of the SM ZKP Beata Bolesławska-Lewandowska. The conference is organized in cooperation with the international research project HERA "Sound Memories: The Musical Past in Late-Medieval and Early Modern Europe" (www.soundme.eu). The project is financed under contract 1013 / P-DUN / 2018 from the funds of the Minister of Science and Higher Education designated for dissemination of science.

Admission to the conference is free.

DOWNLOAD: Program Konferencji.

'A small archive of great things. Archive of Acts of the Polish Composers' Union on the website dobrespoleczne.pl'

The Scientific Library of the Polish Composers' Union invites you to an online meeting entitled “A small archive of great things. Archive of Acts of the Polish Composers' Union on the website dobrespoleczne.pl", which will take place on the 21^st of December, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. on the Google Meet platform.

The meeting summarizes the project "Archive of Acts of the Polish Composers' Union in the OSA Open Archiving System", which was implemented this year thanks to support obtained in the "Digital Culture" programme. Library employees and invited partners - Mr. Piotr Maculewicz, head of the BUW Music Collections Office, and Ms. Magdalena Borowiec, curator of the BUW Archive of Polish Composers - will talk about the fruits of their cooperation.

Link to the event: https://meet.google.com/fod-pedq-gug

International Stanisław Moniuszko Composers’ Competition for a Micro-Opera Entitled "12 Minutes for Moniuszko"

In connection with the year 2019 having been declared the “Year of Stanisław Moniuszko” by an act of the Polish Parliament, the Polish Composers’ Union and Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera hereby announce the International Stanisław Moniuszko Composers’ Competition for a micro-opera.

Moniuszko’s stage works take up many issues concerning the society and everyday life, as well as referring to contemporary events important for Poles. They combine drama with comic elements. They offer high-quality entertainment without compromising the aesthetic qualities. They wonderfully reflect the emotional states of the dramatic figures and the specific mood of each situation. They make excellent use of character interactions and of dramatic motives typical of the theatre, aptly represented by Moniuszko in music – through melody, instrumentation, and other musical components. The competition aims to achieve the same aims in our own times, using the adequate contemporary artistic tools. We want to revive, in present-day conditions, the specific idea of Moniuszko’s operas as musical dramas based on social topics.

The competition may be entered by music composers of all nationalities and without an age limit. Entering the Competition is free of charge. The entry submitted to the Competition should be sent only electronically by the end of 31st July 2019. The Competition consists of two Stages: in Stage One, maximum six Works will be selected to be staged in the Emil Młynarski Chamber Music Hall of Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Warsaw; in Stage Two, the Works selected for production will be publicly performed during one Night of World Premieres on 14th December 2019, after which the winners of the Competition will be chosen.

The winner of the Competition shall receive a Grand Prix amounting to 40,000 PLN and the title of Winner of the Competition. The other composers of works staged during the Night of World Premieres shall receive Prizes amounting to 20,000 PLN each and the title of Prizewinner. Independently of the prizes listed above, the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera Audience Award, amounting to 10,000 PLN, shall be presented, accompanied by the title of Audience Award Winner.

DOWNLOAD: Competition Regulations

With Polish Music from the Baltic to the Atlantic

In 1918, the Republic of Poland regained independence after years of partitions. The state was rebuilding itself not only internally but also internationally, and the Government of the Second Polish Republic was establishing diplomatic relations with the most important partners. The concerts in Tallinn and Lisbon are organised on the hundredth anniversary of Poland establishing diplomatic relations with Estonia and Portugal.

On 14 July 2019 in Maarjamäe Castle in Tallin, Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta under the baton of Andreas Mustonen will perform works by Karol Szymanowski, Grażyna Bacewicz, Krzysztof Penderecki and Maciej Bałenkowski as well as pieces by Estonian composers: Arvo Pärt, Lepo Sumera, Jaan Rääts, Pärt Uusberg and Peeter Vähi. The concert will take place as part of the Glasperlenspiel Music Festival organized by the Estonian Record Productions (ERP).

The Portuguese edition of the project will feature Sond'Ar-te Electric Ensemble under the direction of Pedro Neves. On 9 November 2019 at the O'culto da Ajuda in Lisbon, the ensemble will present works by Włodzimierz Kotoński, Wojciech Blecharz, Piotr Peszat, Karol Nepelski and Miguel Azguime – composer born in Lisbon, the current director of the centre for creation, development and promotion of contemporary music Miso Music Portugal.

The project “With Polish music from the Baltic to the Atlantic” is realized by the Polish Composers’ Union as part of the “Promotion of Polish culture abroad” programme. The events are co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund.

