On 20 September at 5 PM, the 12th Michał Spisak International Music Competition in Dąbrowa Górnicza is going to host the Final concert in which all the finalists in the double bass category are going to participate. During this concert, the winners are going to be selected and distinctions are going to be awarded to the best of 70 instrumentalists who entered this year’s competition. Young musicians are going to perform on the stage of the Theatre Hall of the Zagłębie Palace of Culture with the accompaniment of the Symphony Orchestra of Zabrze Philharmonic under the baton of Sławomir Chrzanowski. The final concert is the last stage of auditions for four participants selected from 22 double bass players who entered this year’s competition. For jury this is the last moment to nominate those who will stand on the podium, and for the audience it is a perfect opportunity to listen to great music and find out that jury’s decision is not an easy one to make.
During the concert the four finalists are going to perform the following pieces:
Giovanni Bottesini Allegro di Concerto Alla Mendelssohn
Reinhold Glière Intermezzo op. 9 no. 1
————————————–
On 21 September at 5 PM will be held the final concert in bassoon category. This concert will select the winners and distinctions from 4 of the 26 bassoon players who entered this year’s competition. Like the day before, the finalists will perform with accompaniment of the Symphony Orchestra of Zabrze Philharmonic under the direction of maestro Sławomir Chrzanowski.
During the concert the finalists are going to perform the following pieces:
Johann Nepomuk Hummel Concert in F major for bassoon
Michał Spisak Concert for bassoon (version with orchestra)
————————————–
On 22 September at 5 PM the finalists in the French horn category will present their talents in the last final concert. Jury, from 4 of the 22 french horn players who entered the competition, will select the winners and distictions. The final french horns will perform with the Symphony Orchestra of Zabrze Philharmonic under the baton of Sławomir Chrzanowski.
During the concert the finalists are going to perform the following piece:
Richard Strauss Concert No. 2 in E flat major for horn and orchestra
————————————–
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.
Maestro Sławomir Chrzanowski. Photo by Marek Wesołowski
TICKETS (Available from September 4)
