Do you want to be happy? Play Double Bass!
Katarzyna Korzeń - a graduate of the piano class of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. Piano teacher and accompanist in the double bass class of her husband Krzysztof Korzeń at the F. Chopin 1st and 2nd degree OSM in Bytom. She can credit herself with many performances at international and national double bass competitions. The jury has recognised her many times by receiving an honourable mention for accompaniment.
graduated from Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław under prof. Włodzimierz Obidowicz. Since 1991 he has been coworking with alma mater, since 1995 as a full-time lecturer at the Chamber Music Faculty, since 2010 with the Ph.D. degree, since 2016 post-doctoral degree. He participated as an accompanist of the masterclasses conducted by distinguished instrumentalists and educators e.g. Julius Baker and James Galway (flute), Guy Dangain, Alessandro Carbonare and Florent Heau (clarinet), Jean Marie Londeix, Ivan Roth, Lawrence Gwozdz and Christian Wirth (saxophone), Franco Petracchi, Klaus Trumpf, Frank Proto, Gottfried Engels, Miloslav Gajdos and Radoslav Sasina (double bass).
He took part in the V and VI International Double Bass Master Course in Wrocław (2000,2001), World Bass Festival in Wrocław (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010), Clarinet-saxophone Festival „Clarimania” (2002, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015), European Saxophone Forum (2016-2022) and Saxophone Festival in Szczecin and Przeworsk, where he performed as an accompanist at the recitals of David Murray, Thierry Barbe, Catalin Rotaru, Jeff Bradetich, Gottfried Engels, Miloslav Gajdos (double bass), Lawrence Gwozdz, Christian Wirth, Jerome Laran (saxophone), Guy Dangain, Justo Sanz (clarinet) and others.
Repeatedly invited to participate in the concerts of outstanding musicians – guests of University of Music e.g: Michael Wolf (double bass), Florent Heau (clarinet), Johan van der Linden (saxophone).
For many years working closely with the Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra co-performing modern repertoire that requires use of piano and celesta. He recorded two CDs with the music of R. Strauss and W. Lutoslawski playing as a member of Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk.
Awarded for accompaniment on the Nationwide and International Competitions e.g. in Włoszakowice, Olsztyn, Szczecin, Łódź, Sochaczew, Szczecinek and Dąbrowa Górnicza. He was awarded threefold with the individual second degree award granted by
the Director of the Center of Polish Artistic Education (2003,2011,2020). He is also a prize winner of the Rector of the University of Music in Wrocław Award (2005,2012,2015,2017). In 2007 awarded with the Badge of honor "Merit for Polish Culture". In 2012 awarded with Bronze Cross of Merit and in 2017 with Silver Medal For Longtime Duty. He takes part in a lot of (mostly chamber) concerts – he performed in London, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, Vilnius and other places. He has also made a recordings for the Polish Radio in Wrocław.
Agata Kielar-Długosz is a leading Polish flautist. A propagator of Polish music. She is a graduate of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich as well as of postgraduate studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Weimar and the Yale University in New Haven.
She is a laureate of a number of international flute competitions, e.g. in Uelzen, Viggiano, Padua, Ovada, and Timisoara.
She was first flautist of the Bayerisches Symphonieorchester München. She also works with the Münchener Kammerorchester and the Bach Collegium München. She has played under the baton of such conductors as: Zubin Mehta, James Levine, Mariss Jansons, Jacek Kaspszyk, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Jerzy Salwarowski, Marek Pijarowski, Agnieszka Duczmal.
So far, she has recorded 16 albums. This is mainly contemporary work, but also the music of the 19th century composers, which is worth popularising. The album For You, Anne-Lill, released by the DUX phonographic publishing house, has been recognised by music critics as one of the most interesting chamber music albums of recent years. In 2017, she was nominated for the prestigious ICMA phonographic award (International Classical Music Award) in the solo concerto category for the album Flute Reflections (DUX). In 2021 she was awarded the Bronze Medal “For Merit to Culture - Gloria Artis”. The album with the artist's participation, Roman Palester Concertinos, released by the Anaklasis label was nominated to the Fryderyk 2021 Award.
She is also a propagator of the latest music; over 140 works dedicated to her have been created so far. On many occasions, she was the first performer of concertos dedicated to her by Polish and foreign composers (Enjott Schneider, Dai Bo, Mendi Mengjiqi, Igor Shcherbakov, Paweł Mykietyn, Jerzy Kornowicz, Paweł Łukaszewski, Mikołaj Górecki, Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil, Piotr Moss) which were broadcast by leading radio stations. She has made numerous recordings for television, radio and record industry archives.
