Authors
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Composer, improviser, and musical event organiser. He studied composition with Tadeusz Baird and Marian Borkowski at the Warsaw Academy of Music. He continued his education with Louis Andriessen at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.
In 2001, on his initiative, the Kawalerowie Błotni (Mud Cavaliers) ensemble was formed. Focusing on intuitive and improvised activities, it combined different aesthetics and forms, as well as the sounds of acoustic and electronic instruments.
In addition to composing, Jerzy Kornowicz is also involved in artistic organisations and professional community work. He was a board member of the In[1]ternational Society for Contemporary Music, Polish Section (1989–1992 and 2002–2007), and president of the Polish Composers’ Union in 2003–2015. He was a co-founder of the European Composers’ Forum in Vienna and the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance in Brussels. Since 2017, he has been the artistic director of the ‘Warsaw Autumn’ International Festival of Contemporary Music.
He composes intuitively, combining the latest techniques with elements of tradition and improvisation. A distinct, characteristic motoric pulse is a quality of many of his works. His pieces also deal with the idea of return to nature (Shapes of the Elements for harpsichord and tape, 2000) and feature jazz inspirations (Great Spinning for jazz orchestra and variable soloist quintet, 2014). In his manner of combining types of sound, freely drawing from different genres and traditions, Kornowicz follows the postmodernist tendencies.
Winner of many awards and distinctions, including the Society of Authors ZAiKS Award for the Promotion of Polish Music, the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis, and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Translated by Michał Szostało
In 2001, on his initiative, the Kawalerowie Błotni (Mud Cavaliers) ensemble was formed. Focusing on intuitive and improvised activities, it combined different aesthetics and forms, as well as the sounds of acoustic and electronic instruments.
In addition to composing, Jerzy Kornowicz is also involved in artistic organisations and professional community work. He was a board member of the In[1]ternational Society for Contemporary Music, Polish Section (1989–1992 and 2002–2007), and president of the Polish Composers’ Union in 2003–2015. He was a co-founder of the European Composers’ Forum in Vienna and the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance in Brussels. Since 2017, he has been the artistic director of the ‘Warsaw Autumn’ International Festival of Contemporary Music.
He composes intuitively, combining the latest techniques with elements of tradition and improvisation. A distinct, characteristic motoric pulse is a quality of many of his works. His pieces also deal with the idea of return to nature (Shapes of the Elements for harpsichord and tape, 2000) and feature jazz inspirations (Great Spinning for jazz orchestra and variable soloist quintet, 2014). In his manner of combining types of sound, freely drawing from different genres and traditions, Kornowicz follows the postmodernist tendencies.
Winner of many awards and distinctions, including the Society of Authors ZAiKS Award for the Promotion of Polish Music, the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis, and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Translated by Michał Szostało
