2012-11-14

First place in this year's edition of the Tadeusz Ochlewski Composition Competition fell to the composition "RIFFFonia" by Paweł Pietruszewski, whilst Adam Porębski’s piece, "Semi-overture", received a distinction. Paweł Pietruszewski was born in 1988 in Ruda Śląska, where he also completed his initial musical education in guitar. In 2001, he enrolled in the F. Chopin School of Music in Bytom, from where he graduated with distinction.  
Since 2007 he has been studying composition at the Academy of Music in Katowice with Prof. Aleksander Lasoń. From the academic year 2010/2011 he is also a student of conducting at the Academy of Music in Wrocław with Dr. Wojciech Rodek.
Since 2005, Paweł Pietruszewski has been active within the New Music Festival, which takes place every year in Bytom. At this time he also established contact with the Orkiestra Muzyki Nowej (Orchestra of New Music), which has given many premieres of his works.
    
In October 2009, his composition „Tęsknota za pieśnią" for string quartet, was a prize winning piece in the VII T. Ochlewski Composition Competition organized by PWM. It was premiered in Warsaw by the Silesian Quartet and published by Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne. Since then the composer has continuously worked with the Silesian Quartet. In November 2009 he also took part in master classes led by Per Nørgård.
In September 2010, his piece won the XVIII A. Didur National Composition Competition in Sanok, where it was also premiered.
In November 2010, he was honoured with the Prize for Young Artists for his achievements in the field of music. This is awarded annually by the Office of the Marshal to artists who have not passed the age of 35 years. At the same time, the Children's Art Centre in Poznań commissioned the composer to write the music for an animation-music project. The project was consulted with Prof. Lidia Zielińska.
In December 2010, he won second place (first not awarded) at the Fifth International Composition Competition, held during the Mikołów Music Days festival. At the same time, the Silesian Quartet commissioned a piece from Paweł Pietruszewski, which was premiered in 2011, as part of the fourth edition of the "Festival of Premieres-Newest Polish Music".
In November 2011 the composer received second prize in the the composition competition that is part of the festival “Mikołajowe granie – the H.M. Górecki music festival” and his prize composition was published. In January 2012 the Silesian Quartet performed his compositions at the "New Music Days" festival in Gdańsk.

Paweł Pietruszewski’s conducting debut took place in February 2012. Since then he has been conducting operettas in the Gliwice Musical Theatre.
In May 2012 the composer won first place in the "Generace" international composition competition, held under the framework of the festival „Janáčkův máj 2012” in Ostrava. The winning composition was performed in Ostrava, Katowice, Bratislava and Budapest.

Adam Porębski was born in 1990 in Wrocław. In 2009 he graduated from the Karol Szymanowski School of Music in Wrocław. Currently he is a first year Master's student at the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław, where he studies composition with Prof. Krystian Kiełb and violin with Prof. Jarosław Pietrzak and Dr. Małgorzata Kogut-Ślanda.
He is laureate of 8 composition competitions:

- 1st Prize at the National Composition Competition in Opole for the piece „Varianti” for violin and piano (2009)
- 1st Prize at the “Silesian Composers’ Tribune” Witold Szalonek Composition Competition in Katowice for „Archaikum” for chamber string orchestra (2009)
- Main Prize at the National Composition Competition in Wrocław for „The Bird's Eye View” for solo flute, and the piece was included in the program for the VI National Flute Competition in Wrocław (2009)
- Main Prize at the Composition Competition "…kiedy myślę Chopin..." in Wrocław for his piece “Pinchoria” for piano (2010)
- Main Prize for the piece „Ondes” for marimba trio at the Composition Competition in Wrocław (2011)
- 1st Prize at the Composition Competition for a piece for solo voice with piano accompaniment to text by Czesław Miłosz in Katowice for the piece „Co było wielkie – three songs for baritone and piano” to words by Czesław Miłosz (2011)
- 3rd Prize at the Grzegorz Fitelberg Composition Competition in Katowice (accompanying the G. Fitelberg International Conducting Competition in Katowice in 2012) for „Unireum” for large symphony orchestra (2011)
- 2nd Prize at the First Krzysztof Penderecki International Composition Competition ARBORETUM in Radom for "…Stretched  for strings” (2012).
Two of his pieces have been published (Orient and The Bird's Eye View).
Adam Porębski’s works have been performed by the Wrocław Philharmonic at the "Silesian Composers’ Tribune" Festival in Katowice, the "Musica Polonica Nova" festival in Wrocław, the "Stars Promote" festival in Jelenia Góra, during the Katarzyna Myćka International Academy of Marimbas in Nuremberg, among others, as well as being included in international and national performance competitions, as set works.
In addition to composing, pianistic activities are important in Adam Porębski’s life, with particular emphasis on music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including the promotion of the work of Ryszard Bukowski. Together with Monika Gałła and Dominik Lewicki they form a group specialising in the performance of open forms, happenings, improvisation and instrumental theatre. He has performed at the "Holy Cross Music Days" festival in Kielce, in Warsaw, in Wrocław and Duszniki Zdroj, among other places.
In the years 2010-2012 Adam Porębski held a scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, since 2010 he has held a scholarship from the President of Wrocław, and from 2011 from the Rector of the K. Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław. Since 2012 he has been a member of the Youth Circle of the Polish Composers' Union and the Polish Society for Contemporary Music.