Błażejczyk, Wojciech

Born in 1981, he graduated in composition from Warsaw’s Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in the class of Zygmunt Krauze, sound engineering from the class of Andrzej Lupa, as well as in journalism and political sciences from the University of Warsaw. He is a lecturer at the Faculty of Composition, Conducting and eory of Music, Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. His works have been performed at many festivals in Poland and abroad, including New Music Concerts (Toronto), Warsaw Autumn, Polish Modern: New Directions in Polish Music Since 1945 (New York), Visegrad Portraits, Musica Moderna, Musica Electronica Nova, Musica Polonica Nova, Poznań Music Spring, Warsaw Music Encounters, and AudioArt by ensembles such as Musikfabrik, Polish Radio Orchestra, United Instruments of Lucilin, Gorzów Philharmonic, New Music Concerts Ensemble, Wratislavia Orchestra, Radom Chamber Orchestra, Kwadrofonik, Sinfonia Iuventus, and Hashtag Ensemble. In 2014–15 he was composer in residence at the Jan Szyrocki Academic Choir, West Pomeranian University of Technology, as part of the Institute of Music and Dance’s residency programme. He writes both acoustic and electroacoustic music, as well as works for theatre and film. Wojciech Błażejczyk has won prizes at several competitions for composers, including the 3rd Prize at the 1st Arboretum International Krzysztof Pendrecki Competition as well as the 2nd and 1st Prize at the Tadeusz Baird Competition for Young Composers (2010 and 2011). His Warsaw Music was a finalist of the European Broadcasting Union’s 2016 Palma Ars Acustica. In 2013 he took part in the IRCAM Forum Workshops in Paris and in 2017, in the Composer Collider programme with the Musikfabrik ensemble (2017). In 2013 For Tune Records released the CD Loopovisations, featuring his compositions for solo electric guitar, with chamber ensembles and electronics. 

Wojciech Błażejczyk is also active as a guitarist. He performs new and improvised music on the electric guitar and using electronics as well as objectophones: musical instruments he constructs out of everyday objects, the sound of which is transformed live. He has appeared in concert at festivals such as Warsaw Autumn, Sacrum Profanum, Ad Libitum, Musica Moderna, Ankun : Neue Musik, Olympus Jazz Festival and Meridien. He performs with Hashtag Ensemble, a group specialising in new music. In addition, he performs improvised music, appearing notably with Mud Cavaliers, Electronisches Glück, Adam Pierończyk, Agata Zubel, Krzysztof Knittel, and Joëlle Léandre. He is also part of the improvising trio Sonofrenia as well as the Silent Movie ensemble, which performs live music to silent films. As a sound engineer, he specialises in recording and projecting sound at concerts of new music as well as creating sound design for film. He conducted electroacoustic music workshops at the Synthesis International Composition Course in Radziejowice. He also conducts workshops for children, exploring electroacoustic music and use of objects in music. 

Selected works: Schizophrenia for chamber orchestra and tape (2002), MAD-Mutual_Assured_Destructionfor chamber orchestra (2007), Seica for ten instruments (2008), Hysteresis Loop for saxophone and tape (2007), Postlude for seven brass instruments and piano (2007), Rozedrganie for three violins and piano (2008), Hora iudicii for choir and chamber orchestra (2009), Apnea for two percussions and two pianos (2010), Protocol for actor, ensemble and electronics (2010), Music 4 Four for electric guitar, cello, bass clarinet and accordion (2010–12), Exhorta for tape and reciter (2011), Penal Colony for actor and symphony orchestra (2011), Chicken Run for electric guitar (2011), Introjection for string orchestra (2012), LoPassHiCutfor double bass and live electronics (2013), Guitar Sculptures for electric guitar and live electronics (2013), A Concise History of the Death of Jean Calas for baritone, choir and symphony orchestra (2014), Trash Music for voice, instrumental ensemble, voice and objectophones (2014), Particle Horizon for electric guitar, bass guitar, objectophones and live electronics (2014), Warsaw Music for instrumental ensemble, voice and live electronics (2015), Music of Strings for electric guitar, piano and string trio (2015), Concerto for electric guitar and string orchestra (2016), Angels of Peace for oboe, clarinet, horn and double bass (2017), #NetworkMusic for voice, electronics and chamber ensemble (2017), String Theory for Harry Partch string instruments (2017), Concerto for Viola, clarinet, string orchestra and electronics (2018), Theory of General Relativity for violin, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, piano, percussion and electronics (2018).