Wołek, Krzysztof
is a composer, electronic music performer, concert organizer and teacher. He is a passionate advocate of contemporary acoustic and electronic music and multimedia compositions. His interdisciplinary/collaboration interests resulted in annual concerts organized under his supervision and in collaborative works with dancers and visual artists. He began his composition studies with Edward Bogusławski at the Music Academy in Katowice, Poland. After receiving his M.A., he moved to The Hague to study with Louis Andriessen. He developed an interest in electronic and multimedia works while attending courses for young composers, which were organised in collaboration with studio STEIM and IRCAM. He moved to the United States in 2001 and entered the PhD program in composition and computer music at the University of Chicago, where he also became the Computer Music Studio Manager. His principal teachers included Edward Boguslawski, Louis Andriessen, Marta Ptaszyńska, Shulamit Ran and Howard Sandroff. In 2007 he graduated with a PhD in composition and computer music from the University of Chicago. He taught composition, electronic music and theory at college level at the Music Academy in Katowice, Columbia College Chicago and the University of Chicago. In August 2008, he began to work as an Assistant Professor of Music Composition and Director of Digital Composition Studies at the University of Louisville. He serves on the jury of the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition and serves as Director of the University of Louisville New Music Festival.
His pieces have been performed at international festivals such as the Warsaw Autumn Festival, the ISCM World Music Days, the International Computer Music Conference, the Audio Art Festival, the SEAMUS, SPARK, and others. He has received commissions from the Warsaw Autumn Festival, the Ernst von Siemens Foundation, SCI/ASCAP as well as awards and grants including, among others, the ChicagoArts Grant from the University of Chicago Arts Planning Council, the Creativity Promotion Stipend from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Grants from the University of Louisville, and the 1st Prize for MobileVariations at the Concours Internationaux de Musique et d’Art Sonore Électroacoustiques in Bourges 2007.
His music has been performed throughout Europe, Asia and the United States. His works span a broad spectrum of works, from purely acoustic, improvisational and electronic to various forms of multidisciplinary collaborations. In his music he creates an idiosyncratic relationship between various elements.
Selected works (since 2002): For Madmen only! for tenor saxophone and piano (2002), Bend for chamber ensemble (2003), Empty for violin solo (2004), 4Drums for four darabuka or conga drums (2004), Mobile Variationsfixed electronics (2005), Changing Lanes for string quartet and fixed electronics (2005) Eppur si muove for soprano, chamber ensemble, live electronics and video (2006), Fireflies for improvised computers (2008), Un claro del tiempo for soprano, flute piano and live electronics (2008), Enter the Turtle for two improvised computers (2008) Turtles All The Way Down for two improvised computers (2009), Arguro for flute and live electronics (2009), Elements for chamber ensemble and live electronics (2010), Strained Jaws for improvising flute and three computers (2010), Improvised Rhizomes for improvised cello and computer (2010), Transitivo, audiovisual installation (2010), Spark for cello and orchestra (2010), Agenda for improvised saxophone and computer (2011), Yamantaka for two marimbas and fixed electronics (2011).
His pieces have been performed at international festivals such as the Warsaw Autumn Festival, the ISCM World Music Days, the International Computer Music Conference, the Audio Art Festival, the SEAMUS, SPARK, and others. He has received commissions from the Warsaw Autumn Festival, the Ernst von Siemens Foundation, SCI/ASCAP as well as awards and grants including, among others, the ChicagoArts Grant from the University of Chicago Arts Planning Council, the Creativity Promotion Stipend from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Grants from the University of Louisville, and the 1st Prize for MobileVariations at the Concours Internationaux de Musique et d’Art Sonore Électroacoustiques in Bourges 2007.
His music has been performed throughout Europe, Asia and the United States. His works span a broad spectrum of works, from purely acoustic, improvisational and electronic to various forms of multidisciplinary collaborations. In his music he creates an idiosyncratic relationship between various elements.
Selected works (since 2002): For Madmen only! for tenor saxophone and piano (2002), Bend for chamber ensemble (2003), Empty for violin solo (2004), 4Drums for four darabuka or conga drums (2004), Mobile Variationsfixed electronics (2005), Changing Lanes for string quartet and fixed electronics (2005) Eppur si muove for soprano, chamber ensemble, live electronics and video (2006), Fireflies for improvised computers (2008), Un claro del tiempo for soprano, flute piano and live electronics (2008), Enter the Turtle for two improvised computers (2008) Turtles All The Way Down for two improvised computers (2009), Arguro for flute and live electronics (2009), Elements for chamber ensemble and live electronics (2010), Strained Jaws for improvising flute and three computers (2010), Improvised Rhizomes for improvised cello and computer (2010), Transitivo, audiovisual installation (2010), Spark for cello and orchestra (2010), Agenda for improvised saxophone and computer (2011), Yamantaka for two marimbas and fixed electronics (2011).