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As part of its 70th anniversary season, the Józef Elsner Opole Philharmonic invites you on 10 December 2021 at 7.00 p.m. and on 11 December 2021 at 6.00 p.m. to the concert performances Stanisław Moniuszko's The Haunted Manor.

The action of the four-act opera composed to the libretto by Jan Chęciński takes place in the first half of the 18th century. It tells the sotry about two brothers, Zbigniew and Stefan, who – after having finished their service in the army – return to their homeland with the intention to remain bachelors. The author of the work, despite the experience of studying and working abroad, made the decision to return to his homeland (which at that time did not exist on maps), and through his operas he criticized the society and illustrated social conflicts. The Haunted Manor, written at the beginning of the 1860s, became a patriotic manifesto, and for this reason it was banned by the censorship.

This legendary work will be performed by the Opole Philharmonic Orchestra and the Silesian Opera Choir under the baton of Tadeusz Kozłowski, who this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of his artistic activity. As soloists will perform: Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk (Hanna), Monika Ledzion-Porczyńska (Jadwiga), Paweł Skałuba (Stefan), Adam Woźniak (Zbigniew), Anna Borucka (Cześnikowa), Leszek Skrla (Miecznik), Wołodymyr Pańkiw (Skołuba), Albert Memeti (Damazy), Stanisław Duda (Maciej), Iwona Noszczyk (Marta), Michał Bagniewski (Grześ), Jolanta Wyszkowska (Old Woman).

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

Ticket Information: https://filharmonia.opole.pl/ 

Popko / Thieu-Quang duo will perform on 9 December 2021 at 6.00 p.m. in the broadcasting studio of Radio dla Ciebie (RDC) as part of the "Kwarantanna w Hi-Fi" [Quatantine in Hi-Fi] project. All concerts in this series are broadcast on RDC radio, its website, mobile application and YouTube channel.

Pianist Paweł Popko and clarinetist Piotr Thieu-Quang will present works by Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński, Tadeusz Baird, Witold Lutosławski and Feliks Mendelssohn. At the 2nd Stanisław Moniuszko International Competition of Polish Music in 2021, the musicians received an honourable mention, as well as two special prizes: for the best performance of a composition written after 1945 and a special prize in the form of year-long patronage/media support – both sponsored by the Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

Pianist Paweł Popko graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz. He also completed Postgraduate Studies in Cultural Management at the Warsaw School of Economics. Paweł Popko has won many awards at international competitions, including the 1st prize at the International Music Forum in Mäntta, Finland, and the 3rd prize at the 5th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in St. Petersburg. He frequently performs at festivals in Poland and abroad. Piotr Thieu-Quang is a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. He is a winner of numerous national and international solo and chamber competitions, with the most important ones being the International Clarinet Competition in Warsaw (2016 – 1st prize in the chamber ensembles category), 8th West Pomeranian Clarinet Festival (2018 – 3rd prize), 17th Academic Clarinet Competition in Włoszakowice (2018 – 2nd prize and three special prizes), 12th National Competition of Chamber Ensembles of Wind Instruments in Warsaw (2019 – 1st prize). As a soloist and chamber musician, he has given concerts in Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Belgium and Portugal. In 2019 he toured South Africa promoting the music of Polish composers, including Paweł Mykietyn and Wojciech Chałupka.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

The Wojciech Kilar State Music School Complex in Katowice announces the 4th "Patri Patriae" Composers' Competition for a piece dedicated to the memory of the Holy Father John Paul II for high school and university students and young composers. The deadline for submitting applications is 31 March 2022.

The "Patri Patriae" Composers' Competition was first announced on 16 October 1991 by the then Karol Szymanowski State Secondary Music School in Katowice to commemorate the pontificate of Pope John Paul II – "Father of the Homeland". Its founder and main organiser for 30 years has been Felicja Bieganek, who with this initiative has launched the careers of many of today’s recognised composers. The co-organizer of the competition is the Art Education Centre in Warsaw, the Polish Composers' Union – Katowice Branch, the Association of Alumni and Supporters of the Music High School in Katowice and the New Music Orchestra. The honorary patrons of the competition are the Marshal of the Silesian Voivodship, the Mayor of Katowice, the Archbishop of Katowice and the Rector of the Academy of Music in Katowice.