Warsaw | Presentation of the new CD with Roman Palester's music

Polish Composers' Union cordially invites you to a promotional meeting of the new CD with music by Roman Palester, which will take place on Friday, 20 September 2019 at 4 p.m. in the building of the PWM Edition in Warsaw (8 Fredry St., first floor).

The new CD released by the Fifth Essence Foundation in cooperation with the Polish Composers' Union includes works by Roman Palester – Requiem, Metamorphosis and Viola Concerto. Recordings from the archives of the Polish Composers' Union were made during the International Festival of Contemporary Music "Warsaw Autumn" and the International Festival of Krakow Composers. The promotional meeting of the new record will be hosted by Dr Beata Bolesławska-Lewandowska and Lech Dzierżanowski.

The meeting is an accompanying event of the "Warsaw Autumn" Festival (20-28 September 2019). Admission free!

Website dedicated to Roman Palester: http://www.palester.polmic.pl/index.php/pl/

SEE: Facebook Event

Lisbon | With Polish music from the Baltic to the Atlantic

Only two days before the National Independence Day, on 9 November 2019, the O'culto da Ajuda in Lisbon will host a concert organised by the Polish Composers' Union in cooperation with the centre for creation, development and promotion of contemporary music Miso Music Portugal, celebrating the centenary of the recognition of Polish independence by Portugal.

2019 marks the hundredth anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Poland and countries around the world. On this occasion the Polish Composers’ Union with its partners abroad organises concerts of Polish music as part of the project "With Polish Music from the Baltic to the Atlantic". In July works by Polish composers were performed during the Glasperlenspiel Music Festival 2019 in Tallinn; in November Polish compositions will be presented in the capital of Portugal.

The Portuguese edition of the project will feature a chamber ensemble specialising in contemporary music – Sond'Ar-te Electric Ensemble under the direction of Pedro Neves. The concert will take place at the O'culto da Ajuda art music centre, a venue run by Miso Music Portugal since 2014, dedicated to experimentation in the field of music and its relation to other arts. We will listen to Midsummer (1979) for clarinet, piano, cello and electronics by Włodzimierz Kotoński – the father of Polish electronic music. The composition, which is a part of the cycle dedicated to the four seasons, was premiered in Poland in 1980 during the "Warsaw Autumn" festival. The programme will also include -onym (2011) by Wojtek Blecharz – the composer's first work for live electronics, Grocery Store Music # 5 (2018) by Piotr Peszat – premiered last year by the Hashtag Ensemble during the "Independent Polish Music" conference, and PRIMORDIUM: Encephalon by Karol Nepelski – the second in a planned cycle of several works devoted to the quest for various form of primordiality and origins in music. The evening will end with the world premiere of the work commissioned by the Sond'Ar-te Electric Ensemble – Open Enclosure for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and electronics by the Portuguese composer João Madureira.

The project "With Polish music from the Baltic to the Atlantic" is realized by the Polish Composers’ Union as part of the "Promotion of Polish culture abroad" programme. The events are co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund.

SEE: Facebook Event

Warsaw | 12 Minutes for Moniuszko – The Evening of Premieres

Polish Composers' Union and Grand Thetre – Polish National Opera, the organizers of the International Stanisław Moniuszko Composers’ Competition for a Micro-Opera Entitled "12 Minutes for Moniuszko", invite you to the Evening of Premieres. The event, during which the winners of the Competition will be announcedon, will take place on 18 December 2019 at 7 p.m. in the Emil Młynarski Chamber Hall.

On 31 August 2019, the Jury of the Competition composed of: Krzysztof Penderecki – honorary chairman of the Jury, Waldemar Dąbrowski – director of the Grand Theatre – National Opera, Zygmunt Krauze -– composer, chairman of the jury, Ryszard Daniel Golianek – musicologist, Jerzy Kornowicz – composer, Hanna Kulenty – composer, Janusz Wiśniewski – opera director, Jerzy Wołosiuk – conductor, decided to qualify the following works the second stage of the Competition: Poczekalnia – Hipokrates emblem (Ignacy Zalewski); 2001 – POPPEA emblem (Patricia Elizabeth Martínez); Maska – 211289 emblem (Otto Wanke); Imigrant – czado2001 emblem (Tomasz Szczepanik); Szumią, 36o – ilriverso8o emblem (Paweł Siek); Klon – oksuinom-klon emblem (Estera Wityńska).

The Evening of Premieres will feature public performance of the works qualified for the second stage, followed by the results announcement and awarding ceremony. The winner of the Competition will receive a main prize of PLN 40,000 and the title of the winner of the Competition. The other finalists will receive prizes in the amount of PLN 20,000 and titles of the laureate of the Competition. The audience of the Grand Theatre – National Opera will award the additional prize in the amount of PLN 10,000 together with the title of the winner of the audience award.

