Born 1971, Marcel Chyrzynski obtained his Master's degree (with distinction) from the Academy of Music in Krakow in 1995, where he studied composition with Prof. Marek Stachowski, orchestration with Prof. Krzysztof Penderecki and computer music with Marek Choloniewski, Richard Boulanger, Cindy McTee and Rodney Oaks. Since 1994 he has worked as a lecturer
at the Academy of Music in Krakow in the Departament
of Composition, Conducting and Theory of Music.
In 1998 he was awarded a doctorate in composition.
Chyrzynski perfected his compositional skills on numerous courses, including the Internationale Akademie für Neue Komposition in Schwaz in Austria (1994),
the 15th Young Composers Summer Course in Bialystok (1995) as well as the Summer Composers' Course in Radziejowice (1996,1997), 3rd Internationale Werkstatt für Neue Musik und Computer in Stuttgart (1995) and
the 4th International Workshop of New Music in Krakow/Stuttgart (1996). He has gained valuable experience and training under the tutelage of composers such as Paul Paterson, Sylvano Bussotti, Claude Lefebvre, Joji Yuasa, Boguslaw Schaeffer, Lidia Zielinska and Hanna Kulenty.
Among many Polish awards and citations, Chyrzynski has twice received 1st prize in the A.Krzanowski Competition for Young Composers in Bielsko-Biala for Miniature for solo clarinet and for Three Preludes
for clarinet and piano, 1st prize for Four Love Lyrics for baritone and piano in the 3rd All-Polish Adam Didur Composers' Competition in Sanok (1994), citation for Piece for Orchestra in the Composers' Competition organised by Polish Radio in Warsaw (1996), 3rd prize for Psalm 88 for mixed choir in the 2nd All-Polish Composition Competition Musica Sacra in Warsaw (1996), 3rd prize for ...similes esse bestiis for mixed choir
in the 3rd All-Polish Composers' Competition Musica Sacra in Warsaw (1997) and 1st prize for Ferragosto per tromba, pianoforte e batteria in the Tadeusz Baird Composition Competition for Young Composers in Warsaw (1997).
Since 1995 he has been a member of the Polish Composers' Union and in 2005-07 and 2009-11 a member
of the Main Board of PCU. Since 2005 he also became a member of the Polish Society for Electroacoustic Music.
His works have been performed in Poland, Austria, Germany, England, France, The Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Greece, Kosovo, Romania, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, South Korea, Australia, Japan, USA, Canada as well as in Slovakia, Ukraine and Belarus at numerous concerts and festivals, including Silesian Days of Contemporary Music in Katowice (1994, 2000, 2006), Journees de la Musique des Compositeurs Cracoviens (1995-99, 2002-03, 2010), MOSAICO Music Festival in Krakow (1995), The International Festival of Contemporary Music Warsaw Autumn (1996), Musica Moderna in Lodz (1997), Musica Polonica Nova in Wroclaw (1998, 2006, 2008), The International Festival of Sacred Music Gaude Mater in Czestochowa (1997, 1998), the Internationale Studienwoche für zeitgenössiche Musik in Hamburg (1995), FIU Music Festival in Miami (2000), 8th Music Festival in Vitebsk (2001), The International Festival of Contemporary Music CONTRASTS in Lvov (2002), The International Contemporary Music Festival The New Music Scene of Prishtina in Kosovo (2003), IV Festival International de musique en Catalogne in Ceret in France (2004), Cadaques International Festival of Music in Spain (2004), Festival of Polish Music in Krakow (2005, 2006), UltraSchall Festival für neue Musik in Berlin (2006), New Music New Faces Festival in Krakow (2006), 2nd Festival of World Premiere in Katowice (2007), Sounds New Contemporary Music Festival in Canterbury (2009) and ZXZW Festival in Tilburg in the Netherlands (2007, 2010).
Three of his compositions, Ferragosto per tromba, pianoforte e batteria, Quasi Kwazi I and Quasi Kwazi II,
were perfomed at the Dimensions of Time and Silence concert which presented Polish and Australian music
in Sydney (1998). His composition Extended Perception of Echo for Strings represented Polish contemporary music at the International Fair Midem Classique 2000 in Cannes.
His compositions have been published by PWM Edition and Edition Ferrimontana - Frankfurt, and have been released on compact disc by DUX, ZPR Records, Acte Préalable, The Institute of Art and PWM-DUX. Several of his works have been performed on Polish television and Polish, Dutch, German, Finnish and Australian radio.
Marcel Chyrzynski writes acoustic, electro-acoustic and electronic music.
He has also composed music for the theatre – he is particularly interested in contemporary plays. He has written music for plays such as Words of God by Ramon dell Valle-Inclan, Herr Paul by Tankred Dorst, La Fete by Slawomir Mrozek, Fedra’s Love by Sarah Kane, Legoland by Dirk Dobbrow, Tatoo by Dea Loher, The Madness by Pawel Jurek, Porno Generation by Pawel Jurek and Testosteron by Andrzej Saramonowicz.
(...) I wouldn't classify myself as a composer of any particular style.
I write what I feel and do it in a natural way. I leave the business of attaching stylistic and ideological labels to my music to musicologists and critics.
(...) My music changes along with me. Its evolution is a natural and conscious result of my own development.
(...) I think that one should not succumb to fashion. A composer should be authentic in what he does, since only the truth can survive in time.
(...) Aleatoricism is not the aim of my music, but only a means of achieving a particular sound quality, much as fugal or canonic techniques are employed in contemporary compositions.
(...) What also fascinates me is jazz of 50's and 60's such as Miles Davis and Jazz Messangers, as well as its most modern forms: Michael Brecker, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Tomasz Stanko.
Marcel Chyrzynski
