Wołek, Krzysztof
Born in 1976 in Bytom, he is a versatile composer, improviser, and electronic music performer. He is a Professor of Music Composition and the Director of Digital Composition Studies at the University of Louisville. He served on the jury of the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for fifteen years (2008–23). He has received numerous awards, including a 2025 Guggenheim Fellowship, the Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Fellowship, Century Fellowship from the University of Chicago, and Prix at the Concours Internationaux de Musique et d’Art Sonore Électroacoustiques in Bourges. His notable commissions include works for the Warsaw Autumn Festival, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, and Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. As a composer and performer, Wołek has cooperated with leading ensembles and artists such as TALEA, Grossman Ensemble, National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Silesia, and long-standing collaborators including Agata Zubel, Małgorzata Walentynowicz, Tempo Reale, and OMN.
His work spans a broad spectrum from purely acoustic and improvisational to electronic and multidisciplinary collaborations. His compositions explore unique relationships between seemingly disparate elements, drawing inspiration both from abstract musical forms and from contemporary social realities. Whether conceived as autonomous musical structures or as reflections on contemporary society, his works seek to reveal unexpected connections and perspectives.
His recordings appear on the Anaklasis and CD Accord labels, and his works are published by PWM Edition.
Selected works: The Body for large ensemble, two sopranos and two baritones (2003), Bend for chamber ensemble (2003), Pusty (Empty) for violin (2004), Four Drums for four conga/darbuka drums (2004), Mobile Variations for 6-channel tape (2005), Changing Lanes for string quartet and tape (2005), Eppur si muove for soprano, chamber ensemble, live electronics and video (2006), Un claro del tiempo for soprano, flute, piano and live electronics (2008), Arguro for flute and live electronics (2009), Elements for chamber ensemble and live electronics (2010), Yamantakafor two percussionists and tape (2011), Motions, Stases for piano and large ensemble (2012, rev. 2014), Bouncing, audiovisual installation with Kinect controller (2013), Błoto (Mud) for chamber ensemble and mixed media (2015), Nici (Threads), chamber opera for soprano, two actors, ensemble, and live electronics (2016), Zero Gained for no-input mixer (2016), Various Forms of Friction for cello and orchestra/large ensemble (2017), Spin for symphony orchestra and live electronics (2017), Amplified, What is There? for clarinet, violin, piano, percussion and electronic amplification (2018), Missing Voices for flute, violin and cello (2019), Shadowings for viola and live electronics (2019), The Key to Time for VR (2019), Open/Close for bass clarinet and large ensemble (2019), Meet Me at the Station for VR (2020), Flat Surfaces for piano and live electronics (2020), Cookbook for the Modern Boygirl for soprano and live electronics (2021), Paradiso for mixed choir and live electronics (2021), 2051: A Space Odyssey for 13 instruments (2021), COH (Chocolate, Oranges and Ham) for ensemble and electronics (2022), Cookbook for the Modern Boygirl for baritone and live electronics (2023), Bellows Breath Concerto for accordion and string orchestra (2025), Zero Gainedfor NIMB and live electronics (2025), Green Grass for harpsichord and live electronics (2025), Fringe for percussion and live electronics (2025).