October 17, 2025 Marianum Oratory Hall, University of Wrocław, 7:00 PM
Virtuosity filled with poetry –
“a brilliantly talented young Polish percussionist” according to the New York Times and “a poet of the guitar” according to Crescendo magazine in a programme full of various colours, sounds and rhythmic richness, closing this year’s edition of the Sounds of Surrender Festival.
Outstanding young artists and virtuosos of their instruments present a programme ranging from arrangements of works by Bach and Paganini, through the canons of Xenakis and Arpeghis’ works for solo percussion, to contemporary works by Pasieczny and Piazzolla for marimba/guitar duet…
Program
- Jan Sebastian Bach
Preludium and Sarabande from VI Suity Wiolonczelowej D major, BWV 1012 - Niccolò Paganini / arr. Johan Bridger
Caprice No. 24 - Georges Aperghis
Le Corps à Corps - Iannis Xenakis:
Rebonds B - Marek Pasieczny
Ex Nihilo III (part IV) - Astor Piazzolla
Tango Suite
more information
Marianna Bednarska is a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral performer, and educator. She is a lecturer at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and the artistic director of the International Marimba Meetings held at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music.
She is the winner of 24 first prizes at prestigious percussion competitions (including in Chicago, Bamberg, and Paris), a laureate of the Geneva International Music Competition, and a recipient of the Prix Credit Suisse Jeunes Solistes. She was also a finalist in the national stage of the Eurovision Young Musicians competition.
As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed across Europe, the USA, and Asia, appearing at major music festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, Tongyeong International Music Festival, and Davos Festival. She has collaborated with renowned orchestras, including the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, International Chamber Orchestra of Washington, Sinfonia Varsovia, National Philharmonic Orchestra(Poland), and the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2014, she became the first percussionist in history to record the complete marimba concertos by Anders Koppel, released on her debut album Marimba Concertos.
She completed her studies at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart and the Haute École de Musique in Geneva.
Marianna Bednarska is a Yamaha and Kolberg Percussion Artist.
Jerzy Chwastyk, described by Pizzicato Magazine as “a master of breath and vocal line on the guitar,” is a Polish guitarist known for his exceptional technique. He has won top prizes at prestigious competitions such as Concurso Sigall in Chile, Concurso Fernando Sor in Madrid, and the Andrés Segovia Competition in Linares (2nd prize in 2016). Chwastyk extends beyond traditional guitar repertoire through innovative collaborations with artists like actor Hanns Zischler and bandoneonist Omar Massa. As a soloist, he gained recognition with albums “La Joia” (2017) and “Iberian Soundscapes” (2019). In 2022, he recorded “dichter.liebe” with Susanne Szambelan and Hanns Zischler, which received OPUS KLASSIK nominations. He is also the artistic director of Alma Concerts and the Sounds of Surrender Festival in Wrocław.
