The Karol Szymanowski State Music School Complex no. 4 in Warsaw
Roksana Svekla piano
Symphony Orchestra of the Karol Szymanowski State Music School Complex No. 4 in Warsaw
Marta Kluczyńska conductor
Szymanowski Young Power
Piotr Kostrzewa music director / conductor
Oksana Svekla piano
Oksana Svekla was born in the city of Grodno, in Belarus. In 2002 she graduated with honours from the Music High School at the Belarussian Academy of Music.
When studying in Belarus Oksana took part in many regional and national competitions in which she won awards and honourable mentions. She also participated in master classes in Belarus and in Poland (piano workshops in Gdańsk led by Ewa Pobłocka in 2001).
In 2002 Oksana received a scholarship from the Polish government and enrolled in the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw in the piano class of Professor B. Kawalla (honours diploma in 2007) and in the chamber music class of Professor prof J. Marchwiński and M. Paderewski (honours diploma in 2006). In 2008-2010 she continued her education at the Universitat für Musik ind darstellende Kunst in Vienna in the piano class of Professor M. Hughes.
She attended international master classes and competitions, where she won prizes and honourable mentions. In 2004 she won 1st prize at the “Muzyka be Sienu” music competition in Druskininkai (Lithuania). In 2010 she received honourable mention at the S. Vainiunas international chamber music competition in Vilnius (Lithuania). In 2013 she won 1st prize at the “Citta di Rochetta” piano competition and 1st prize at the “Citta di Crotone” international music competition in Italy. In 2014 she won 1st prize in the contemporary and chamber music categories at the “Citta di Treviso” international music competition in Italy.
She refined her skills at master classes under the direction of renowned teachers, including J.G. Jiracek, J. Polyzoides, M. Katsya-Ono, K. Kenner, J. O’Connor and M. Hughes.
Oksana Svekla has received scholarships from the Polish government, from Lions Club Warsaw and from the Austrian Institute. In 2008 she received a scholarship from the Austrian government to enrol in post-graduate studies in Vienna. In 2011 she received a scholarship from the Solti Foundation.
As soloist and chamber ensemble musician, Oksana performed in the “Floralia Muzyczne” music festival in Powsin, in the Warsaw Music Society, in the Concert Hall of the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music, in the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio, in the Białystok Philharmonic, in the National Philharmonic in Warsaw and in Belarus (the National Philharmonic in Minsk), in Germany (Bremen, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe), Austria (PAN, Hofburgkapelle in Vienna), as well as in Italy and Switzerland. She also works together with the “Passion Artists” artists’ group in Vienna.
Symphony Orchestra of the Karol Szymanowski State Music School Complex No. 4 in Warsaw
The origins of the orchestra’s rich tradition lie in the history of the Secondary Music School. In the 1950’s the orchestra was led by Feliks Rybicki, eminent conductor and composer. The school’s chronicles contain a wealth of information about the orchestra’s numerous successes, led in subsequent years by excellent teacher-conductors.
In 1989-1996 the school engaged in a partnership with the Helmholz Gymnasium in Karlsruhe (Germany). During that time, the orchestra, led by Polish and German conductors accompanied some renowned soloists, performing, among others, Beethoven’s 1st Symphony, Mussorgsky’s “A Night on Bare Mountain”, Schubert’s Mass in G major and 7th Symphony, Mozart’s “Ave Verum” and finally, several times, Haydn’s oratorio “The Creation”, with the participation of a 140-person choir from Germany. The concerts took place in many cities in Poland and Germany. In those years, the orchestra was conducted by Krzysztof Lewandowski, Andrzej Borzym, Andrzej Affeltowicz and Marcin Nałęcz-Niesiołowski. In 1998 the conductor’s baton was taken up by Ruben Silva, who led the orchestra until 2005. In that time, the ensemble performed works by Borodin, Mussorgsky, Bizet and overtures and symphonies by the Viennese classics. Ruben Silva has also worked together with conductors of the younger generation, who have since become renowned artists in their own right: Łukasz Borowicz, Ewa Strusińska. In subsequent years the orchestra was led by, among others, Tadeusz Wojciechowski and Andrzej Straszyński. In 2009 Maciej Niesiołowski became the conductor of the school symphony orchestra, leading many concerts, including “Masquerade”, an orchestral suite by Mussorgsky, Bernstein’s suite from “West Side Story”, Bizet’s suite from the opera “Carmen”, Bock’s suite from “The Fiddler on the Roof” and music for Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake”.
Charity concerts for the Polish Multiple Sclerosis Association (recently known under the name “Symphony of the Heart”) occupy a special position in school’s tradition. It is during these concerts that the orchestra plays a major role, performing symphonic works and accompanying soloists selected from competition auditions of graduating students and competition winners. The tradition of these concerts now goes back more than 20 years.
