Kupczak, Sławomir

Born 1979 in Wrocław, he graduated from the class of Jan Antoni Wichrowski at the city’s Karol Lipiński Music Academy, followed by postgraduate studies in special and computer composition with Stanisław Krupowicz and Cezary Duchnowski as well as in theatre and film music. He participated in international courses for young composers in Radziejowice (2000), Gdańsk (2001), and Canterbury (2006). In 2006 his work Anaphora VI won the 4th Prize at the International Rostrum of Composers in Paris in the young composers category. The same year, Lament – Anaphora VII won the 2nd Prize at the Tadeusz Baird Young Composers’ Competition, organised by the Polish Composers’ Union. Anaphora V for cello and computer represented the Polish Radio at the International Rostrum of Electroacoustic Music in Rome (2004). Two other works, Res facta and Four Dances with Prelude, represented the Polish Radio at the 3rd Palma Ars Acustica in Berlin (2015). 

He composes solo, chamber, symphony, electroacoustic, film, and stage music to plays directed notably by Jakub Porcari, Krzysztof Rekowski, Krzysztof Globisz, Piotr Jędrzejas, Maria Spiss, and Paweł Passini. He has received commissions from the Grand Theatre – National Opera in Warsaw, Warsaw Autumn, 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 ought Laboratory Festival, Łódź Philharmonic, Brand New Music Festival, Polish Radio Experimental Studio, Friends of Warsaw Autumn Foundation (with financial support from the Ernst von Siemens Foundation), and the Polish Radio Experimental Studio. 

His works have been performed at leading European festivals, including Musica Polonica Nova, Musica Electronica Nova, Sacrum Profanum (monographic concert), Poznań Music Spring, Premieres Festival, 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, Velvet Curtain (Lviv), Synthèse (Bourges), Polska!Year (Great Britain), Sonorities Festival (Belfast), and Prix Italia. 

Since 2004, Sławomir Kupczak has been working 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. His chamber opera Voyager, a commission of the Grand Theatre – National Opera in Warsaw, was premiered in 2015, directed by Michał Borczuch. 

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), Anaphora V for cello and computer (2004), Anaphora VI for string quartet and computer (2005), Creation I (Thinking of Tomasz Sikorski) for recorders, harpsichord and electronics (2005–6), Lament – Anaphora 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), Three Dances for two violins and electronics (2016), Plenitude for Rhodes piano, string orchestra and electronics (2017), Naira for eight cellos (2017), Halny for electronics and improvising flutist (2017), Sensitive Data for piano, viola and cello (2018), bum for computer (2018).