RONDO KRAKÓW – Composer’s Commission, Exhibition, Concert

Karol Osman’s composition is inspired by Mirosław Baca’s sculptures, and in particular by sounds associated with the process of working on a sculpture, such as the sounds of a chainsaw, cranes, the rhythm of chisel strikes, falling splinters, chips, breaking wood, and the artist’s physical effort. The mutual correlation between the sculpture and the musical piece will exist not only on the level of inspiration for the process of creating the sculptures, but will also be reflected in the formal structure of the piece, based on repeated motifs, repetitive passages, and musical ideas led in an arc. The newly created piece refers to the form of the rondo, which has its roots in the 14th century music of medieval Europe. The combination of the contemporary means of performance with historical musical form will be an opportunity for reflection and confrontation of the past with the present.

 

Karol Osman (born 1995) composer, teacher, graduate of the Academy of Music in Kraków, Faculty of Composition and Music Theory, class of prof. dr hab. Wojciech Widłak, member of the Program Council of the Polish Foundation for the Promotion of Musical Culture, assistant at the Institute of Music of the Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce. Currently, Karol Osman is working on his doctorate in composition as an extramural student.

The composer’s artistic output includes orchestral, chamber, electronic and theatre, film, radio and podcast works. The composer’s broad creative interests allow him to combine contemporary means of performance with musical tradition. In his work, the composer is particularly interested in issues related to timbre, sound decay and temporality. He developed his compositional skills under the watchful eye of such eminent artists as: Wojciech Widłak, Mateusz Bień, Mario Pagotto, Christina Meißner, Gabriela Ortiz, Ivan Buffa, Zygmunt Krauze, Hanna Kulenty, Richard Bellis, Gavin Greenawa and Patrick Lemmens.

The composer’s works have been appreciated in international composition competitions, such as: Marvin Hamlisch Film Scoring Competition, Young Talent Award 2019, New Vision Composition Competition 2018. In addition, the creator’s compositions have been performed many times in Poland and abroad at concerts, composition courses and as part of festivals such as: 30th and 34th International Festival of Krakow Composers, XX International Chopin and Friends Festival in New York – under the honorary patronage of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York, 80th Musica Moderna in Łódź, 25th International Shakespeare Festival in Gdańsk, Nowe Epifanie Festival 2022, 55th OFF Kontrapunkt in Szczecin, Open Eyes Art Festival, OFMAT SCKM, National Festival of Young People Alchemia Teatru 2021.

 

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Karolina Ładoś. A graduate of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków under the supervision of prof. Jan Pilch (2021). She also developed her percussion skills by participating in international music courses under the supervision of the best teachers and artists, including prof. Marta Klimasara, Keiko Abe, Nebojša J.Zivkovič and Emmanuel Séjourné. She actively cooperates with the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra, the Beethoven Academy Orchestra and others. She has given concerts on stages in Scandinavia, Switzerland and Germany. Since 2024, she has been a co-founder of the percussion duo MarimBabes, which focuses on promoting percussion literature for bar instruments.

 

Krzysztof Madyda (born 1999) – winner of over 30 awards at national and international competitions, including 1st prize at the International Competition for Interpretation of Contemporary Music in Rome, 3rd prize at the 21st International Accordion Meetings in Sanok, distinction at the 13th Andrzej Krzanowski Accordion Competition in Czechowice-Dziedzice. Multiple scholarship holder of the Rector’s Award of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków for the best students. He also received a scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in 2022.

He graduated with distinction from his bachelor’s degree in the accordion class of Dr. Janusz Pater and his master’s degree in the class of Dr. Maciej Zimka at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow. He continued his education by taking a master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold in the accordion class of Dr. Maciej Frąckiewicz, which he graduated from in 2024. He is also a participant of the second edition of the PRO Hashtag Ensemble Academy. He took master classes under the supervision of such personalities as: Geir Draugsvoll, Veli Kujala, Claudio Jacomucci, Grzegorz Stopa and Janne Rättyä.

Krzysztof is an active artist in Poland and Germany. He has performed at the Kraków Accordion Festival, the International Artistic-Scientific Conference “On the Road to New Harmony”, the Festival of Premieres at the NOSPR and the 6th Schlossfestival in Detmold.

 

Adrianna Mętel (born 1994) is a Polish flautist, soloist and chamber musician. She began her adventure with music at the Music School in Sucha Beskidzka, and then continued her education at the State Secondary School of Music in Bielsko-Biała. She graduated from the Academy of Music in Kraków and Gdańsk, obtaining a master’s degree. Winner of many competitions, including the International Competition “Artem Camerale Promovere”. She also graduated from the International Management program at the Jagiellonian University. Invariably connected with music, she actively participates in various artistic projects.

 

Annika Mikołajko-Osman – Doctor of Musical Arts, coloratura soprano, soloist, chamber musician, multi-instrumentalist, teacher, graduate of the Academy of Music in Kraków at the Faculty of Artistic Education and Rhythmics and at the Faculty of Vocal and Acting, graduate of the Academy of Music in Katowice and postgraduate studies in Cultural Management at the Jagiellonian University, member of the Polish Society of Contemporary Music.

In 2025, she defended her doctoral thesis at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, which she devoted to contemporary vocal music from the border of instrumental theatre and performance. She made her debut on the stage of the Kraków Philharmonic in Claude Debussy’s opera “Pelleas and Melisande” under the baton of Gabriel Chmura. She currently performs as a vocalist/actress and instrumentalist (rhythm bones and synthesizer) in the cast of the musical spectacle “Shakespeare’s Sonnets” directed by Małgorzata Warsicka at the KTO Theatre. As a soprano, she is primarily involved in the performance of contemporary music. Her portfolio includes numerous premieres of works by composers from all over the world. She was a soloist in the premiere of Michał Dorman’s opera “Estera” as the title character, Mariusz Kramarz’s “Little Mass” in G major, Julia Schwartz’s “Lamento” for chamber ensemble, Juan Luis de Pablo Enriquez Rohena’s “She-Divine” for solo soprano and Karol Osman’s “Hortus Nocti” for soprano and orchestra.

For over 10 years she has been running her own workshops on music and teaching piano improvisation and voice production. She conducts classes both in institutions for children and youth as well as at university level. Dr. Annika Mikołajko-Osman also actively participates as a speaker at scientific conferences and publishes scientific articles in the field of musical art. As part of the promotion of maritime culture, in 2017 Annika published the book “Shanties and their musical and educational character in the sailors’ environment in the era of large sailing ships”. In her activity she also tries to popularize an instrument forgotten in Poland – bones (rhythm bones), to which she devoted many musical projects and scientific articles.
www.annikamikolajko.com

 

Edyta Matonóg (born 1999) Edyta Matonóg is a student of the cello class of prof. dr hab. Andrzej Bauer at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. She has performed solo recitals in the Royal Łazienki Park in Warsaw and at the Krystyna Jamroz Festival in Busko-Zdrój. She won 1st place in the cellist category at the King’s Peak International Music Competition, and 2nd place at the 6th Composition Competition “Moja (mi)nuta” in Łódź. She is also a graduate of Journalism at the Jagiellonian University, where she received a BA with distinction. For the 2025/2026 season, she was accepted to the Sinfonia Varsovia Academy, a prestigious program training young orchestra musicians in Warsaw. She often premieres the latest music, promoting young Polish composers.

 

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