VOICES

Piotr Wojtasik Septet & Choir of the Synagogue under the White Stork conducted by Stanisław Rybarczyk

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VOICES is the latest concert offer of one of the most outstanding Polish jazz trumpet players - Piotr Wojtasik. The project is unique in terms of performance - it is co-created by outstanding jazzmen and the only synagogue choir in Poland.

Piotr Wojtasik created unique compositions for outstanding musicians, whom he invited to cooperate with:

Piotr Wojtasik - trumpet

Magdalena Zawartko - vocal

Julia Ziembińska - harp

Marcin Kaletka - saxophone

Michał Tokaj - piano

Adam Kowalewski - double bass

Kazimierz Jonkisz - drums

Choir of the Synagogue under the White Stork in Wrocław, conducted by Stanisław Rybarczyk

 

Piotr Wojtasik: The sound of the choir has been an inspiration for me for many years and I turn to it from time to time. Years ago, I carried out projects with the Billy Harper Quintet with the participation of a choir, I performed Stanisław Fiałkowski's compositions for trumpets and choir. These inspirations demanded some kind of fulfillment and finally I decided to write something of my own. And the Choir of the Synagogue under the White Stork is wonderful, it has a unique sound. He made my plans hit the perfect ground, our meeting resulted in cooperation.

 

"Great compositions and arrangements. Moving vocalizations by Magdalena Zawartko, truly impressionistic solos of Wojtasik and Kaletka, all based on the inexorable autopsy machine, plus the color of the harp and the all-encompassing choir. Cosmos." - Mariusz Bogdanowicz (Magazine "Muzyk", 11-12 2020)

 

Piotr Wojtasik- was born on June 10, 1964 in Wrocław. A trumpet virtuoso, an excellent improviser and composer, he has been speaking his own, unique, musical language for over 30 years. He has recorded and toured most of Europe, Morocco, Israel, Canada, the United States, Japan and India. In the 1980s and 1990s, he represented the modern bop trend, which has now taken a more individual form, based in part on modal jazz with small elements of free and ethnic music. He constantly collaborates with musicians such as: John Betsch, Joris Teepe, Viktor Tóth, Steven McCraven, Nicolas Simion, Michał Barański, Michał Miśkiewicz, Michał Tokaj. For years, he has been invited to cooperate with the legendary saxophonist Billy Harper. He took part in numerous special projects with the participation of world jazz giants, such as Kenny Garrett, Joe Lovano and Archie Shepp. At the same time, he performed as a sideman in other bands, which included musicians of such rank as: Victor Lewis, George Cables, Kirk Lightsey and Joe LaBarbera. He is one of the few Polish musicians who are regularly invited to take part in international projects, such as: Michel Donato Quintet or European Jazz Ensemble. As a guest artist, he took part in the recording of over several dozen albums. He has 11 original albums that have gained high recognition among critics and music lovers. The albums "Circle" and "Hope" received the prestigious award of the Polish music industry - Fryderyk. Most of the others were nominated for it. Wojtasik himself received two Fryderyk awards in 2008 in the Jazz Musician of the Year category and as the author of the Best Jazz Record of the Year for the album "Circle". He has been a winner in the Jazz Top ranking of the Jazz Forum magazine many times. The latest album "To Whom it May Concern" shows the sensitivity of Wojtasik both in the sphere of performance and composition, as well as in a carefully selected cast of musicians.

Choir of the Synagogue near the White Stork in Wrocław - the choir was established in April 1996 on the initiative of the Wrocław conductor Stanisław Rybarczyk and students and graduates of the Academy of Music in Wrocław, as well as thanks to the favor of the Jewish Community in Wrocław. The band performs regularly in Poland and abroad. He has participated in numerous festivals, including: the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, the "Wratislavia Cantans" Festival, the Festival of Sacred Music in Warsaw, the Stage Song Review in Wrocław, the Gaude Mater Festival in Częstochowa, and the Music Festival in Łańcut. He performed at the International Book Fair in Frankfurt am Main. He participated in the celebrations of the anniversary of the Kristallnacht in Hanover, Braunschweig, Berlin, Hamburg and Görlitz.  He performed concerts with the most famous cantors in the world: Joseph Malovany from New York, Alberto Mizrahim from Chicago, Moshe Mizrahim from Chicago, Miami Barak from San Francisco, Shmuel Barzilai from Vienna, Moshe Stern from Jerusalem / cantor of the Great Synagogue /, Laszlo Fekete from Budapest, Avitall Gerstetter from Berlin, David Ullmann from Jerusalem, Israel Rand from Tel-Aviv. Music criticism is extremely enthusiastic about the Choir, emphasizing the great skills of the ensemble, as well as the unique atmosphere of the concerts.

Stanisław Rybarczyk - conductor, cultural animator, manager and educator. He has performed at many festivals, including: Wratislavia Cantans, Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, Gaude Mater Festival, Silesia Sonans, Legnica Cantat, Moniuszko Festival in Kudowa, Stage Song Review in Wrocław, festivals in Madrid, Wiesbaden, Riga, Nancy, Berlin and Tallinn. He has conducted concerts at philharmonics in Poland and abroad. He has performed many times in most European countries and in China. He has conducted many operas, including Haunted Manor St. Moniuszko, Nabucco by G. Verdi, Manru by I. Paderewski, Aida, Traviata, Troubadour by G. Verdi, Magic Flute by WA Mozart. He has made a number of world premieres, including Of the Polish Mass and HF Tabęcki's Song of the World Oratory. He has made recordings for record companies, radio and TV stations in Poland and abroad. The creator and artistic director of the Wrocław Tumskie Evenings, Hawdal Concerts and the SIMCHA Jewish Culture Festival, director of the Moniuszko Festival in Kudowa-Zdrój. Author of the show "The End of the Century - the Meeting of Cultures". He collaborated on the production of great shows, including: Angels of Europe, Misterium Iniquitatis, Requiem Pro Pace. Artistic director of the PRO ARTE Foundation, director of the Art & Business Direction Artistic Agency, chairman of the board of the "Dzielnica Wzajemnego Szacunku Four Religion" Foundation.

 

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