Marcel Chyrzynski, born in 1971. He obtained his Master's degree (with honours) from the Academy of Music in Kraków in 1995, where he studied composition with professor Marek Stachowski, orchestration with professor Krzysztof Penderecki, and computer music with professor Marek Chołoniewski and Fulbright scholars Richard Boulanger, Cindy McTee and Rodney Oaks. He perfected his compositional skills at many courses both in Poland and abroad, where he worked under the guidance of such prominent composers as among others: Paul Patterson, Sylvano Bussotti, Claude Lefebvre, Joji Yuasa, Bogusław Schaeffer, Lidia Zielińska, and Hanna Kulenty.

 

In 1998 he was awarded a doctorate in composition and got his habilitation in 2010. 2014–19 he has been the head of the Institute of Composition, Conducting and Music Theory at the Kraków Academy of Music. Since December 2020, he is employed as a professor at his alma mater. On February 22, 2021, the President of the Republic of Poland awarded him the title of professor.

 

Among many Polish awards and citations, Chyrzynski has twice received 1st prize in the A.Krzanowski Competition for Young Composers in Bielsko-Biala for Miniature for solo clarinet (1988) and for Three Preludes for clarinet and piano (1990), 1st prize for Four Love Lyrics for baritone and piano in the 3rd All-Polish Adam Didur Composers' Competition in Sanok (1994), citation for Piece for Orchestra in the Composers' Competition organised by Polish Radio in Warsaw (1996), 3rd prize for Psalm 88 for mixed choir in the 2nd All-Polish Composition Competition Musica Sacra in Warsaw (1996), 3rd prize for ...similes esse bestiis for mixed choir in the 3rd All-Polish Composers' Competition Musica Sacra in Warsaw (1997) and 1st prize for Ferragosto per tromba, pianoforte e batteria in the Tadeusz Baird Composition Competition for Young Composers in Warsaw (1997). Haiku No. 3 for solo flute received a distinction in the National Flute Association (USA) competition in the Newly Published Music Competition (2021).

He has been a visiting Professor in Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City), South Africa (University of Pretoria, University of Cape Town, University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg), South Korea (Yeungnam University in Daegu, Inje University in Gimhae), Slovakia (Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava), the United States (University of Southern California in Los Angeles, New York Conservatory of Music) and Poland (Institute of Musicology, Jagiellonian University, Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz), as well as at the Takefu International Composition Workshop in Japan and Seoul International Music Festival in South Korea.

 

Since 1995 he has been a member of the Polish Composers' Union and in 2005-07, 2009-11 and 2013-25 a member of the Main Board of the PCU (in the 2023-25 term - as vice-president). Since 2005 he also became a member of the Polish Society for Electroacoustic Music. Since 2014 he has been a general and artistic director of the Krakow International Festival of Composers. Since 2016 he has been a president of the Krakow Branch of the Polish Composers' Union.

