by Alina Żemojdzin

THE SIMULTANEO VOCAL OCTET

specializes in the performance of both contemporary and early music. The ensemble has appeared, among others, at the opening concert of the 67th Warsaw Autumn Festival at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, at the Witold Lutosławski Studio S1 of Polish Radio, and at the Arvo Pärt Centre in Laulasmaa (Estonia).

This year, as a laureate of the Polish Music Scene programme, Simultaneo performed at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw and the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin, presenting rarely performed works by 20th-century Polish composers. The ensemble has given numerous world premieres of works by composers such as Aleksandra Vrebalov (Serbia), Uģis Prauliņš (Latvia), Helena Tulve (Estonia), and Páll Ragnar Pálsson (Iceland), among others.

The founder and artistic director of Simultaneo is Karol Kisiel.

The Simultaneo Vocal Octet consists of the following musicians:

Alicja Giętkowska-Liguz – soprano

Daria Wasiluk – soprano

Ksenia Sawczenko – alto

Jagoda Staruch-Lorek – alto

Krzysztof Staruch-Lorek – tenor

Aleksander Kujawa – tenor

Paweł Nodzak – baritone

Szymon Kokocha – bass

by Grzegorz Mart

KAROL KISIEL

is a habilitated doctor (postdoctoral degree) in the artistic discipline of conducting. He studied at the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk, the Musikhochschule Lübeck, and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn. He further refined his skills at masterclasses led by Arthur Sjögren, Jan Yngwe, Risto Joost, Colin Metters, Nikolai Alexeev, and Manuel Hernández-Silva.

He is a recipient of numerous scholarships and distinctions, including the scholarship of the Minister of Science and Higher Education for outstanding young scientists, the scholarship of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage for cultural dissemination, and the award of the President of Estonia for the best graduates of higher education institutions in the country.

by Karol Kacperski

MACIEJ ZAKRZEWSKI

organist, composer, improviser, lecturer profesor at the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk. He has participated in many organ and composition competitions. He has won first prize at the 7th J.P. Sweelinck International Organ Competition and special prize at Hansa Organ Composition Competition for his „Zeit der Zeiten”. Maciej Zakrzewski co-operates on a regular basis with the Polish Baltic Philharmonic, Polish Chamber Orchestra, The PROGRESS Chamber Orchestra. He recorded music by Franz Liszt, Charles Marie Widor, Feliks Nowowiejski, Naji Hakim, Daniel Magnus Gronau and contemporary composers. His own CD’s (with solo organ music by Liszt, Widor and Hakim) get a great reviews in music press. As a composer Zakrzewski wrote mostly for organ, voice and chamber orchestra (his pieces were played in Jerusalem, Lviv, Polish National Philharmonic). He played recitals in such places as Berliner Dom, Stephansdom Wien, Weimar, Potsdam, Stiftkirche Stuttgart, Riga Dom, Silesian Philharmonic, Lublin Philharmonic. Maciej Zakrzewski is vice-chairman of The Pomeranian Association „Musica Giovane” which organizes Tczew Organ Festiwal and concerts around the Pomeranian Region. He was nominated for the City of Gdańsk Award for Young Artist in the Field of Culture and for the „Pomeranian Griffin Award”.