The LABORATORY OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC Festival, which is a member of an international organization known as the European Conference of Promoters of New Music, offers an opportunity to learn about the chief currents in music of the last two decades of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, focusing especially on chamber music.

The LABORATORY OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC Festival, which is a member of an international organization known as the European Conference of Promoters of New Music, offers an opportunity to learn about the chief currents in music of the last two decades of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, focusing especially on chamber music. The first five editions of the LABORATORY (first held in 1985) were held in the stylish interiors of the palace at Stara Wies near Wegrow, at the castle in Liw, and in Siedlce. The last four editions took place in Bialystok (Concert Hall of the Bialystok Philharmonic, Auditorium of the Academy of Medicine, St. Roch's Church, Concert Hall of the Bialystok Branch of the Frederick Chopin Academy of Music). This year's edition of the event will see approximately two hundred fifty pieces by one hundred thirty composers (including about one hundred sixty works by seventy Polish composers) performed at over fifty concerts. Thus far in its history, the festival has featured thirty-five world premiere performances of works by Polish composers and sixty Polish premiere performances of works by foreign composers. The LABORATORY OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC also features debates about the condition of contemporary music. Past participants in discussions have included Marian Borkowski, Michal Bristiger, Tadeusz Daszkiewicz, Marek Dyzewski, Tadeusz Kobierzycki, Witold Szalonek, and Marta Szoka.

Both young and recognized composers have taken part in previous editions of the festival. Participants have included Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki, Krzysztof Penderecki, Witold Szalonek, Zbigniew Bargielski, Marcin Blazewicz, Marek Choloniewski, Andrzej Dutkiewicz, Ryszard Gabryz, Jerzy Kornowicz, Andrzej Krzanowski, Aleksander Lason, Pawel Lukaszewski, Piotr Moss, Marta Ptaszynska, Boguslaw Schaeffer, Marek Stachowski, Boleslaw Szabelski, Tadeusz Szeligowski, and Romuald Twardowski. Additionally, the festival has regularly confronted the achievements of Polish composers against those of classics of 20th century music like Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, Paul Hindemith, Charles Ives, Gyorgy Ligeti, Karl Stockhausen, Anton Webern, Iannis Xenakis, and others. The LABORATORY OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC over time has also gained a reputation as a forum for the presentation of works by foreign composers who continue to create today. Featured composers have included Klaus Ager (Austria), Wolfgang Bottenberg (Canada), Manuel Enriquez (Mexico), James Giroudon (France), Pierre Henry (France), Barbara Jazwinski (USA), Sung-Jae Lee (South Korea), Bent Lorentzen (Denmark), Pavel Miheleie (Slovenia), Ivo Petric (Slovenia), Primoz Ramovš (Slovenia), Morton Subotnick (USA), Toshiya Sukegawa (Japan), Yoshihisa Taira (France), Horacio Vaggione (Argentina), Jesus Villa Rojo (Spain), and Scott A. Wyatt (USA). During its nine-year history, the festival has welcomed solo performers like Andrzej Dutkiewicz, Szabolcs Esztenyi (Hungary), Jozsef Ormeny (Ukraine), Jadwiga Gadulanka, Krzysztof Bakowski, Tomasz Strahl, Grzegorz Olkiewicz, Mariusz Pedzialek, Miroslaw Pokrzywinski, David A. Pituch (USA), John Sampen (USA), Zdzislaw Piernik, Rodney Oakes (USA), Stanislaw Skoczynski, Zbigniew Kozlik, Andrzej Chorosinski, Stanislaw Moryto, the ensembles KWARTET SLASKI / SILESIAN QUARTET, Concerto Avenna (artistic director Andrzej Mysinski), Camerata Vistula (artistic director Andrzej Wrobel), and the Warszawski Kwartet Saksofonowy / Warsaw Saxophone Quartet, and the Choir of the Academy of Catholic Theology in Warsaw (artistic director Fr. Kazimierz Szymonik).

The program of the festival avaible in polish only.

Organizer: Stowarzyszenie LABORATORIUM MUZYKI WSPOLCZESNEJ
Additional information & program: Mazowieckie Centrum Kultury i Sztuki
ul. Elektoralna 12, Warszawa
tel. 0-502 599 634
www.mckis.waw.pl

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