Krzyżowa Music
This year, young aspiring musicians from all over the world will once again meet for the tenth time in the Polish village Krzyżowa (the former German Kreisau). They will rehearse intensively together with outstanding and experienced musicians and, inspired by the genius loci, will become aware of their social responsibility and its relevance. On the one side, their aim is to develop valid and in-depth interpretations in an intergenerational exchange of musical experience and, on the other, to sense the pressing issues of our time. In addition, we want to encourage them to become aware, in this historic site, of their responsibility as role models in civil society
The genius loci results from Kreisau’s history. It was in the remote “Berghaus” (the House on the Hill), where 80 years ago, courageous men and women of the “Kreisau Circle” envisioned and planned a pacified, democratized Germany embedded in a united Europe. This background was the prerequisite so that during the PolishGerman reconciliation process the former German Kreisau could be transformed into the now Polish village of Krzyżowa, an international meeting place for the youth of Europe. The new Krzyżowa/Kreisau inspired us in 2014 to develop a chamber music workshop corresponding to a place of European understanding. For the first edition of Krzyżowa-Music in 2015, the organizers assembled a select group of top young musicians and musicians already established in the classical music scene. Ten years after the successful eastward expansion of the EU and in the frenzy of European enthusiasm, they started Krzyżowa-Music under the motto: “For Europe”.
Together with Viviane Hagner, experienced „Seniors“ will work with the „Juniors“, the aspiring young musicians, on over 50 works from the classical and contemporary repertoire. Particularly established young musicians with extensive KrzyżowaMusic experience act as Mentors for the highly talented newcomers. Exchange of experience, inspiration, and the desire to make new discoveries are the driving forces behind the workshop festival. The intensively rehearsed works are performed at concerts in Krzyżowa, Wrocław, Szczawno-Zdrój and in the peace churches of Świdnica and Jawor.
This year’s Composer in Residence is the Irish composer Garth Knox. Several of his compositions will be performed, including a commissioned work. After Christian Jost in 2019, Olli Mustonen in 2021, Konstantia Gourzi in 2022 and Helena Winkelman in 2023, this is the fifth time that a composer will be present in Krzyżowa.
In addition to Viviane Hagner, the group of Seniors 2024 in Krzyżowa comprises violinist Midori, violists Ori Kam and Lars Anders Tomter, cellists Mikhail Hakhnazaryan and Christoph Richter, pianists Lilit Grigoryan and Matthias Kirschnereit, flutist Stephanie Winker and trumpeter Gábor Boldoczki. They will devote themselves intensively to the chamber music literature of the past and the present and will also address the issues of our time in our symposia, together with the Mentors and Juniors. The seven Mentors – Pablo Barragán, Karolina Errera, Adam Golka, Robert Kowalski, Alexey Stadler, Yannick Rafalimanana and Stephen Waarts – have developed over the years into a group of outstanding, Krzyżowa-experienced musicians acting as a link between Seniors and Juniors.