His works have been performed in most European countries, and also in Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Panama, USA and Canada, at many concerts and festivals, including: Silesian Contemporary Music Days in Katowice (1994, 2000, 2006 , 2016, 2020), Krakow International Festival of Composers (1995-99, 2002-03, 2010-11, 2013, 2015-24), MOSAICO Music Festival in Kraków (1995), Warsaw Autumn (1996), Musica Moderna in Łódź
(1997), Musica Polonica Nova in Wrocław (1998, 2006, 2008, 2014), Gaude Mater International Sacred Music Festival in Częstochowa (1997-98, 2015), Internationale Studienwoche für zeitgenössiche Musik in Hamburg (1995), FIU Music Festival in Miami (2000), Helsinki Musica Nova Festival (2000), Vitebsk Music Festival (2001), International Festival of Contemporary Music CONTRASTS in Lviv (2002, 2021), International Contemporary Music Festival The New Music Scene of Prishtina in Kosovo (2003), Festival  International de musique en Catalogne in Ceret, France (2004), Cadaques International Festival of Music in Spain (2004), Polish Music Festival in Kraków (2005-06, 2008, 2015, 2018, 2024), UltraSchall Festival für neue Musik in Berlin (2006), New Music New Faces Festival in Kraków (2006), Festival of Premieres in Katowice (2007), Sounds New Contemporary Music Festival in Canterbury (2009), ZXZW Festival in Tilburg, the Netherlands (2007, 2010), Portraits of Composers in Warsaw (2011, 2019), Focus Music Festival in New York (2011), Poznań Music Spring (2013, 2018-19, 2022), International Contemporary Harpsichord Festival in Padua, Italy (2013), Encuentro Universitario de Clarinete in Mexico City (2013), Kyiv Music Fest in Ukraine (2014, 2019-20), Gulfstream in Kiev (2014-15, 2019), Music Festival in Old Kraków (2014), Sügisfestival in Tallinn, Estonia (2014), Cool Capital Biennale in Pretoria, South Africa (2014), 4th European Clarinet Congress in Katowice (2014), Annelie de Man Festival in Amsterdam (2015), SWIK Festival in Eelde, the Netherlands (2015), Daegu International Contemporary Music Festival, South Korea. (2016), Takefu International Music Festival in Japan (2016), Polish Music Festival in Moscow (2016), Kraków Cello Spring (2017, 2022), Lviv Early Music Festival (2017), Kraków Music Autumn (2017), Le Festival Franco-Polonais in Douai, France (2018), Karol Szymanowski Music Days (2018), Seoul International Music Festival (2018), Chopin & Friends Festival in New York (2018, 2022), New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival (2019), Tehran Contemporary Music Festival in Iran (2019), Wawel at Dusk Festival in Kraków (2019), Le Forme Del Suono Festival in Latina, Italy (2019), Soriyuhi Concert Series in Daegu, South Korea (2017, 2019, 2022), Daegu International Computer Music Festival, South Korea (2019), Festival Loop 11 in Brussels, Belgium (2019), Young-Nam International Contemporary Music Festival in Daegu, South Korea (2020), New Waves Festival in Gdańsk (2020), International Days of H.M. Górecki Festival (2020, 2022), Space for Sound in Seoul, South Korea (2021), the 11th European Clarinet Congress in Kraków (2022), Tenerife Clarinet Fest (2022), Modern Ensemble Festival in Daegu, South Korea (2023), Intersonanzen Festival in Potsdam in Germany (2024) and Denzhou International Clarinet Festival in China (2024).

His works: "Ferragosto per tromba, pianoforte e batteria" and "Quasi Kwazi I" and "Quasi Kwazi II" were performed at the Dimensions of Time and Silence concert presenting Polish and Australian music in Sydney (1998), while "Extended Perception of Echo for Strings" represented Polish contemporary music at Midem Classique 2000 in Cannes. 

His compositions are published by PWM and Edition Ferrimontana - Frankfurt, and have been released on 24 compact disc by DUX, ZPR Records, Acte Préalable, The Institute of Art, PWM-DUX, Polish Radio SA, Phasma-Music, AM in Krakow, PGMaudio, PWM Edition, Orpheus Classical and Requiem Records. Several of his works have been performed on Polish Television, Korean KBS as well as on Polish, British, Dutch, German, Portoguese, Finnish, Estonian, American and Australian radio broadcasts.

Marcel Chyrzyński is also the creator of theatrical music - his interests are focused mainly on contemporary theatre. He created, among others music for such plays as: "Divine Words" by Ramón María del Valle-Inclán, "Herr Paul" by Tankred Dorst, "La Fête" by Sławomir Mrożek, "Phaedra's Love" by Sarah Kane, "Legoland" by Dirk Dobbrow, "Tattoo" by Dea Loher, "Rabies Show" by Paweł Jurek, "Porn Generation" by Paweł Jurek, "Testosterone" by Andrzej Saramonowicz, "Konrad Machine" by Mateusz Pakuła, "Enter the Dragon. Trailer" by Mateusz Pakuła, "Anti-Annunciation" by Maria Spiss and "Revenge is a Woman" by Paweł Kamza.

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Marcel Chyrzyński has received numerous awards and distinctions for his work, teaching and organizational work promoting contemporary music, including: the Creative Scholarship of the City of Krakow (1994), the Scholarship of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (2006, 2009, 2014, 2019), the Medal of the National Education Commission awarded by the Minister of National Education (2017), the Silver Medal for Long Service awarded by the President of the Republic of Poland (2022), the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture Gloria Artis awarded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (2023), the Honoris Gratia Badge awarded by the President of the City of Krakow in recognition of services to Krakow and its citizens (2024), the Annual Award of the Polish Composers' Union (2024) and the Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage for creative achievements (2024).