Warsaw-Praga Cathedral Choir
Musica Sacra
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MUSICA SACRA Warsaw-Praga Cathedral Choir
MUSICA SACRA CHOIR was founded in 2002. Since 2004 it has functioned as the choir of the Warsaw-Praga Cathedral. It specializes in sacred music of all periods, with a special emphasis on the Romantic and modern repertoire. It has been acclaimed for its performances of Gregorian chant as well as gospel. It has also participated in the performances of large-scale vocal-instrumental works.
Working closely with several artistic agencies, MUSICA SACRA has taken part in numerous prestigious events including the Festival of Polish Culture in Italy, the 19th Festival des Cathedrales in France, Polska.lu in Luxembourg, Wratislavia Cantans, Laboratory of Contemporary Music in Warsaw, the ‘Gaude Mater’ International Festival of Sacred Music in Częstochowa and the Film and Arts Festival in Kazimierz Dolny. Foreign tours have taken it to the United States, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany and France. It has given concerts for PWM Edition (Polish Music Publishers), the Fryderyk Chopin University of in Warsaw, the Białystok Philharmonic Orchestra, the Finance Academy and Yamaha Promusica.
Recent highlights have included a series of twenty performances of the jazz chorale setting of Stabat Mater, with the participation of the outstanding Polish jazz pianist Włodek Pawlik. After a series of concerts in Polish churches, the work was performed at the Santa Maria in Trastevere Basilica in Rome, at festivals in Germany (Wege durch das Land in Schloss Corvay and Altstadtherbst in Dusseldorf) and released on the choir’s debut CD (Musica Sacra Edition 001), which was dedicated to Pope John Paul II and received the prestigious Fryderyk Award of the Polish recording industry (2005).
The discography of MUSICA SACRA comprises eleven CDs, five of which received Fryderyk Awards. MUSICA SACRA has performed with several Polish orchestras (Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Piotr Borkowski and Jan Łukaszewski, the Łomża Chamber Orchestra under Jan Miłosz Zarzycki, the New Chamber Orchestra under Paweł Kos-Nowicki and Concerto Avenna directed by Andrzej Mysiński) and prominent soloists (Iwona Hossa, Anna Mikołajczyk, Bożena Harasimowicz, Bernadetta Grabias, Wojciech Gierlach, Joanna Woś, Urszula Kryger, Jacek Laszczkowski, Rafał Siwek, Dariusz Machej, Robert Cieśla, Ryszard Cieśla, Leszek Skrla, Jan Bokszczanin, Przemysław Firek, Jarosław Bręk). The choir has given first performances of works by Witold Lutosławski, Stanisław Moryto, Joël Merah (France), Boris Alvarado (Chile) and Daniel Luzko (Paraguay).
The ensemble’s honours include the Award of the town of St Quentin (for the best performance of a contemporary work) at the Concours Europeen de Choeurs et Maitrises de Cathedrales in France (2006). In 2007 the choir was invited by the Paderewski Symphony Orchestra to take part in the performances of Stanisław Moniuszko’s The Haunted Manor at the Rosemont Theatre in Chicago.
MUSICA SACRA functions as part of the MUSICA SACRA group which also comprises the ‘Musica Sacra’ International Composers’ Competition, the ‘Musica Sacra’ International Festival in the Warsaw-Praga Cathedral and the ‘Musica Sacra Edition’ label. The group’s activity is coordinated by the ‘Musica Sacra’ Association, whose Artistic Director, Paweł Łukaszewski, is also the Conductor of the choir. Joanna Łukaszewska is the vocal coach.
MUSICA SACRA CHOIR was founded in 2002. Since 2004 it has functioned as the choir of the Warsaw-Praga Cathedral. It specializes in sacred music of all periods, with a special emphasis on the Romantic and modern repertoire. It has been acclaimed for its performances of Gregorian chant as well as gospel. It has also participated in the performances of large-scale vocal-instrumental works.
Working closely with several artistic agencies, MUSICA SACRA has taken part in numerous prestigious events including the Festival of Polish Culture in Italy, the 19th Festival des Cathedrales in France, Polska.lu in Luxembourg, Wratislavia Cantans, Laboratory of Contemporary Music in Warsaw, the ‘Gaude Mater’ International Festival of Sacred Music in Częstochowa and the Film and Arts Festival in Kazimierz Dolny. Foreign tours have taken it to the United States, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany and France. It has given concerts for PWM Edition (Polish Music Publishers), the Fryderyk Chopin University of in Warsaw, the Białystok Philharmonic Orchestra, the Finance Academy and Yamaha Promusica.
Recent highlights have included a series of twenty performances of the jazz chorale setting of Stabat Mater, with the participation of the outstanding Polish jazz pianist Włodek Pawlik. After a series of concerts in Polish churches, the work was performed at the Santa Maria in Trastevere Basilica in Rome, at festivals in Germany (Wege durch das Land in Schloss Corvay and Altstadtherbst in Dusseldorf) and released on the choir’s debut CD (Musica Sacra Edition 001), which was dedicated to Pope John Paul II and received the prestigious Fryderyk Award of the Polish recording industry (2005).
