Marcin Stańczyk

Marcin Stańczyk (born November 16, 1977 in Łęczyca, Poland) – polish composer, lawyer, pedagogue and music theorist. Laureate of numerous awards, the only Pole to receive the Toru Takemitsu Award. Author of symphonic, chamber, stage, electronic and film music. Creator of multimedia and intermedia spectacles.

Biography

Marcin Stańczyk graduated from the University of Łódź (Law in 2001) and the Academy of Music in Łódź (Music Theory in 2006 and Composition in 2007 as a graduate of Zygmunt Krauze). He then continued to study in Poland and abroad, i.a. completed a post-graduate degree in the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and CURSUS 1 and 2 at IRCAM, Paris. He participated in many workshops and courses, i.a. 13th Young Composers Meeting in Apeldoorn (2007), workshops with Klangforum Wien and Trilok Gurtu during La Biennale di Venezia (2007, 2008), Voix Nouvelles course with Brian Ferneyhough as a part of Royamount Foundation scholarship (2009), Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik in Darmstadt (2010), De Musica ovvero la fabbrica della creatività in Rome with Beat Furrer (2010) and Mark Andre (2012) and also Jerwood Opera Writing Programme in Aldeburgh Centre of Music with Giorgio Battistelli (2011).

His pieces have been commissioned by prestigious festivals and ensembles and performed in Europe, Asia (China, Japan, Israel), North America (USA, Canada), South America (Chile, Cuba) and Australia. He has cooperated with Klangforum Wien, Ensemble InterContemporain, Ensemble MusikFabrik, Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, Ensemble Linea, Elision Ensemble, Bang on a Can All Stars, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Oslo Sinfonietta, Ensemble Nikel, Algoritmo, Zone Expérimentale Basel, Meitar, E-MEX Ensemble, Divertimento, Orkest de ereprijs, Ensemble Nostri Temporis, Sinfonia Varsovia, NOSPR and many others.

Stańczyk's pieces have been showcased i.a. at Gaudeamus Musik Week in Amsterdam, Biennale Musica during La Biennale di Venezia, Manifeste and Season IRCAM in Paris, Bang On a Can Marathon, Noise Non-ferenc and MATA in New York, Les Espaces Sonores in Basel, Rondò in Milan, Review of Composers in Belgrade, Images sonores in Liège, Nuova Consonanza in Rome, Warsaw Autumn, Sacrum Profanum in Kraków, Festival of Premieres NOSPR in Katowice. In 2018 he was chosen to become the first composer-in-residence at Musica Polonica Nova festival in Wrocław. He is a laureate of numerous scholarships, including "Młoda Polska" ("Young Poland", 2007), ones founded by ZAIKS (2007), Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2007, 2014), Marshal of Lodz Voivodeship (2008, 2009, 2010) and the Witold Lutosławski scholarship (2011, 2013), as well as double Coryphaeus of Polish Music Nominee (2013, 2015, Personality of the Year), an award bestowed by the Polish music community. He was a participant of scholarship programmes and residencies: Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival fellowship in New York (2009), the Italian Government scholarship (2009, 2010), Royamount Foundation scholarship (2009), Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt fellowship (2010), Aldeburgh Center of Music fellowship (2010), SACEM scholarship (2013); and residencies: the artistic residence of the city of Paris and Institut Français, Centre International d'Accueil et d'Échanges des Récollets (2014), Cité Internationale des Arts (2014), The Bogliasco Foundation (2018) and Civitella Ranieri Foundation (2019). In 2017 he was awarded the 'Distinguished for Polish Culture' distinction by the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage.

Since 2016 Marcin Stańczyk has been a Polish representative in the cultural cooperation programme between China and 16 European countries "16+1".

He works in the Provincial Administrative Court in Łódź. He is a professor in the Academy of Music in Łódź where he received a D.M.A. degree in 2013 and a Habilitation in 2016. In 2020, he became a full professor.

Stańczyk is a member of Polish Composers' Union (ZKP), ZAiKS and Polish Society for Contemporary Music. His scores are published by PWM Edition.

Selected Works

• Laterna for ensemble and tape (2008)
• Three afterimages for double-bass (2008)
• Afterimages – rosso for piano (2009)
• Nibiru – La rivoluzione della terra sconosciuta for ensemble (2009)
• Analessi Rotte for cello, 2 voices and trombone (2009)
• Sospiri for ensemble (2009)
• Westchnienia (Sighs) for chamber orchestra (2009)
• Il riverbero della malinconia for ensemble (2010)
• Tajemnica Chopina (The Mystery of Chopin) - musical sculpture (cooperation with Łukasz Leszczyński) (2010)
• OPERA 3 for female singer, accompanist and composer (cooperation with Peter Cant) (2010)
• Archeopteryx - ballet music (2011)
• In case of rapture - mini-opera (2011)
• Mosaïque for cello and live electronics (2012)
• Esercizi for students (2006 rev. 2012)
• Geysir – Grisey for ensemble (2005 rev. 2012)
• Muzyka Możliwa I (Possible Music I) (2012, rev. 2015)
• 4'34'' – short piece against J.Cage (2012)
• Le teste scambiate - opera for chamber orchestra and 3 characters (2010 - 2012)
• Attorno for alto flute, cello and piano (2013)
• Muzyka tkana (Woven Music) for orchestra (2013)
• Solarize - chamber opera (2013-2014)
• Aftersounds for 2 percussionists and live electronics (2013-2014)
• Aftersounds for guitar (2014)
• A(pol)ogia - multimedia performance (cooperation with Peter Cant and Alex Eisenberg) (2014)
• Blind walk for ensemble (2014-2015)
• Posłuchy (Afterhearings) for ensemble (2015)
• Powiodki (Afterimages) for voice, string quartet and audio-video live electronics (2015)
• muzyka tkana – powidoki (woven music - afterimages) - audiovisual interactive installation (2016)
• Some Drops for double-bell trumpet and ensemble (2016)
• A due for Fender Rhodes, string orchestra and electronics (2017)
• Dancing Dune for chamber orchestra of Chinese traditional instruments (2017)
• Sursounds for string quartet, wind quintet and electronics (2018)
• Kobro/ Strzemiński. Opowieść fantastyczna (Kobro/ Strzemiński. Fantastic story) - film music, dir. by Borys Lankosz (2018)
• Ciemno, prawie noc (Dark, almost night) - film music, dir. by Borys Lankosz (2018)
• Afterthoughts - multimedia spectacle (2018)
• Unseen for female voice, ensemble and electronics (2017-2018)
• Western Whiffs I for guzheng, vibraphone and yangqin (2019)
• Muzyka Możliwa II (Possible Music II) (2020)
• Aftersounds for flute solo (2020-21)
• Aftersounds II for guitar solo (2021)
• Live for saxophones, symphonic orchestra and electronics (2021)
• Impossible Music (24.02.2022) (2022)

Monographic Albums

• Chamber Music, DUX (DUX0757), 2015
• Acousmatic Music, double CD, Anaklasis/PWM (ANA 015), 2021
• Mosaïque, Kairos (0015108KAI), 2021
• Dark, Almost Night, DUX (DUX1818), 2021
• Chamber Works (re-edition), DUX (DUX1117), 2023