She has received numerous grants and awards for her artistic achievements from the “Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now” Foundation, the Fulbright Commission, the “Young Poland” programme of the Polish Ministry of Culture DAAD, KAAD, All Flutes Plus, Jeunesses Musicales, and Top Wind. She was nominated for a phonographic award Fryderyk 2021.
Agata Kielar-Długosz together with her husband Łukasz Długosz developed an innovative project in the form of the Flautoforte educational portal, which consists in premiering, recording and sharing Polish contemporary flute music by renowned composers, thus promoting it in the world.
The Presidium of the Main Board of the Polish Composers Union awarded the artist the 2021 Honorary Award of the Polish Composers Union for special merit in promoting Polish music and expanding the repertoire of contemporary flute compositions; for stimulating compositional creativity in this area and promoting new Polish music in the world. She obtained in 2023 Order of Polonia Restituta.
In 2019, she obtained a Post-Doctoral degree in Musical Arts in the artistic discipline of instrumental studies. She is Professor of Music Academy in Gdansk.
Growing up in a music-loving family, Irena started studying the piano when she was 7 years old. When she was 13, she started “cello” then took up the double bass at age 16 with Prof. B. Nancka in Bielsko Biała Music School. At the same time, Irena loved singing popular music and was a three-time winner of the local contest. She received her master’s degree from Academy of Music in Wroclaw, Poland, studying with Prof. E. Krysta. A few times Irena was an active participant in the master classes with Prof. L. Streicher in Weimar. She began teaching in the Karol Lipinski Academy of Music in Wroclaw in 1980 and she is the pioneer as female bassist in the Polish music higher education system. As a teacher Irena has successes with her former students like: R. Ziobro, D. Kalla, N. Radzik, J. Olejnik, Ł. Tinschert, K. Kowal, P. Prucnal, M. Waliński, C. F. Korkmaz, R. G. Abreu Krysztofiak, P. Wołkowski, B. Modena (Italy), F. J. Uria Rodriguez (Spain) and Abbey Grech (Malta). Irena is the former principal of the Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Cairo Symphony Orchestra (Egypt). She presents solo and chamber music performances at home and abroad. Her CD “Medytacja Thais” with pianist Andrzej Jungiewicz includes world premiere recording works by Polish composers B. Konowalski and S. B. Poradowski. Irena has conducted master classes at the Guildhall School of Music in London, Cairo Conservatoire de Musique, Double Bass Convention in Brno, Double Bass Week in Michaelstein, BYU in Provo, San Francisco Bass Bash, North Texas University in Denton, Universidade Federal de Goias Escola de Musica e Artes Cenicas (Brasil), Central Conservatory of Music in Peking, Beijing Conservatory of Music in China and Bass Feast in Banska Bystrica (Slovakia) among others. She was invited to the jury for the international double bass competitions in USA–ISB Solo Division, J. M. Sperger International Double Bass Competition in Germany, Czech Republic, China, France, Slovakia, Ukraina and Poland. She has served as President of the Polish Double Bass Society since 1994 and is editor of its magazine “KontraBasista”. Since 1992 Irena has organized international double bass master classes held at the Wojnowice Castle and five times the World Bass Festival in Wroclaw since 2004 inviting guest faculty members like: G. Karr, T. Martin, D. Walter, K. Trumpf, F. Rabbath, , R. Carter, C. Rotaru. J. Clayton, R. Garcia-Fons, L. Danielsson, F. Petracchi, F. Grillo, M. Jelinek, F. Proto, T. Barbe, Song Yi, Yun Xia Hou, M. Gajdos, E. Hansen, B. Green, H. Ikematsu, J. Quarrington, J. Bradetich, S. Ray, R. Reid, K. Korb and many others. Irena organized a first in Poland Wratislavia International Double Bass Competition under Honorary Patronage of Maestro Gary Karr in 2008, The International Double Bass Symposium in the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wroclaw in 2013, 2016 and The Summer Bass Academy in Szczawno Zdrój 2017, 2018, 2019, Grzegorz Olkiewicz Musical Master Courses 2022, Grzegorz Olkiewicz International Music Festival 2023. She received a few awards: David Walter Charitable Trust (2000), Wroclaw Musical Award (2004), the Wroclaw Academy of Music Rector’s Award (six times), The Wroclaw Dwarf Award from Journalists for an idea and organization of the First World Bass Festival in Wroclaw. In 2010 Irena received distinction: “Merit for the Polish Culture” from the Minister of Culture & Art.