The aim of the competition is to promote outstanding young musical personalities, as well as to familiarize them with the values advocated by the Holy Father. The subject of the 8th edition of the competition is: a) a piece for any solo instrument (except organ); b) a piece for female choir a cappella with the possible use of one or two solo voices; c) a piece for chamber orchestra.

Three financial awards as well as honourable mentions will be awarded in each age group. The winners of the competition will receive the "Lyre" statuettes. The awarded works will be performed at the Winners Concert on 15 October 2022.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

The competition rules are available at: http://2st.zpsm.edu.pl/konkursy/patri-patriae 

The Adam Mickiewicz Institute continues its mission to popularize the achievements of Mieczysław Weinberg around the world. 2021 sees the release of the first monograph on the life and work of the composer written in Russian, as well as the album with his chamber works Light in darkness: Mieczysław Weinberg. The premiere will take place on 8 December 2021, on the composer's birth anniversary.

Weinberg left 153 opus pieces, including 22 symphonies, 70 chamber pieces and almost 30 song cycles. The first monograph on him in Russian by Danuta Gwizdalanka presents the entire complexity of Weinberg's biography, which was marked by the turbulent history of the 20th century. The book was published by the famous Petersburg music publishing house "Kompozytor". The project was coordinated by Andrei Ustinov, editor-in-chief of the magazine "Muzykalnoje Obozrienije". The monograph is available in the Falanster bookstore in Moscow. It is also presented at the Non Fiction book fair and disseminated during concerts and significant musical events in all over Russia.

Book review: https://muzobozrenie.ru/novaya-kniga-o-mechislave-vajnberge/ 

Another publication released in 2021 with the support of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute is the album Light in darkness: Mieczysław Weinberg. The CD released by the Belgian publishing house Evil Penguin Classic contains several chamber works by Weinberg performed by renowned musicians: Linus Roth, Jose Gallardo, Danjulo Ishizak and Janusz Wawrowski. The album was presented internationally at the Chopin Competition 2021, as well as during Linus Roth's concerts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It is available in the Empik store chain, as well as on the foreign market and on the Spotify platform: https://open.spotify.com/album/0r1y0fKuAlkFnukiPfpd9k. 

The releases are part of the international cultural programme coordinated by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, carried out as part of the Niepodległa Multiannual Program 2017–2022.

12th International Competition for Young Pianists „Arthur Rubinstein in memoriam” will be held from 7 to 13 December 2021 in Bydgoszcz – in a city known as the „City of Music”, with great cultural and artistic traditions.

The competition programme is extremely demanding and includes pieces that Artur Rubinstein had in his piano repertoire. In addition to the six main financial prizes, the winners receive the Chopin Prize, the Special Prize for the best performance of a piece by Karol Szymanowski, the Special "Ruby" Prize for the youngest laureate of the competition, the Special Prize for the artistic personality of the competition, the Award of the Director of the Competition Ewa Stąporek-Pospiech for the best performance of a concert with orchestra, as well as awards in the form of concerts and scholarships. The final performances of the pianists will be held at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic (11-12 December) with the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra.

On 7 December Szymon Nehring will perform the opening recital, presenting music by Chopin and Szymanowski.

International Competition for Young Pianists „Artur Rubinstein in memoriam” is one of the most important music competitions for young pianists. The honorary chairman of the Competition is Ewa Rubinstein - the daughter of the great pianist. The competition has been organized since 1993 by the State Music School Complex Artur Rubinstein in Bydgoszcz and the Mozart Society in Bydgoszcz with the participation of: the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport in Warsaw, the Marshal’s Office of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship in Toruń, the City Hall of Bydgoszcz. The competition is recommended by the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sports. In 2000, the competition was entered into the European Association of Music Competitions for Young People (EMCY).

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

Rules and regulations: www.konkurs-rubinstein.bydgoszcz.pl