Spółdzielnia Muzyczna Contemporary Ensemble
Spółdzielnia Muzyczna Contemporary Ensemble is among Poland’s most dynamic ensembles specialising in the performance of contemporary music. The musicians have graced renowned festivals such as MaerzMusik in Berlin, the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik in Darmstadt, AFEKT Festival in Estonia, the Warsaw Autumn Festival of Contemporary Music, Sacrum Profanum, Audio Art, Unsound, Musica Moderna, NeoArte — The Art Synthesizer, the Festival of Musical Tradition and Avant-Garde “KODY,” Musica Polonica Nova, and the Młodzi Muzycy Młodemu Miastu 2.0 festival in Stalowa Wola.
Their most noteworthy accoladeincludes the prestigious Ensemble Prize awarded by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, as well as nominations for the Coryphaeus of Polish Music and the 2022 Fryderyk awards in the Contemporary Music Album of the Year category.
The ensemble has had the privilege of participating in the Ensemble-Akademie Freiburg masterclasses for ensembles led by ensemble recherche, and selection, as one of only four ensembles, for the Young Ensemble Academy, where they worked with the legendary Ensemble Modern.
Spółdzielnia Muzyczna is strongly connected with its home city of Kraków, where for years it has been developing a number of recurring initiatives, such as INTERACTIONS – concerts combined with open conversations between creators, performers, and audiences; PLAYGROUND: call for collaborations – a project with selected artists culminating in the performance of jointly developed compositions; OPEN SPACE – workshops on new instrumental techniques for composers; and OPEN YOUR EARS, OPEN YOUR EYES – educational and interdisciplinary events that introduce wide audiences to new sounds.
In its programs, the ensemble tries to combine the classics of the 20th century with the music of theyoung generation, giving a special place to Polish artists such as: Zygmunt Krauze, Paweł Mykietyn,Agata Zubel, Andrzej Kwieciński, Artur Zagajewski, Piotr Peszat, Monika Szpyrka, PiotrTabakiernik, Anna Sowa, Nina Fukuoka, Martyna Kosecka, Marta Śniady, Paweł Malinowski,Jacek Sotomski, Aleksander Nowak and Cezary Duchnowski.
Spółdzielnia Muzyczna repertoirealso includes compositions by Alex Mincek, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Malin Bång, Marco Ciciliani,Alex Paxton, Joanna Bailie, Oscar Escudero, David Fennessy, Johannes Kreidler, Ricardo Eizirik,Matthew Shlomowitz, Trondem Reinholdtsen, Gerard Grisey, Franco Donatoni, Giacinto Scelsi,Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Boulez, Luciano Berio, Morton Feldman, George Crumb, GeorgesAperghis and Salvatore Sciarrino.
The ensemble currently comprises:
Małgorzata Mikulska flutes
Tomasz Sowa clarinets | digits
Krzysztof Guńka saxophones
Paulina Woś violin, viola
Barbara Mglej violin, viola
Jakub Gucik cello | technology
Aleksander Wnuk percussion | electronics
Aleksandra Płaczek piano | keys
Piotr Peszat composition, electronics
