Logo Polskiego Radia

Pole wins Seifert Violin Competition

PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk 28.08.2016 15:43
Poland’s Mateusz Smoczyński has won the Zbigniew Seifert International Violin Competition in Kraków, one of the top events to mark the 70th anniversary of the birth of that legendary jazz violinist.
Mateusz Smoczynski. Photo: Mateusz Smoczyński via Wikimedia CommonsMateusz Smoczynski. Photo: Mateusz Smoczyński via Wikimedia Commons

Smoczyński, 32, is a graduate of the Music Academy in Warsaw. A co-founder of the Atom String Quartet, he has won two Polish recording industry ‘Fryderyk’ Awards, for the albums ‘Fade In’ and ‘Places’.

Florian Willeitner of Germany and Apel.les Carod Requesens of Spain shared the second prize. Third place went to Mario Forte of France.

Zbigniew Seifert started his career while still studying at the State Higher School of Music in Kraków. He founded his own quartet and worked closely with the trumpeter Tomasz Stańko, soon becoming one of the finest representatives of European improvised jazz.

In 1976 he recorded his debut album ‘Man of the Light’. It was followed by ‘Zbigniew Seifert’ (1977), ‘Solo Violin’ (1979) and ‘Kilimanjaro’ (1979).

In 1976 he was diagnosed with cancer. Three months before his death he recorded the album ‘Passion’, with Jack DeJohnette (drums), John Scofield (guitar) and Eddie Gomez (bass). He died in the United States on 15 February 1979, aged 33. (mk/mol/pk)

Print
Copyright © Polskie Radio S.A About Us Contact Us