The discography of MUSICA SACRA comprises eleven CDs, five of which received Fryderyk Awards.
MUSICA SACRA has performed with several Polish orchestras (Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Piotr Borkowski and Jan Łukaszewski, the Łomża Chamber Orchestra under Jan Miłosz Zarzycki, the New Chamber Orchestra under Paweł Kos-Nowicki and Concerto Avenna directed by Andrzej Mysiński) and prominent soloists (Iwona Hossa, Anna Mikołajczyk, Bożena Harasimowicz, Bernadetta Grabias, Wojciech Gierlach, Joanna Woś, Urszula Kryger, Jacek Laszczkowski, Rafał Siwek, Dariusz Machej, Robert Cieśla, Ryszard Cieśla, Leszek Skrla, Jan Bokszczanin, Przemysław Firek, Jarosław Bręk). The choir has given first performances of works by Witold Lutosławski, Stanisław Moryto, Joël Merah (France), Boris Alvarado (Chile) and Daniel Luzko (Paraguay).
The ensemble’s honours include the Award of the town of St Quentin (for the best performance of a contemporary work) at the Concours Europeen de Choeurs et Maitrises de Cathedrales in France (2006). In 2007 the choir was invited by the Paderewski Symphony Orchestra to take part in the performances of Stanisław Moniuszko’s The Haunted Manor at the Rosemont Theatre in Chicago.
MUSICA SACRA functions as part of the MUSICA SACRA group which also comprises the ‘Musica Sacra’ International Composers’ Competition, the ‘Musica Sacra’ International Festival in the Warsaw-Praga Cathedral and the ‘Musica Sacra Edition’ label. The group’s activity is coordinated by the ‘Musica Sacra’ Association, whose Artistic Director, Paweł Łukaszewski, is also the Conductor of the choir. Joanna Łukaszewska is the vocal coach.
conductor
Paweł Łukaszewski
conductor
One of the leading representatives of Polish sacred and choral music, he is regarded as the successor of such composers as Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Krzysztof Penderecki, Arvo Pärt and John Tavener.
Born in Częstochowa in 1968, he is a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw, where he studied the cello (with Andrzej Wróbel, diploma in 1992) and composition (with Marian Borkowski, an honours diploma in 1995). He has been on the faculty of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music since 1996, holding a Ph.D. in composition and the title of Professor. In 2016 he was elected Vice-Rector. He worked as a visiting professor in Chile and Argentina (2003, 2006).
His distinctions include First Prize at the Warsaw Music Academy Competition (1994), and Second Prizes at the 2nd Young Composers’ Forum in Kraków (1994), the 5th Adam Didur Competition in Sanok (1996), the 27th International ‘Florilege Vocal de Tours’ Competition in France (1998).
He has received numerous awards for his compositions and recordings, (the Orphée d’Or de l’Académie du Disque lyrique, Orphée d’Or – Prix Hector Berlioz, ten ‘Fryderyk’ Awards of the Polish recording industry). His honours include the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1998), the awards of the Mayor of Częstochowa (1995) and the Rector of the Music Academy in Warsaw (2005), the Saint Brother Albert Chmielowski Award (2006), the Bronze Gloria Artis Medal of Cultural Merit (2011), the award from the Primate of Poland (2011), the Jerzy Kurczewski Prize (2015), the Blessed Michał Sopoćko Memorial Award (2017) and the Feniks Award of Polish Catholic Publishers (2017, 2018).
His works have been performed at over 100 festivals in Poland and abroad (Britain, Argentina, Belarus, Belgium, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Spain, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Moldova, Peru, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine, Uruguay, the Vatican and the United States). His discography includes over 150 CDs (Hyperion, Acte Préalable, Polskie Nagrania Edition, DUX, Musica Sacra Edition, Signum Records). Over sixty of his pieces have been published in Britain (ChesterNovello), Poland (PWM Edition), Germany (Edition Ferrimontana, Choris Mundi), Italy (Edizioni Carrara) and the United States (Walton, Lorenz Corporation).
He has served as the Director of the International Festival ‘Laboratory of Contemporary Music’ (since 1995) and as President of the Musica Sacra Association (since 2000). He is a member of the ZAiKS Association of Authors and Composers, the Presidium of the Council of the Phonographic Academy and of the artistic council of the Gaude Mater International Festival of Sacred Music in Częstochowa. He has sat on the juries of the composers’ competitions in Arezzo, Moscow, and Bucharest. He is Artistic Director and Conductor of the ‘Musica Sacra’ Choir of the Warsaw-Praga Cathedral and of the Musica Sacra Edition.
