CHÓR „441 HZ”

is one of the most significant and the most recognizable vocal ensembles in Poland. The choir was founded in 2006 on the initiative of the students of the Gdańsk Academy of Music. The leading goal of the 441 Hz team is to perform and promote contemporary vocal music. While performing premieres of contemporary compositions, the 441 Hz often exceeds the aesthetic boundaries to which the audience of the vocal music is accustomed. By stepping out of the musical comfort zone, it opens to experiments with various vocal techniques, returns to the nature of the voice and moves away from the traditional bel canto singing. The continuous quest for extra-musical inspiration resulted in a number of interdisciplinary artistic -projects in which the folk culture or theatre combine in a cohesive whole with music. Choir is a laureate of prizes at national and international choir competitions, including Grand Prix of the 12th International Mundus Cantat Festival in Sopot, the International Festival "Slovakia Cantat" in Bratislava (2016), 46th National Festival "Legnica Cantat" (2015), XIII International Festival of Choral Music in Barczewo (2014) and the III International Music Festival named Józef Świder in Cieszyn (2017). In 2018, the choir became a finalist of one of the most prestigious music festivals: Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales. 441 Hz was recognized there as one of the four best choirs in the world, alongside groups from South Africa, Wales and Singapore. Until now the 441 Hz Choir has recorded three CDs with choral music: “Serioso-Giocoso” (2011), where contemporary compositions a cappella performed in the artistic part of Anna Wilczewska’s PhD programme were presented, and “Modern Choral Masterpieces” (2014) with choral pieces of the 20th and 21st centuries - characterised by innovative musical language, and “Song of the North North” (2017) which is a collection of varied compositions representing different music styles, but connected by a common denominator - each of them conveys the spirit of true North, known only by those who have been there.

ANNA WILCZEWSKA

The founder and leader of 441 Hz is ANNA WILCZEWSKA, conductor of young generation distinguished by her extreme openness to perform contemporary music. She is an employee of the Gdańsk Academy of Music as an adjunct, a two-time winner at the Polish Choral Conductors Competitions in Poznań (2006, 2008), scholarship holder of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2007, 2008), awarded with Sopot Muse for Young Creators (2011), honorary medal "Meritorious for Polish culture" (2014), The City of Gdańsk Award for Young Artists in the Field of Culture (2018), Special Award of the Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship for outstanding services in the field of artistic creation and dissemination and protection of culture for the inhabitants of the Pomeranian Voivodeship (2018).

PATRICK DOPKE

– organist, chuch musician of the young generation. He began his musical education at the music school or Fryderyk Chopin in his hometown Wejherowo. He studied at the Stanislaw Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk in the field of Church Music. He studied organ playing with professor Bogusław Grabowski in the field of liturgical playing and improvisation and with habilitated doctor Andrzej Szadejko in the performance of organ literature. In addition, he participated in interpretation courses conducted by Lorenzo Ghiemli, Harald Vogel and Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra. Patrick Dopke is passionate about Gregorian chant. He is interested in using chorale in the field of later musical tradition, and its later form – the Protestant chant. Patrick is the second organist at St. Mary’s Basilica in Gdańsk since 2016.

Promoters

DOFINANSOWANO ZE ŚRODKÓW MIASTA GDAŃSKA