More information at: https://teatrwielki.pl/repertuar/kalendarium/2019-2020/12-minut-dla-moniuszki-wieczor-prawykonan/termin/2019-12-18_19-00/

The Winners of the “12 Minutes for Moniuszko” – International Composers’ Competition for micro-opera

The winners of the International Stanisław Moniuszko Composers’ Competition for a micro-opera entitled “12 Minutes for Moniuszko”, organized by the Polish Composers' Union and Grand Theatre – Polish National Opera, were announced during the Evening of Premieres, which was held on 18 December 2019 at 7 p.m. in the Emil Młynarski Chamber Hall of the Grand Theater – Polish National Opera.

The competition aimed to revive, in present-day conditions, the specific idea of Moniuszko’s operas as musical dramas based on social topics. After the auditions of the 2nd stage of the Competition, the Jury composed of: Zygmunt Krauze – composer, chairman of the Jury, Waldemar Dąbrowski – director of the Grand Theater – National Opera, Ryszard Daniel Golianek – musicologist, Jerzy Kornowicz – composer, Hanna Kulenty – composer, Janusz Wiśniewski – opera director, Jerzy Wołosiuk – conductor, awarded the main prize of PLN 40,000 to Tomasz Szczepanik, PhD, for the work The Immigrant. The winner of the Competition is a lecturer at the Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music in Łódź.

Other finalists – Ignacy Zalewski, Patricia Elizabeth Martínez, Otto Wanke, Paweł Siek and Estera Wityńska – received prizes in the amount of PLN 20,000 and titles of the laureates of the Competition. The Audience Award in the amount of PLN 10,000 was awarded to Ignacy Zalewski, PhD, assistant professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music.

We warmly congratulate all the winners!

Archival materials from the "Warsaw Autumn" festival available online!

150 compositions performed at the International Festival of Contemporary Music "Warsaw Autumn" and digital copies of 400 photographs from the festival archive are available on www.polmic.pl as part of the "Warsaw Autumn Available!" project.

In the last years, the Polish Music Information Center POLMIC has been implementing a programme of complex archivisation, digitalisation and sharing collections of recordings and photos related to the "Warsaw Autumn" International Festival of Contemporary Music – the most important contemporary music festival in Poland and one of the most important events of this type in Europe and in the world. Photographs and recording documenting the festival over the past 60 years of its existence are a true national heritage, reflecting the history of Polish musical culture in this period, immortalizing its creators and presenting their most important works. The aim of our activities is to protect archival materials from inevitable degradation and to provide access to these materials to a wide audience, through the polmic.pl and muzar.polmic.pl websites, as well as through the monographic portals of selected composers.

In 2019 we digitalised a unique and priceless collection of recodings and photographs. Photographs available in the online gallery are primarily documentation of festival concerts and accompanying events from the years 1977-1980 in the lens of Jan Hausbrandt and Andrzej Glanda – photographers who collaborated with the "Warsaw Autumn" for many years. Fragments of compositions performed at the festival in the years 1956-1962 and made available in a digital version are an encouragement for all interested to visit the Library of the Polish Composers' Union (27 Old Town Market Square, 00-272 Warsaw), where it is possible to listen to the entire works!

The project was co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund.

SEE: Photographs from the "Warsaw Autumn" 1977–1980; Recordings from the "Warsaw Autumn" 1956–1962 (available soon!)

„Musicology Today” 2019 – Women Composers in Poland

The 16th volume of the "Musicology Today" – a double-blind peer reviewed journal published by the Institute of Musicology, University of Warsaw and the Polish Composer’s Union, has been published. It is entirely devoted to Polish women composers.

“The present volume of “Musicology Today” contributes, on the one hand, to the global trend of ‘feminist musicology’, while on the other it provides us with a unique opportunity to present some outstanding but not always sufficiently well-known Polish women-composers. The seven papers published in the present volume include the profiles of women-composers spanning the period of nearly three centuries, from Maria Antonia Walpurgis (1724-1780) to Justyna Kowalska-Lasoń (b. 1985), a talented Polish composer of the youngest generation.” – wrote Sławomira Żerańska-Kominek in the editorial.

The main objective of „Musicology Today” is to provide an intellectual platform for international scholars and to promote interdisciplinary studies in musicology. The journal publish articles in the fields of historical musicology, ethnomusicology, music theory, and other sub-disciplines of musicology. It distinctly promotes studies on Central and Eastern European music and aims to become a leading musicological journal in this part of the world.

The publication has been financed from the funds of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education allocated for the promotion and dissemination of science under agreement 730/P-DUN/2019.

All the articles are available online at: https://content.sciendo.com/muso

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