School symphonic concerts take place on renowned concert stages: at the National Philharmonic, in the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of Polish Radio and in the Concert Hall of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music.
The symphony orchestra also plays a prime role in the education of young artists, preparing them for the musician’s profession, teaching mutual responsibility for the performed work and instilling the joy of making music in a large ensemble under the guidance of renowned artists – conductors.
Marta Kluczyńska conductor
Marta Kluczyńska graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw in the symphony and opera conducting class of Professor M. Pijarowski and in the piano class of Professor E. Karaś-Krasztel. She has also refined her skills at conducting master classes with, among others, C. Metters, G. Chmura and J. Salwarowski. She also attended the European Network of Opera Academies workshops in Great Britain and in France.
In the 2008/09 season she joined the Teatr Wielki – National Opera, where she gave her debut performance at the age of 24, conducting W krainie czarodziejskiego fletu [In the Land of the Magic Flute]. She was the musical director in the first performances of J. Szmytka’s opera dla głosów i rąk [for voices and hands] and W. Blecharz’ Transcryptum. She worked as an assistant with V. Gergev, M. Minkowski, J. Kaspszyk and G. Chmura. She was also the conductor’s assistant during the production of Tannhäuser in Teatro Municipal de Santiago (Chile).
Kluczyńska’s interests also include symphonic music. She has performed with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, the Polish Radio Orchestra, the Łódź Philharmonic Orchestra, the Świętokrzyska Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sinfonia Juventus Orchestra, the Opera na Zamku Orchestra in Szczecin, the Symphony Orchestra of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and with the Symphony Orchestra of the Faculty of Instruments and Teaching at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Białystok.
She received an award for best Polish participant at the Witold Lutosławski International Competition for Young Conductors (2011). She teaches students at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, preparing opera performances (Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the chamber auditorium of the National Opera and Donizetti’s Elisir d’Amore in the Warsaw Chamber Opera. She took over the direction of the Symphony Orchestra of the Karol Szymanowski State Music School Complex No. 4 in Warsaw in 2013.
Szymanowski Young Power
Szymanowski Young Power was established in the Karol Szymanowski State Music School Complex No. 4 in Warsaw as the immediate successor of the Szymanowski Big band, which listeners came to know in the years 2007 – 2013 .
Szymanowski Young Power big band was established in September 2013. The leadership position was taken up by Professor Piotr Kostrzewa, who also became the ensemble’s artistic director.
The band’s hugely successful debut took place at the school’s Christmas concert in December of 2013. The listeners took an immediate liking to the big band, which won them over with its freshness, enthusiasm and commitment, performing an interesting program of music.
On 15 January 2014 the big band was invited by the chief of the Police Training Centre in Legionowo to perform their first serious concert, bringing the audience out of their seats.
The Big band consists of the school’s young students, aged 13 to 18.
The ensemble’s repertoire consists of pieces from the golden age of swing, traditional jazz and hits from movie soundtracks. All concert programs are set up so that everyone will find something to their liking.
In May 2014, Szymanowski Young Power was invited by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage to perform at a special concert in the Ministry’s courtyard on the occasion of the Museums at Night event.
The big band is made up of 4 trumpets, 2 trombones, 5 saxophones, bass guitar, piano and drums. The ensemble’s concerts are intertwined with comments on pieces about to be performed, their composers and about big band music.
trumpets
Marek Petykiewicz
Jerzy Swianiewicz
Alan Turonek
Bartosz Szymański
trombones
Ernest Chudzik
Karol Chudzik
saxophones
Adrian Jusiński
Karol Denkiewicz
Maurycy Hartman
Rafał Reniewicz
Radosław Rychta
bass
Jan Zygmunt
drums
Michał Bator
piano
Piotr Bajak
Piotr Kostrzewa music director / conductor
Graduate of the Karol Szymanowski State Music School Complex no. 4 in Warsaw in the class of Henryk Mikołajczyk and of the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in the class of Professor Edward Iwicki.
Piotr Kostrzewa is the timpanist of the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra since 1993. He performs with the orchestra in Poland and abroad in the most prestigious concert halls under the greatest conductors, performing a wealth of symphonic and chamber music works. He has recorded more than 100 albums with the Orchestra, with some of the greatest soloists for international record labels.
Piotr Kostrzewa has held the position of President of the Sinfonia Varsovia Foundation since 2007.
At the Karol Szymanowski State Music School Complex no. 4 in Warsaw he teaches percussion and is the artistic director and director of the Szymanowski Big Band since 2007.
In 2012 Kostrzewa was invited to take over the position of artistic director of the big band of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.
In September 2013 he established the Szymanowski Young Power youth big band in the Karol Szymanowski State Music School Complex No. 4 in Warsaw.
