Jagoda Szmytka (born 15 January 1982,
Legnica
Legnica (Polish: ; german: Liegnitz, szl, Lignica, cz, Lehnice, la, Lignitium) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River (left tributary of the Oder) and the Czarna Woda (Kaczawa), Czarna Woda ...
) is a Polish composer. She has attracted attention for her style of music, which uses elements not only of sound, but also of the sense of space and visual arts, and also for her new
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
, ''Dla głosów i rąk'' (For Voices and Hands). She is a well-known composer in Europe and has been recognized abroad, winning numerous juried scholarships, including the Staubach Honoraria for Composition.
Biography
Jagoda Szmytka studied history of art and philosophy at the
University of Wrocław
, ''Schlesische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Breslau'' (before 1945)
, free_label = Specialty programs
, free =
, colors = Blue
, website uni.wroc.pl
The University of Wrocław ( pl, Uniwersytet Wrocławski, U ...
, Poland (2000-2005) as well as composition and music theory with Krystian Kiełb and Cezary Duchnowski at the
Karol Lipiński Academy of Music
Karol Lipiński Academy of Music (pol. Akademia Muzyczna im. Karola Lipińskiego we Wrocławiu) is a university level school of music in Wrocław, Poland.
Departments
*Department of Composition, Conducting, Theory of Music and Music Therapy
*Ins ...
in
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
. This was followed by postgraduate studies in composition with
Pierluigi Billone and
Beat Furrer
Beat Furrer (born 6 December 1954) is a Swiss-born Austrian composer and conductor. He has served as professor of composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz since 1991. He was awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2018 ...
at the
University of Music and Performing Arts Graz
The University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, also known as Kunstuniversität Graz (KUG) is an Austrian university. Its roots can be traced back to the music school of the '' Akademischer Musikverein'' founded in 1816, making it the oldest u ...
(2007-2008), with Beat Furrer at the
Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts
The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (german: Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main, italic=no, link=no, HfMDK) is a state Hochschule for music, theatre and dance in Frankfurt and is the only one of its k ...
(2008-2010), and with
Wolfgang Rihm
Wolfgang Rihm (born 13 March 1952) is a German composer and academic teacher. He is musical director of the Institute of New Music and Media at the University of Music Karlsruhe and has been composer in residence at the Lucerne Festival and the Sa ...
at the
Karlsruhe University of Music (2010-2012).
Szmytka has received numerous scholarships and grants from various foundations including Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research (ÖAD) (2008), an artist grant funded by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2008),
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) (2008/09), a scholarship of the Oscar und Vera Ritter Stiftung (2010), a scholarship from the Baden-Württemberg Art Foundation (2011),
Alfred Toepfer Stiftung (2011), the Wolfgang Rihm Scholarship of the Hoepfner Foundation (2011), and the Staubach Honorarium for Composition by the Darmstadt Summer Courses (2012).
In both 2011 and 2014 she was composer-in-residence at ZKM Karlsruhe, which in between those appointments she had served as composer-in-residence at Paris.
In 2015 she was awarded with the Villa Serpentara Scholarship 2016 by the
Academy of Arts, Berlin
The Academy of Arts (german: Akademie der Künste) is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany.
The Academy's predecessor organization was fo ...
.
Szmytka lives as a freelance composer in
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
.
She founded an artist's and musician's group called "Play" which meets biweekly and performs once a month.
Work
Szmytka's work uses sound and also includes visual elements such as text, theatre and painting.
The work on her release, "Bloody Cherries," was performed mainly by Ensemble Garage, and was considered to be sensual and gestural by ''
Polityka
''Polityka'' (, ''Politics'') is a centre-left weekly news magazine in Poland. With a circulation of 200,050 (as of April 2011), it was the country's biggest selling weekly, ahead of ''Newsweek''s Polish edition, ''Newsweek Polska'', and ''Wpr ...
''.
Szmytka’s compositions are featured at international festivals and institutions including
Warsaw Autumn
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officially ...
, where she premiered "Lost." Her work has been performed at the
Lucerne Festival
Lucerne Festival is one of the leading international festivals in the world of classical music and presents a series of classical music festivals based in Lucerne, Switzerland. Founded in 1938 by Ernest Ansermet and Walter Schulthess, it current ...
, Festival Ultraschall Berlin,
Wien Modern
Wien Modern is a modern music festival in Vienna, Austria that was founded by Claudio Abbado in 1988. It was created with the intent of revitalizing the traditional music scene of Vienna. Friedrich Cerha, Johannes Maria Staud, Mark Andre, Wolfgan ...
, Eclat-Festival Stuttgart,
Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music
Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...
