Szpyrka, Monika
A composer born in Cracow in 1993. Her creative and research interests focus on concealment, the “acoustic microscope,” and the intersection of simplicity and complexity. She completed a solo programme in composition with Juliana Hodkinson, Niels Rønsholdt, and Simon Steen-Andersen at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. She also graduated in composition (MMus) and music theory (BMus) from the K. Penderecki Academy of Music in Cracow, obtaining a doctoral (DMA) degree from that academy in 2023 (under the supervision of Anna Zawadzka-Gołosz) Her works have been frequently performed in concert in Poland and internationally, including at the Klang Festival Copenhagen, Spor and New Music for Strings in Aarhus, MaerzMusik, Heroines of Sound, Frequenz, PRISM, NEOARTE, the Warsaw Autumn, Sacrum Profanum, Musica Electronica Nova, Musica Polonica Nova, the International Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt, Festival Aktuelle Musik in Nuremberg, and Young Composers’ Meeting in Apeldoorn. She has cooperated with ensembles such as Aarhus Sinfonietta, Duo van Vliet, E-MEX Ensemble, Ensemble Modern, Gośka Isphording, Kompopolex, KNM Berlin, Lutosławski Quartet, Małgorzata Walentynowicz, Matthias Geuting, NJYD Quartet, Orkest De Ereprijs, OMN New Music Orchestra, Ostravská Banda, and Spółdzielnia Muzyczna Contemporary Ensemble. She took part in Donaueschinger Musiktage Next Generation and SYNTHETIS workshops.
Her accolades include the Cracow City Artistic Scholarship (2023), a student excellence scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (2017), a Sapere Auso scholarship (2017/18), and Koda Kultur grants (Denmark 2018, 2022). In 2022 her Part among Parts represented Polish Radio at the 68th International Rostrum of Composers in Palermo, winning the main prize (selected work) in the category of composers under 30.
Selected works: Raster1 for organ (2014), Inert Oscillations for piano trio (2014), Line of Delimitation Between Solid and Void for two percussion and string orchestra (2015), Reversion Sculpture for organ, two positive organs and percussion (2015), Irradiation for horn, harp, accordion and viola (2015), Hypnagogic Hallucinations for percussion, piano, violin and bass guitar (2015), Bug Report for bass clarinet, harp, percussion and cello (2016), Instrument Fall Ready-To-Wear 2016 for electric guitar, percussion, audio playback, video and costumes (2016), Pyrochlore Rotation for percussion and eight double basses (2016), 301.6/301.8 for bass flute and bass clarinet (2016), zero waste tip 1: don’t waste your music for sampler (2017), Instrument Spring ReadyTo-Wear 2017 for flute, percussion, accordion, audio playback, video and costumes (2017), Count to 10 for 14 instruments and two sopranos (2017), Playing like a... for trumpet (2018), Instrument Fall Ready-To-Wear 2018 v.2 for electric guitar, percussion and costumes (2018), collect.consume.repeat for four percussion and audio playback (2018), Useful Statistics for orchestra (2018), No-body for female voice and sampler (2019), The Problem at Has No Name: 3 for accordion and harpsichord (2019), are there hidden figures? for string quartet, video and electronics (2018–19), the problem that has no name: 1 for harpsichord and audio playback (2019), Globus Histericus for amplified female throat and audio playback (2020), the problem that has no name: 2 for harp and harpsichord (2019), Bend and Rise for cello and audio playback (2020), Partes Corporis, concept album (2020), Unhelpful Thinking Styles for accordion, viola, audio playback and lights projection (2020), Zoom In / dolly Out for ensemble, audio playback and lights projection (2020), Simple Amplifying Motion for orchestra (2020), The Sound of Plastic for amplified costume and audio playback (2020), self-(un)winding for bass flute, bass clarinet, piano/sampler, percussion, violin and cello (2021), Corridors in the Mind for organ and sampler (2021), Part among Parts for chamber orchestra and accordion (2021), Spaces of Detachment for clarinet, percussion, piano, cello and electronics (2021), In Constant Rapid Collisions, electroacoustic layer (2021), Angle of Reflection for percussion, bass guitar, accordion and electronics (2022), sustainable music for flute, alto saxophone, guitar, percussion and objects (2022), SZERLIT for piano, accordion and audio playback (2022), Regrowing for flute, clarinet, piano/sampler, violin and cello (2023), MIKROSKOPIA, electronic performance (2023), Wallflower for flute, clarinet, saxophone, percussion, cello and double bass (2023), Internal Monologue for contrabass clarinet, electric guitar, cello, double bass, electronics and video (2023), HACKMANIT for two flutes and electronics (2023), Trio for horn, trumpet and trombone (2024), Ellipsis for two performers and electronics (2024).