Awards Gala and the Concert of laureates

7 August 2018

The crowning moment of the 12th Michał Spisak International Music Competition. The winners of bassoon, French horn and double bass categories are going to perform for the last time on the stage of the Theatre Hall of the Zagłębie Palace of Culture, after the awards gala. The laureates are going to present their talents with the accompaniment of the Symphony Orchestra of Zabrze Philharmonic under the baton of Sławomir Chrzanowski on 23 September at 5 PM, performing chosen pieces.

Bassoon:

Johann Nepomuk Hummel Concert in F major for bassoon/
Michał Spisak Concert for bassoon (version with orchestra)

French horn:

Richard Strauss Concert No. 2 in E flat major for horn and orchestra

Double bass:

Giovanni Bottesini Allegro di Concerto Alla Mendelssohn/
Reinhold Glière Intermezzo op. 9 no. 1

The Symphony Orchestra of Zabrze Philharmonic was created in spring 1950 as the Miners’ Trade Union Philharmonic Society. Initially the main goal of the newly founded ensemble was to promote and popularize music – in the broadest sense of the word – among the working class of Silesian industry. Another direction in the Orchestra activity, which has been particularly cherished up to the present, has been to organise the series of conceptually edited concerts for children and teenagers. The first years of the Orchestra were dominated by the lighter music presentations. They performed pieces from operettas, operas, popular music tunes as well as well-known classical compositions. As the time went by the artistic profile of the Orchestra was evolving. Its repertoire included e.g. symphonic pieces and more demanding masterpieces. The huge work done by the musicians and its results were appreciated by the authorities in the mid-1980s. The “Coal Mine” disappeared from the name but it gained the status of State Philharmonic Society, which meant the appreciation of its achievements.

The Symphony Orchestra of Zabrze Philharmonic. Photo by Marek Wesołowski

Sławomir Chrzanowski – born in Rybnik, he studied at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. In 1986 completed studies in Music Theory, and in 1989 he completed Symphonic Conducting under the academic supervision of Prof. Karol Stryja. In 1990, following an open competition, he was appointed and still works as the Artistic and General Director of Zabrze Philharmonic. Together with the orchestra he has given nearly 2000 concerts on stages in Poland and abroad. He is an honorary composer of MWC Symphony Orchestra in Fredericksburg (USA). In 2002 he performed on famous concert stages in the U.S. – Carnegie Hall in New York and Orchestra Hall in Chicago. Since 2004 he has cooperated with the renowned Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, while in 2005 he debuted in China with Wuhan Symphony Orchestra. He has won numerous awards and honours, including Golden Laurel of Skills and Competence, Golden Badge of Merit for the Development of Silesia Province, the Prize of the Mayor of Zabrze in the field of culture, and the Silver Medal for Long Service.