“Why does the world need a Piano Day? (…) because it doesn’t hurt to celebrate the piano and everything around it: performers, composers, piano builders, tuners, movers and most important, the listener.” – Nils Frahm.
Piano Day, an annual worldwide event founded by a group of likeminded people, is set to take place on the 88th day of the year, March 29th. The number 88 coincides with the number of keys on the piano. Piano Day will be celebrated in Cracow March, 26-29 featuring 4 concerts. More details soon: facebook.com/pianodaypoland
March, 26
Restaurant BAL na Zabłociu
Kuba Płużek
6:00 pm, tickets 15 plnR
venue https://www.facebook.com/balnazablociu/?fref=ts
Kuba Płużek is a pianist and composer born in Cracow. He’s actually one of the best pianists of the young generetion in Poland. Kuba studied at Academy of Music in Katowice. He participated in many of the most important piano competitions in Poland and Europe , for. eg Montreux Piano Competition.
He has toured Lithuania, Ukraine, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and shared stage with the best Polish jazz musicians, such as saxophonists Janusz Muniak and Zbigniew Namyslowski; trumpeter Jerzy Malek; as well as Nigel Kennedy, Nathan Williams, Wojtek Mazolewski, and Michael Patches Stewart.
Kuba will perform on piano and two electroacoustic instruments:
- FenderRhodes – which doesn’t have any electronics. It’s characterized by warm and gentle sound. The instrument was created when these two companies worked together for a short time and produced some of the best keyboards.
- Wurlitzer – same as the previous one. It’s made from wood and metal. Instruments of this company were produced between 1954-1984.
Kuba recorded two albums, a debut with his jazz quartet in 2014 and then a solo album on piano “Eleven songs”. Both are available on Spotify.
March, 27
Restaurant BAL na Zabłociu
Vitaliy Ivanov
8:00 p.m., tickets 15 pln
Vitaliy Ivanov is a composer, saxophonist and pianist from Ukraine, developing the ability to play piano since 5 years. He graduated from Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kiev.
Vitaliy got two scholarship fom the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage ‘Gaude Polonia’ – directed to young creators of culture.
He participated in many concerts and jazz festivals in Ukraine, Turkey, Russia, Austria, Germany, both as a leader, soloist and session musician. He took part in the recording of many studio albums as a soloist, while being the author of some of the compositions.
He founded several bands throughout his career. Now he mostly plays with different vocalists and poets as duets. Based on a few words about a person from the audience, Vitaliy creates a spontaneous music portrait. As a soloist Vitaliy presents jazz standards, classical pieces, original compositions and improvisations.
https://www.facebook.com/Vitaliy.Ivanov.Jazz/
March 28,
Magnus music shop
Mateusz Mateja
7:00 pm, free admission
venue https://www.facebook.com/fortepianpl/?fref=ts
Mateusz Jan Mateja was born in 1993. He graduated from Paderewski Primary School of Music, then Władysław Żeleński Music School in Krakow and also Public High School No.1 of B. Nowodworski in Krakow.
Since 2012 he is studying in Cracow University of Technology in Krakow. Throughout 2000 – 2010 he won several prizes in local, national and international competitions. He has performed throughout Poland, Germany, Finland, France and Switzerland. Since 2013 he is the conductor and art director of Cracow Street Choir.
March 29
Recording studio Infra Sound
Weronika Mietelska Duo + Nikodem Dybiński,
7:30 pm, free admission
venue https://www.facebook.com/infrasoundpl/?fref=ts
Weronika Mietelska was born in 1988. She gradutated from Nicolaus Copernicus Bilingual School in Warsaw and later the Universtity of Warsaw. She’s currently completing studies at Jagiellonian University. Her story with music began from classical piano and choir singing with ‘Ars Cantata’ which won several national and international prizes. Yet, she quickly moved to opera singing and chamber chant studies at the Józef Elsner Music School in Warsaw.
While on a scholarship at the Università per Stranieri in Reggio Calabria she was nominated by Maestro Nicola Sgrò and had an honor to take classes from him. Later, she studied opera singing at the Musical Institute of Achille Peri in Reggio Emilia and also at the Università degli Studii di Modena e Reggio Emilia where she investigated the intercultural translation of literature into opera performance. She also attended lectures of Rajna Kabaivanska and Mirella Freni.
Finally, inspired by several jazz courses as well as swing dancing, she moved to jazz and bossa nova finding in Krakow her new musical ambience among the Brazilian musicians and ‘Kontakt, Przestrzeń Ruchu i Tańca.’ She has performed throughout Norway, Italy, France, Spain and Poland. As a dedicated slow traveller she also does not avoid street performance, ethnic & meditation music and local festivals.
https://soundcloud.com/weronika-mietelska
The next performance that same evening;
Nikodem Dybiński
Dybiński plays piano, guitar and sax. He attended the music center, but mostly learned alone. He began playing piano at the age of 8. Now Nikodem mostly plays and creates electronic music without using computer. Besides studying mechatronics at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow, he is a member of representative Orchestra and a band called Doppelganger. During Piano Day Nikodem will connect piano and synthesizer.
Author: Paulina Tendera