, Musica Polonica Nova, Rheinsberger Musiktage,
Deutschlandfunk Cologne,
ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe
The ZKM , Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (until March 2016: ZKM Center for Art and Media Technology), a cultural institution, was founded in 1989. and since 1997 is located in a listed industrial building in Karlsruhe, Germany, a former muni ...
,
Polish National Opera Warsaw. Ensembles performing her works include Ensemble Garage, Ensemble Interface,
ensemble recherche
The ensemble recherche is a German classical music ensemble of nine soloists, especially dedicated to contemporary music. Founded in Freiburg im Breisgau in 1985, they premiered some 500 works. They were awarded the Schneider-Schott Music Prize ...
, European Workshop for Contemporary Music, IEMA, E-MEX Ensemble, Duo leise dröhnung, Kwartludum, Ensemble l'arsenale, Ensemble Besides.
Szmytka presents a strong personality, extraordinary intellect, and perfect artistic intuition, which has led her towards Internet culture, trans-media art, and, broadly understood, the boundaries between music and other arts. She draws inspiring themes from these areas in a creative and intellectual manner. I believe that she thoroughly reflects upon everything she does. She works strategically. Recently, she has been working as a performer and a curator as she constantly expands her field of activity and redefines the role of an artist.
Works
Solo music
* ''körperwelten'' for amplified string instrument, audio, videon
player(2008)
* ''¿i? study of who where when'' for harpsichord or prepared piano, audio, video
player(2008)
* ''Open the box! #1'' for accordion solo (2010)
* ''Open the box! #2'' for organ solo (2011)
* ''GAMEBOY'' for sampler, audi, video
player(2014)
Chamber music
* ''per ._o'' for 2 flutists and 1 pianist or percussionist (2008)
* ''for
Nall'' for amplified clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, piano, percussion, audio files (2009/11)
* ''Just before after #1'' for ensemble (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion), optional: amplification (2010)
* ''Just before after #2'' for amplified ensemble (flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp, percussion) (2010)
* ''Watch out! of the box
s Luis B. says' for amplified cello, piano, audio, video
players(2011)
* ''electrified memories of bloody cherries. extended Landschaft von Musik'' for amplified ensemble (2011)
* ''hand saw WeltAll-Stars. generously'' for amplified ensemble (flute, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano) (2011)
* ''sky-me type-me'' for four voices amplified with megaphones (2011)
* ''f* for music'' for E-guitar, amplified cello (2012)
* ''for travellers like angels or vampires'' for amplified ensemble (2012)
* ''Oh no, I've lost my lofty bow'' for amplified ensemble (2012)
* ''greetings from a doppelgänger'' for amplified ensemble (violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion) and transducers (2013)
* ''Inane prattle'' for amplified ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, violin, viola, cello, double bass), audio files (2013)
* ''pores open wide shut'' for flute, cello, piano, percussion (2013)
* ''empty music'' for amplified ensemble (clarinet, viola, cello, prepared piano, percussion) (2014)
* ''Limbo Lander''. Audiovisual context composition for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, video, audio (2014)
Works for ensemble
* ''verb(a)renne Life! '' for ensemble (fl, ob, cl, bsn, hn, tr, trombones, 2x perc, 2x violins, violas, vc, db), 4 megaphones (2009)
* ''happy deaf people''. Staged piece for amplified cello, large ensemble, video and audio projections (2012)
Stage Works
* ''dla głosów i rąk''
or hands and voices Chamber opera for soprano, 7 singers, ensemble, audio and video projections (2013)
Discography
* „Jagoda Szmytka – bloody cherries: electrified memories of bloody cherries / for travelers like angels or vampires / hand saw WeltAll-Stars. generously / sky-me, type-me / pores open wide shut / f* for music / greetings from a doppelgänger“
WERGO
WERGO is a German record label focusing on contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1962 by German art historian and music publisher (1903–1975) and the musicologist Helmut Kirchmeyer. Their first release, filed under "WER 60001", was S ...
2014 (WER 64142)
References
External links
*
Jagoda Szmytka websitePublisher's_website:_Jagoda_Szmytka_at_Edition_Juliane_Klein.html" ;"title="Juliane Klein">Publisher's website: Jagoda Szmytka at Edition Juliane Klein
">Juliane Klein">Publisher's website: Jagoda Szmytka at Edition Juliane Klein
biography, work list, photos, performances
Jagoda Szymtka on culture.pl (English)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szmytka, Jagoda
1982 births
Living people
People from Legnica
Polish opera composers
Polish classical composers
21st-century classical composers
Women classical composers
Women opera composers
Polish emigrants to Germany
Polish expatriates in Germany
21st-century women composers
Polish women composers