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"Ignacy Jan and his plan" – a new PWM publication for children about Paderewski

On 2 April 2020 we will celebrate the International Children's Book Day. To honor this cheerful occasion, PWM Edition publishes another book about a great Polish composer.

Young music lovers have already had the opportunity to read about Stanisław Moniuszko, now it's time for Ignacy Jan Paderewski. The book was written by Katarzyna Huzar-Czub (a great poet and translator), and the illustrations were created by Zosia Dzierżawska. This beautifully illustrated booklet describes the life of Ignacy Jan Paderewski. We meet the composer as a child, when he decided to become a famous musician. You will ask – why? Not for fame, not for travel, not for money, but to implement a great plan – a plan to help Poland, which at that time was not on the world map.

Thanks to the verse form and colorful illustrations, children will make friends with Ignacy and learn that faith in their own abilities is a real treasure. Who was Ignacy? Someone who said, "When you want – you can."

More information at: https://pwm.com.pl/

Large collection of Krzysztof Penderecki's music available for free at Ninateka.pl

A unique musical collection dedicated to the artistic output of Krzysztof Penderecki, which contains almost all the composer's works, is available on the Ninateka portal. Almost 150 works are accompanied by the artist's statements, opinions of critics and musicologists. Inidividual playlists of their favorite works were created by, among others, Elżbieta Penderecka, Marek Moś, Antoni Wit and Paweł Mykietyn.

The largest online collection of Krzysztof Penderecki's compositions is available at https://ninateka.pl/kolcje/trzej-kompozytorzy/penderecki. The website was created in over 70% on the basis of digitized archival materials of the Polish Radio. A collection curated by dr hab. Iwona Lindstedt is a synthetic guide to the composer's work.

The collection also contains a number of additional text, iconographic and film materials, presenting the information on Krzysztof Penderecki's life and work, e.g. the origins or circumstances of creation of a given composition, prepared by a team of experts – musicologists and music lovers. Among them is a timeline juxtaposing the composer's achievements against the backdrop of significant socio-cultural events of the 20th and 21st centuries, which were reflected in the music he composed, or the "alphabet" – a series of short journalistic forms, which present interesting facts related to the artist's work and private life.

Undoubtedly, the most attractive part of this extremely valuable collection includes performances conducted by the composer himself.

"100 for 100. Musical Decades of Freedom" – online premieres at the PWM YouTube channel

Thanks to the PWM Edition, you can #stayathome and watch online premieres of the concerts orginised as part of the "100 for 100. Musical decades of freedom". Each concert starts with the Fanfare for the Independent Poland by Krzysztof Penderecki.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of regaining Independence, PWM organized an event unprecedented in scale. As part of the "100 for 100. Musical decades of freedom" project, in addition to promotional, educational and publishing activities, on one day, 11 November 2018, 11 concerts were held at the most important music centres in Poland. Polish music since 1918 to 2018 was performed from the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, through the Karol Szymanowski Krakow Philharmonic, to the Grand Theater – National Opera. On the same day, the works of composers from the "100 for 100" list were performed in 11 cities in the world by top-class artists specializing in contemporary music, such as ICE International Contemporary Ensemble, London Sinfonietta, Klangforum Wien or Ensemble Modern. A total of 100 works by Polish composers of the 20th and 21st centuries were performed on 11 November.

To meet the music lovers needs, PWM opens its archives and shares audio-video recordings of the selected concerts celebrating the 100th anniversary of Independence. The online premieres will take place every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at the PWM YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/PWMEdition

More information at: http://stonasto.pl/wydarzenie/lista

Szczecin Philharmonic online!

Mieczysław Karłowicz in Philharmonic Szczecin invites you to online daily meetings with its musicians! Every morning the youngest listeneres will have a chance to participate in EduMornings, while afternoons and evenings will be devoted to various projects of the Orchestra released on the Philharmonic channels on YouTube and Facebook.

The Szczecin Orchestra is an ensemble with over 70 years of history. Since the 2016/2017 season it is run by the Norwegian conductor Rune Bergmann. Under his baton, the orchestra musicians has develop not only the skills to work in a large group, but also in smaller, chamber ensembles and as soloists. Musicians of the Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra have also taken part in "non-classical" projects: from educational concerts, through jazz performances, concerts with elements of traditional or electronic music, to forms of musical theatre.

As part of the cycle "EduMornings with the Philharmonic", the youngest music lovers and their parents will listen to songs and learn together how to sing and play them. Meetings with DoNuta, loved by children, will be continued.

The Philharmonic will remind music lovers of all its activities – those classical, presenting Polish contemporary music, but also special projects that the orchestra musicians have pursued over the past years. Each evening we will also meet them more privately, during interviews. Video reports on the institution's activities will be broadcast and photo galleries from the concerts will be made available online.

Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic will meet music lovers through its YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ7RqRSiL8J0A5mOLxZMTZg and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FilharmoniaSZN/

Lublin Virtual Philharmonic

Quarantine can be used not only to plan future concerts, but also to remember past events organized by the Henryk Wieniawski Philharmonic in Lublin.

The action "#stayathome – art will come to you" met with great interest. More cultural institutions, not only run and co-run by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, but also by local governments, join in, while those that have already participated in the campaign are constantly expanding their offer. The Lublin Philharmonic has also prepared a rich offer for children, teenagers and parents, enabling contact with art via its internet channels.

The Lublin Philharmonic provides film materials, photos, trivia and, above all, concert recordings on all their social media accounts. The institution also presents its album recordings and profiles of the Lublin Philharmonic Orchestra musicians.

The materials are available at: http://www.filharmonialubelska.pl/ and https://www.facebook.com/filharmonia.lubelska/

5th Piotr Perkowski Polish Composers' Competition

The Foundation for Aid and Development of the Music School Complex in Toruń and the Karol Szymanowski Music School Complex in Toruń announce the 5th Piotr Perkowski Polish Composers' Competition.

