Kupczak, Sławomir

Born 1979 in Wrocław, he graduated from the class of Jan Wichrowski at the city’s Music Academy, followed by postgraduate studies in special and computer composition with Stanisław Krupowicz and Cezary Duchnowski. As an outstanding student, he held a scholarship from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

He composes solo, chamber, symphony, electroacoustic, film, and stage music to plays directed notarly by Jakub Porcari, Krzysztof Rekowski, Krzysztof Globisz, Piotr Jędrzejas, Maria Spiss, and Paweł Passini.

He participated in international courses for young composers in Radziejowice (2000), Gdańsk (2001), and Canterbury (2006). In 2006 his work Anafora VI won the 4th Prize at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers in Paris in the young composers category. The same year, Lament – Anafora VII won the 2nd Prize at the Tadeusz Baird Young Composers’ Competition, organised by the Polish Composers’ Union.

With Cezary Duchnowski and Paweł Hendrich, Sławomir Kupczak established Phonos ek Mechanes, an improvised computer music ensemble of “human electronics,” where electronic music is shaped after human gestures and computers are predominantly controlled through acoustic instruments.

He has received commissions from the Grand Theatre – National Opera in Warsaw, Polish Society for Contemporary Music, ISCM World Music Days in Wrocław, NeoQuartet, Foundation 4.99, festivals including Musica Electronica Nova and Musica Polonica Nova, State High School of Theatre in Cracow, Turning Sounds Association, Musical Thought Laboratory Festival, Łódź Philharmonic, Brand New Music Festival, Polish Radio Experimental Studio, and the Friends of Warsaw Autumn Foundation (with financial support from the Ernst von Siemens Foundation).

His works have been performed at leading European festivals, including Warsaw Autumn, Musica Polonica Nova, Musica Electronica Nova, Sacrum Profanum (monographic concert), Poznań Music Spring, Premieres Festival, ISCM World Music Days, Contrasts (Ukraine), The Other Space (Moscow), Ohren auf Europa – Biennale der Neuen Musik (Düsseldorf), Polish Music Festival (Cracow), Audio Art (Cracow and Warsaw), Warsaw Music Meetings, and Velvet Curtain (Lviv).

Since 2004, Sławomir Kupczak works at the Stanisław Moniuszko Music School in Jelenia Góra, where he heads the school’s symphony orchestra and teaches ear training, harmony, arrangements, and composition.

 

Selected works: Casus to John Cage for recorder, clarinet, trombone, violin, double bass, piano, pot lid, mobile phones and conductor (2001), Etching for female voice, recorder, ocarina and computer (2002), Res facta for flute, piano and computer (2004), Cetirizini dihydrochloridum for computer (2004), Anafora V for cello and computer (2004), Anafora VI for string quartet and computer (2005), Creation I (Thinking of Tomasz Sikorski) for recorders, harpsichord and electronics (2005–6), Lament – Anafora VII for female voice, piano and electronics (2006), Le coucou pour violoncelle (2008), De profundis for voices (2008), Rucola for sinfonietta (2009), Novella for computer (2007–9), Dossier A.Z. for three saxophones and orchestra (2009–10), Symphony no. 1 Capax Dei for orchestra and mixed choir (2008–10), Fryderyk Chopin. Personal Gazebo, sound installation after Chopin’s letters (2010), From November 2010 for computer to words by Joseph Conrad (2010), White Over Red for mixed choir (2011), Report for computer to words by Paweł Krzaczkowski (2011; version for computer and chamber ensemble, 2012), HAT for computer (2012), Hummingbirds for orchestra (2012), Analogya 2 for two flutes, piano, objects and computer (2013), Edges for string orchestra, percussion and electronics (2013), Symphony no. 2 for electric guitar, percussion, electronics and 100 motorbikes (2014), Concerto for 11 (2014), Four Dances with Prelude for accordion and electronics (2014), Third Decimal Place for clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion (2014), Peonies for school orchestra (2015), Voyager, chamber opera to a libretto by Michał Borczuch (2015), Scratch for computer (2015), I Have Seen You for countertenor, piano and electronics (2016), I Don’t Know, performance (2016).