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. He also studied with such Fulbright scholars from the U.S. as Richard Boulanger, Cindy McTee, and Rodney Oaks. Chyrzynski perfected his compositional skills on numerous courses, including the Internationale Akademie für Neue Komposition in Schwaz in Austria (1994), Young Composers Summer Course in Bialystok (1995) as well as the Summer Composers' Course in Radziejowice (1996,1997), Internationale Werkstatt für Neue Musik und Computer in Stuttgart (1995) and International Workshop of New Music in Krakow/Stuttgart (1996). He has gained valuable experience and training under the tutelage of composers such as Paul Patterson, 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 (1988) and for Three Preludes for clarinet and piano (1990), 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). Haiku No. 3 for solo flute received a distinction in the National Flute Association (USA) competition in the Newly Published Music Competition (2021).

 

In 1998, Chyrzyński obtained a doctoral degree in composition at his alma mater; and in 2010, the doktor habilitowany degree (professorial qualification) in music arts. 2014-19 he has been a director of the Institute of Composition, Conducting and Music Theory. Since December 2020, he is employed as a professor at his alma mater. On February 22, 2021, the President of the Republic of Poland awarded him the title of Professor.

 

He has been a visiting professor in Mexico (Universidad National Autónoma de Mexico in Mexico City), South Africa (University of Pretoria, University of Cape Town, University of the Witswatersrand in Johannesburg), South Korea (Yeungnam University in Daegu, Inje University in Gimhae), Slovakia (Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava), the United States (University of Southern California in Los Angeles, New York Conservatory of Music), Italy (Conservatorio Statale di Musica in Latina) and Poland (Institute of Musicology, Jagiellonian University, Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz), as well as at the Takefu International Composition Workshop in Japan and during the Seoul International Music Festival in South Korea.

Since 1995 he has been a member of the Polish Composers' Union and in 2005-07, 2009-11 and 2013-25 a member of the Main Board of PCU. Since 2005 he also became a member of the Polish Society for Electroacoustic Music. Since 2014 he has been a general and artistic director of the Krakow International Festival of Composers. Since 2016 he has been a president of the Krakow Branch of the Polish Composers' Union.

His works have been performed in most European countries, and also in Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Panama, USA and Canada, at numerous concerts and festivals, including Silesian Days of Contemporary Music in Katowice (1994, 2000, 2006, 2016, 2020), Krakow International Festival of Composers (1995-99, 2002-03, 2010-11, 2013, 2015-23), MOSAICO Music Festival in Krakow (1995), International Festival of Contemporary Music Warsaw Autumn (1996), Musica Moderna in Lodz (1997), Musica Polonica Nova in Wroclaw (1998, 2006, 2008, 2014), International Festival of Sacred Music Gaude Mater in Czestochowa (1997-98, 2015), Internationale Studienwoche für zeitgenössiche Musik in Hamburg (1995), FIU Music Festival in Miami (2000), Musica Nova Festival in Helsinki (2000), Music Festival in Vitebsk (2001),  International Festival of Contemporary Music CONTRASTS in Lvov (2002. 2021), International Contemporary Music Festival The New Music Scene of Prishtina in Kosovo (2003), 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 (2005-06, 2008, 2015, 2018), UltraSchall Festival für neue Musik in Berlin (2006), New Music New Faces Festival in Krakow (2006), Festival of World Premiere in Katowice (2007), Sounds New Contemporary Music Festival in Canterbury (2009), ZXZW Festival in Tilburg in the Netherlands (2007, 2010), Portraits of composers in Warsaw (2011, 2019), Focus Music Festival in New York (2011), Poznan Music Spring Festival in Poznan (2013, 2018-19, 2022), International Contemporary Harpsichord Festival in Padova in Italy (2013), Encuentro Universitario de Clarinete Festival in Mexico City (2013), Gulfstream in Kiev in Ukraine (2014-15, 2019), Music in Old Cracow Festival (2014), Kiev Music Fest in Kiev (2014, 2019-20), Sügisfestival in Tallinn in Estonia (2014), Cool Capital Biennale in Pretoria in South Africa (2014), 4th European Clarinet Congress in Katowice (2014), Annelie de Man Festival in Amsterdam (2015), SWIK Festival in Eelde in the Netherlands (2015), Daegu International Contemporary Music Festival in South Korea (2016), Takefu International Music Festival in Japan (2016), Polish Music Festival in Moscow (2016), Kraków Spring Cello Festival (2017, 2022), Lviv Early Music Festival (2017), Kraków Autumn Music Festival (2017), Le Festival Franco-Polonais in Douai in France (2018), The Karol Szymanowski Music Days Festival in Zakopane (2018), Seoul International Music Festival (2018), Chopin & Friends Festival in New York (2018, 2022), New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival (2019), Tehran Contemporary Music Festival in Iran (2019), Wawel at Dusk Festival in Krakow (2019), Le Forme Del Suono Festival in Latina in Italy (2019), Soriyuhi Concert Series in Daegu in South Korea (2019, 2022), Daegu International Computer Music Festival in South Korea (2019), Festival Loop 11 in Brussels in Belgium (2019), Young-Nam International Contemporary Music Festival in Daegu in South Korea (2020), New Waves Festival in Gdansk (2020), International H.M. Górecki Days "HoloGramy" (2020, 2022), Space for Sound in Seoul in South Korea (2021) and 11th European Clarinet Congress in Kraków (2022).  

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 24 compact disc by DUX, ZPR Records, Acte Préalable, The Institute of Art, PWM-DUX, Polish Radio SA, Phasma-Music, AM in Krakow, PGMaudio, PWM Edition and Orpheus Classical. Several of his works have been performed on Polish Television, Korean KBS as well as on Polish, British, Dutch, German, Portoguese, Finnish, Estonian, American and Australian radio broadcasts.

 

Chyrzynski has also composed music for the theatre – he is particularly interested in contemporary plays. He has written music for plays such as Divine Words by Ramon dell Valle-Inclan, Herr Paul by Tankred Dorst, La Fête by Slawomir Mrozek, Fedra’s Love by Sarah Kane, Legoland by Dirk Dobbrow, Tätowierung by Dea Loher, The Madness by Pawel Jurek, Porno Generation by Pawel Jurek, Testosteron by Andrzej Saramonowicz, Konrad Machine by Mateusz Pakula, Enter the Dragon. Trailer by Mateusz Pakula, Antyzwiastowanie by Maria Spiss and Vengeance is a Woman by Pawel Kamza.