In 2014 a group of Cracovian musicians performing together, among others, in the European Workshop for Contemporary Music project participated in a programme for young ensembles at the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Music in Darmstadt. It was then when the idea was born to continue this fruitful co-operation in the form of a permanent band. The common ground was a desire to explore contemporary music expressed in all genres, created in different periods and diverse musical cultures. In addition, the goal was to perform such music in a way as to allow both the performers and listeners to develop.

„We want to reinterpret the already discovered and well entrenched music, to discover the one that is still to be unveiled, and to co-create new up-to-date music. We play chamber music in a broad sense: from a solo performance to a sinfonietta. We strive to unite our personalities in new whole by working according to the principles of equal partnership and inspiring each other. Hence our name: Spółdzielnia Muzyczna Contemporary Ensemble (Contemporary Ensemble Musical Co-operative)”.

Spółdzielnia is a collection of artistic individuals. Each of us also runs their own artistic activity and has accomplished significant achievements in the field of musical art. As part of our individual activity, we give concerts as soloists, form chamber ensembles, perform in symphony orchestras. However, this activity is not confined to merely performance. Some of us are active in the field of education, deal with composition, music production and organisation of artistic events. Each member of the ensemble collects invaluable individual experiences connected with different branches of contemporary, classical, old, entertainment and ethnic music. Thanks to this versatility of the musicians, we are open to innovative ideas and artistic solutions. Individuality, diversity and freshness are our priorities in selecting a repertoire, while in regard to the act of performing, we value understanding of musical and aesthetic ideas, as well as openness and musicality backed by a technical workshop. We also try to animate the creation of new compositions.

As members of the European Workshop for Contemporary Music, we had an honour to share the stage with musicians representing Ensemble Modern and Ensemble Garage. We also owe much to the conductor of the EWCM, Rüdiger Bohn. Over the course of more than a year of independent activity of the ensemble, three of its members – Barbara Borowicz, Gabriela Biel and Bartosz Sałdan – collaborated with Helmut Lachenmann on the performance of his Trio Fluido during the Brand New Music Festival in Katowice. Among the most important festivals in which Spółdzielnia has taken part are the Warsaw Autumn, Sacrum Profanum, Audio Art, Musica Moderna, aXes – New Music Triduum. At the 2016 Warsaw Autumn, we had a Polish premiere of the stage version of the opera Luci mie traditrici by Salvatore Sciarrino, co-produced by the Warsaw Chamber Opera.

Spółdzielnia Muzyczna is one of the first ensembles of contemporary music in Poland.

We want to work and develop in a multidimensional way. For this reason, the concert programmes have been varied from the very beginning: they included Polish and foreign music, solo and chamber music, composers who belong both to the older generation and the youngest one, as well as the music which is not usually performed by artists in our country. A kind of catalyst was a concert in December 2015, entirely dedicated to the multimedia works of Piotr Peszat. Compositions from the border of music and performance, involving multi-instrumental or post-instrumental skills at the same level as acting opened up a completely new perspective to Spółdzielnia. This unique experience is extremely important to us and undoubtedly influences the direction of our further development and the creation of more recognisable identity of Spółdzielnia Muzyczna.

Spółdzielnia Muzyczna Contemporary Ensemble:

• Barbara Mglej, violin
• Paulina Woś-Gucik, violin
• Gabriela Biel, viola
• Jakub Gucik, cello
• Martyna Zakrzewska, piano, midi
• Bartosz Sałdan, drums
• Aleksander Wnuk, drums
• Małgorzata Mikulska, flute
• Barbara Borowicz, clarinet
• Mateusz Kras, clarinet
• Wiktor Krzak, bassoon
• Mateusz Rusowicz, trumpet, conductor
• Michał Lazar, guitar
• Piotr Peszat, composition, multimedia