The 2nd International Sfogato Music and Arts Festival 2011

We are pleased to invite you to the 2nd International Sfogato Music & Arts Festival that will be held in Cracow, Poland from  September 29 to October 22, 2011.

You can find the program of the Festival in the section Program on this website.

Ringtone Competition 2011

We are pleased to announce the 2nd International Ringtone Competition 2011.

Here you can find an application form and rules:

Application Form

Rules of the Ringtone Competition 2011

The 2nd International Sfogato Music and Arts Festival

The Sfogato Music & Arts Society is pleased to invite you to the 2nd International Sfogato Music & Arts Festival, held in Cracow, Poland, from September 29 to October 22, 2011. Artistic and Organizing Director of the Festival is Marta Polanska.

The aim of the Festival is to present the multifaceted role of music and art in human life. The 1st International Sfogato Music & Arts Festival was dominated by the music and art connected with Fryderyk Chopin because of celebrations of Chopin Year 2010. This year’s second edition of the Festival will be dedicated to, among others, Franz Liszt, a friend and first biographer of Frédéric Chopin. The Hungarian pianist and composer during his stay in Cracow, in 1843, gave three concerts (on March 26, 27 and 29, 1843). On March 27, 2011, exactly on the 168th anniversary of the composer's stay in Cracow and his recital at Knotz Hall, the Society organized an Soirée entitled Liszt at Knotz at Knotz Hall, currently named Reduta Hall of the Cracow Ars Cinema Centre (more about this project at: www.sfogato.org). The Chopin Soirée Inaugural Gala Concert of the Festival entitled In the circle of friends - The angel and demon: Chopin and Liszt (Bialopradnicki Manor, September 29, at 7 pm) will not only be a reference to the person and work of Franz Liszt, Chopin and Liszt's friendship, but also to the Hungarian pianist stay in Cracow in 1843. The Soirée is dedicated to the memory of genius pianist Alexei Sultanov (1969-2005).

The rhythm of anniversaries will also dominate the next concerts. Within the 2nd International Sfogato Music & Arts Festival during Concert of Premieres Jerzy Kaszycki, famous Cracovian composer, will celebrate the jubilee of the 85th anniversary of his birthday (Malwa Contemporary Music Club, October 16, at 6 pm). During the concert his chamber music will be performed. The evening will also be an opportunity to get acquainted with a rich heritage of Jerzy Kaszycki as a recording producer of the Polish Radio Orchestra in Cracow (where he also founded the Organ Sextet, which was headed by Andrzej Kurylewicz), then as director of Editorial Board of Cracow Television Musical Programs, and finally as director of music at the Grotesque Theatre (wrote the music for about 75 theatrical performances). The second part of the evening will fill pieces written specially for the Festival, which the authors are young composers of Poland, U.S. and Finland.

Occurs this year, 70th anniversary of the death of Ignacy Jan Paderewski will become an occasion to remind the figure and achievements of this great composer, pianist, politician, statesman, one of the greatest and most important figures in Polish history (Manor Czeczow, October 15, at 7 pm). It will also be space for poetry in connection with the 100th anniversary of Czeslaw Milosz’s birth, that was entered in the calendar of anniversaries celebrated by UNESCO.

The festival's buckle will be music of Franz Liszt. In the final concert, held on World Liszt Day, entitled Music of Abbé Liszt, choral and organ music by Liszt will be performed (Holy Adalbert’s Church in Cracow-Bronowice district, October 22, at 6:45 pm). Franz Liszt, in Rome, in 1865, took minor Holy Orders in the Catholic Church becoming the Abbé Liszt.

The Festival will bring together Polish and foreign artists, among others: Marek Polanski, Marta Polanska, Krzysztof Michalek, Maciej Banek, Musica Ex Anima Choir, Jaga Wronska, Jakub Polaczyk, Anna Buczkowska, Piotr Krol, Anna Makselan, Jaroslaw Rupiewicz, Anna Piotrowska, Karolina Gorzala, Jarosław Burda, Sergei Sultanov (Russia), Laila Scharf (USA), Ilari Hylkilä (Finland), Mansoor Hosseini (Sweden), Kazuko Narumi (Japan).

Within the Festival will take place also, among others: The 2nd International Ringtones & Signals Composition Competition, a presentation on dance - one of the oldest fine arts, photography exhibition, and one-day conference Music - Art - Media. After the concerts, the organizers invite you to a sweet treat. Admission to all Festival events is free.

The International Sfogato Music & Arts Festival

The Idea to organize the festival was born a couple of years ago and inspired by music and Frederic Chopin's artistic personality. What contributed to it becoming reality was proclaiming the year 2010 the Chopin Year thus commemorating his 200th birth anniversary. It is from his Barcarole op. 60, the fragment called dolce sfogato, that the festival got its name.
The 1st Festival accompanied a Science Conference organized by the Division of the Psychology of Health at KEN Pedagogical University in Cracow under the honorary auspieces of: Minister of Health Ewa Kopacz, The Mayor of the City of Krakow Jacek Majchrowski, The Rector of KEN Pedagogical Univesrity of Cracow, Prof. Michał Śliwa, The Rector of Academy of Music in Cracow Prof. Stanisław Krawczyński, The President of PAN Committee on Psychological Sciences in Cracow Prof. Maria Kielar-Turska. The theme of the conference was "Music and Human Health in the Psychological Perspective".
And that is also why the main aim of Sfogato Festival is to present how music, especially this of Frederic Chopin, can affect one's health and well-being. It also plays a great role as a source of inspiration since, in a way, music is a part of each person's life. When listening to music we experience all sorts of sensations, music has the power to enrich and shape human personality.
Sfogato Festival attempts also to present how versatile music and its implementations can be by organizing events like a concert of ringtones for mobile phones.
Apart from concerts, the program includes also painting and photography exhibitions. Among artists taking part at the previous year's edition of the International Sfogato Music & Arts Festival there were over 20 artists from 4 continents among others from: Poland, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Russia, Finland, Brasil, Malesya, Japan, USA and Australia.
We would like to warmly invite all to the Royal City of Krakow and especially those for whom music is a source of greater inspiration.