The competition is intended for students of secondary music schools in Poland and for composers born not earlier than 17 August 1999. The subject of the Competition is to compose a work in the form of a tango for string orchestra and 3 percussionists The work will be perform by a school orchestra, so the level of difficulty must be appropriate for students of the secondary music school. Work duration: 4-7 minutes.

The competition will consist of two stages. In the first stage, the Jury will select compositions that will be performed during the final concert, which will take place on 14 December 2020 in the Concert Hall of the Music School Complex in Toruń. The performance of the selected works in the second stage will be followed by the announcement of the winners.

The following prizes will be awarded in each category: 1st prize – PLN 800, 2nd prize – PLN 500, 3rd prize – PLN 350. The first prize-winning work will be performed during a gala concert as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Music School Complex in Toruń in September 2021.

The deadline for submitting the scores is 17 August 2020.

Rules of the competition are available at: https://bit.ly/2WJuWcQ

#stayathome, let opera and ballet in!

Although the Grand Theatre – Polish National Opera remains closed, it invites you to visit the Opera Gallery. Of course, without leaving your home.

The virtual 3D tour allows you to move in place and time and visit five exhibitions that were presented during the last two seasons: Władysław Hasior, Rajmund Ziemski, Viva Moniuszko!, Zbigniew Makowski and Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Anatomy of Genius.

Ignacy Jan Paderewski was the most famous pianist of his time. He made excellent use of his extraordinary popularity and phenomenal contacts in the world of politics and finance by lobbying for the reconstruction of Poland. He later served as its first Prime Minister. As a French magazine puts it, Paderewski was a ‘double virtuoso’ – of the keyboard and of the rostrum. From the very beginning of his career he cultivated his image carefully. He had his photographs taken in the best ateliers of Warsaw, Vienna, and London. The media would marvel at his playing, paying special attention to the pianist’s expression and charisma. He appeared in commercials and gave thousands of autographs. What does it mean to ‘be a star’? According to the German musicologist Silke Borgstedt, it is not enough to compose and perform music. A star must be recognizable and awake sympathy, as well as consciously manage their image. They must be ubiquitous in the media, which not only portray, but also parody them.

At the Anatomy of Genius exhibition it will be possible to see how Paderewski’s fame originated and what allowed him to fight for Poland on the international arena so effectively. The exhibition presents the history of this great artist’s image – an artist who knew how to put his talent, intelligence and style to brilliant use. Original photos, newspapers and magazines, Paderewski’s personal items as well as numerous caricatures will allow us to trace the birth of a mass culture star, one of the first in history. A special place will be reserved for Manru, the only opera composed by Paderewski, and at the same time the only Polish opera to have been staged at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

The exhibition is availablte at: https://teatrwielki.pl/dzialalnosc/galeria-opera/wystawy-201819/ignacy-jan-paderewski-anatomia-geniuszu/

"Beat the Virus with Music!" – Sinfonietta Cracovia's artistic and education offer

Due to the suspension of concert activity related to the fight against the coronavirus epidemic, Sinfonietta Cracovia presents a free artistic and educational offer for adults and young music lovers through its media channels. The "Beat the Virus wiith Music!" project consists of three modules.

"Virtual concert" is a musical journey in time. Every second day Sinfonietta will publish (premiere!) concert recordings with particular emphasis on the works of Ludwig van Beethoven – on his 250th birth anniversary – and the music of Polish artists. Every other day at 7:00 p.m. Sinfonietta invites you to its Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/user/SinfoniettaCracovia

"Sinfonietka's karaoke", a project dedicated to children, will feature songs in the karaoke version with the possibility of singing and playing together. Every second day at 12:00 p.m. a new song by a Polish composer – from Wasowski to Penderecki – recorded by Sinfonietta in cooperation with the Children's Sinfonietta Choir will be published on the Orchestra's media channels.

"Virtual Master Courses" with Sinfonietta musicians are directed at pupils and students, as well as amateurs, who can register for individual violin, viola, cello and double bass lessons via instant messengers. All you have to do is send an application to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with a note on which instrument you play.

And also "Sinfonietka's competitions"! The best artworks inspired by Sinfonietta songs and the best video clips of karaoke performances will be posted on the Orchestra's media channels.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

Let's have fun together! More information at:
www.sinfonietta.pl, www.facebook.com/SinfoniettaCracovia, www.twitter.com/sinfocracovia, www.instagram.com/sinfonietta_cracovia

Stay at home. PR2 at NOSPR – NOSPR at PR2

From 19 March 2020, the Polish Radio Programme 2, called the largest concert hall in Poland, invites you to a special online series of concerts performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Thanks to the Polish Radio Programme 2 series "Stay at home. PR2 at NOSPR – NOSPR at PR2” music lovers who are deprived of the opportunity to participate in the musical life of the country can listen to the concerts of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra on the PR2 and NOSPR websites every day at 12.00 and 9.00 p.m. The initiator of the action is Małgorzata Małaszko-Stasiewicz, director of the PR2. The selection of the most interesting concerts from the extremely wide NOSPR offer was made by Jacek Hawryluk – deputy director of the PR2.

These will be mainly concerts of past seasons, in which the orchestra performed with legendary soloists and conductors in a rich, diverse repertoire (including symphonic works, solo concerts and vocal-instrumental compositions). An important place in the concert repertoire is occupied by Polish music of the 20th and 21st centuries, among others works by Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Karol Szymanowski, Witold Lutosławski, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki and Krzysztof Penderecki.

More information at: https://www.polskieradio.pl/8,Dwojka and https://nospr.org.pl/pl