In recent years Paweł Łukaszewski’s music has gained a high recognition in Britain. His works have been performed (and some premiered) by such renowned choral ensembles as The Holst Singers, BBC Singers, Trinity College Choir, Tenebrae, Britten Sinfonia and Polyphony under the direction of prominent conductors Stephen Layton and Nigel Short. Two CDs devoted exclusively to his music have been released by Hyperion.
One of the leading representatives of Polish sacred and choral music, he is regarded as the successor of such composers as Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Krzysztof Penderecki, Arvo Pärt and John Tavener.
Born in Częstochowa in 1968, he is a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw, where he studied the cello (with Andrzej Wróbel, diploma in 1992) and composition (with Marian Borkowski, an honours diploma in 1995). He has been on the faculty of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music since 1996, holding a Ph.D. in composition and the title of Professor. In 2016 he was elected Vice-Rector. He worked as a visiting professor in Chile and Argentina (2003, 2006).
His distinctions include First Prize at the Warsaw Music Academy Competition (1994), and Second Prizes at the 2nd Young Composers’ Forum in Kraków (1994), the 5th Adam Didur Competition in Sanok (1996), the 27th International ‘Florilege Vocal de Tours’ Competition in France (1998).
He has received numerous awards for his compositions and recordings, (the Orphée d’Or de l’Académie du Disque lyrique, Orphée d’Or – Prix Hector Berlioz, ten ‘Fryderyk’ Awards of the Polish recording industry). His honours include the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1998), the awards of the Mayor of Częstochowa (1995) and the Rector of the Music Academy in Warsaw (2005), the Saint Brother Albert Chmielowski Award (2006), the Bronze Gloria Artis Medal of Cultural Merit (2011), the award from the Primate of Poland (2011), the Jerzy Kurczewski Prize (2015), the Blessed Michał Sopoćko Memorial Award (2017) and the Feniks Award of Polish Catholic Publishers (2017, 2018).
His works have been performed at over 100 festivals in Poland and abroad (Britain, Argentina, Belarus, Belgium, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Spain, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Moldova, Peru, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine, Uruguay, the Vatican and the United States). His discography includes over 150 CDs (Hyperion, Acte Préalable, Polskie Nagrania Edition, DUX, Musica Sacra Edition, Signum Records). Over sixty of his pieces have been published in Britain (ChesterNovello), Poland (PWM Edition), Germany (Edition Ferrimontana, Choris Mundi), Italy (Edizioni Carrara) and the United States (Walton, Lorenz Corporation).
He has served as the Director of the International Festival ‘Laboratory of Contemporary Music’ (since 1995) and as President of the Musica Sacra Association (since 2000). He is a member of the ZAiKS Association of Authors and Composers, the Presidium of the Council of the Phonographic Academy and of the artistic council of the Gaude Mater International Festival of Sacred Music in Częstochowa. He has sat on the juries of the composers’ competitions in Arezzo, Moscow, and Bucharest. He is Artistic Director and Conductor of the ‘Musica Sacra’ Choir of the Warsaw-Praga Cathedral and of the Musica Sacra Edition.
In recent years Paweł Łukaszewski’s music has gained a high recognition in Britain. His works have been performed (and some premiered) by such renowned choral ensembles as The Holst Singers, BBC Singers, Trinity College Choir, Tenebrae, Britten Sinfonia and Polyphony under the direction of prominent conductors Stephen Layton and Nigel Short. Two CDs devoted exclusively to his music have been released by Hyperion.
team
Paweł Łukaszewski
Paweł Łukaszewski
Joanna Łukaszewska
Joanna Łukaszewska
Łukasz Farcinkiewicz
Łukasz Farcinkiewicz
SOPRANOS
Emilia Brutkowska
Katarzyna Brzozowska
Renata Bujanowska
Julia Kordy
Joanna Łukaszewska
Katarzyna Nowina Konopka
Iwona Pańta
Marlena Płachetko
Małgorzata Radzikowska-Myczyńska
Agnieszka Syga
Marta Zasońska
ALTOS
Marta Bochenek
Paulina Doniec
Agnieszka Dowejko
Monika Jaroszyńska
Eleonora Strojny
Agnieszka Walasik
Rafał Wróblewski
conductor's assistant
Rafał Wróblewski
librarian
Iwona Pańta
accounting
Agnieszka Dowejko
web designer
Marta Bochenek
discography
NOMINATION
TO FRYDERYK AWARD 2019
NOMINATION
TO FRYDERYK AWARD 2017
FRYDERYK AWARD 2016
FRYDERYK AWARD 2005
NOMINATION
TO FRYDERYK AWARD 2013
NOMINATION
TO FRYDERYK AWARD 2012
FRYDERYK AWARD 2011
NOMINATION
TO FRYDERYK AWARD 2010
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contact
Write to us
lukaszewski@musicasacra.com.pl
