Michał Ziółkowski (born 1 August 1991 in Zakopane) is a Polish composer, pianist and arranger based in Wrocław. He studied composition at the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław under the supervision of Prof. Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil. His work encompasses choral, orchestral, theatre and film music; among other works, he has written the opera ‘The Ugly Duckling’. He has won prizes at numerous composition competitions, including the 4th Krzysztof Penderecki International ‘Arboretum’ Competition and the Busan Choral Festival. His ‘Agnus Dei’ has been published by Schott Music and performed by, among others, The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge.
Artistic output
- Michał Ziółkowski is the author of numerous choral, orchestral and chamber works, which have gained recognition both in Poland and abroad.
- He has written, among other works, the opera “The Ugly Duckling” and pieces for academic and professional ensembles.
- His music has been performed at prestigious festivals, such as the Busan Choral Festival in Korea and the Krzysztof Penderecki ‘Arboretum’ Composition Competition.
- Ziółkowski’s compositions combine contemporary techniques with traditional inspirations, setting them apart from the work of the younger generation of Polish composers.
- His works, such as ‘Agnus Dei’, have been published by renowned publishers such as Schott Music and performed by international choirs, including The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge.
Justyna Miguła – a graduate in Polish Studies and Musicology from the University of Wrocław, she also completed her doctoral studies at the Faculty of Philology. Between 2018 and 2022, she taught a course on the history of musical theatre at the Institute of Polish Philology at the University of Wrocław; she is also working on a doctoral thesis on Lia Rotbaum’s opera productions. She is the author of numerous music reviews (she is a regular contributor to "Ruch Muzyczny"), popular science and academic articles, as well as programme notes and interviews with artists commissioned by festivals such as Musica Polonica Nova and Musica Electronica Nova. In 2020, she received the Artistic Scholarship from the Mayor of Wrocław, under which she produced the documentary “Lia Rotbaum — Stories from Memory”, and in 2022, thanks to a scholarship from the National Agency for Academic Exchange, she conducted research in Kazakhstan, working for over six months with the local Polish community. She is also a radio journalist and podcast creator — she started out at Akademickie Radio Luz in Wrocław and currently hosts her own programme, “Step by step. Studio Kazakhstan”, on Radio Wnet.
