From 2 to 4 July at 9.30 pm, as part of the summer concert cycle in the Jardín de los Sentidos del Palacio Quintanar en Segovia (calle San Agustín, no number) the Instituto Polaco de Cultura offers three concerts by Polish artists who will close Poland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union during the first half of this year.
On 2 July, saxophonist Andrzej Olejniczak and his trio will open the cycle with a vibrant and enveloping jazz evening. The next day, young pianist Wiktor Gąsior (pictured) will take us on a journey into the sonorous universe of 19th-century romantic piano. Polish participation in the Garden of Senses will culminate on 4 July with a performance by guitarist Kamil Urbański, who will explore the central European fascination for flamenco rhythms and emotions. Free entry until full capacity.
Andrzej Olejniczak is an axophonist, composer, arranger and educator, and is today one of the musicians of undoubted international reputation. Has been performing on stages around the world for over 50 years. He was a professor at the Centro Superior De Música De San Sebastián Musikene and Conservatorio de Leioa.
In the world of music, playing in small groups creates a very special and personal contact between performers. This is the case of the trio of saxophone, piano and double bass. The repertoire acquires a different sensitivity opening up new possibilities. Improvisation, which is an essential element of jazz music, makes any change in creative direction possible during the concert. The program that will perform the trio includes original compositions by Andrzej Olejniczak and also some jazz standards, all within the styles of hard -bop, pop music and even with elements of free jazz.
Wiktor Gąsior, who will offer a recital entirely dedicated to Frédéric Chopin, is a young pianist of Polish nationality who has developed an outstanding artistic career from an early age. He began his musical studies at the age of four in Juventudes Musicales de Alcalá de Henares and, at six, began his piano training with Olesya Mishutchenko. Later he studied under the tutelage of Mendmaa Dorzhin Madasova and Galina Eguiazarova. Currently studying at the Katarina Gurska Higher Education Centre in Madrid with Andrey Yaroshinsky.
He has been awarded in more than 30 national and international competitions, with first prizes in competitions such as Medici, Smederevo, Rachmaninoff (Bosnia) and Orbetello, as well as the Grand Prix in the competition «Stars of Copenhagen». In 2021 he received the second prize in the International Fryderyk Chopin Competition of Ulan Bator (Mongolia), organized by the governments of Mongolia and Poland.
Guitarist trained in Seville, Cordoba and Madrid, Kamil Urbański interprets in his concerts flamenco repertoire that includes works of the classics of the genre and contemporary masters and, at the same time, constantly expands the range of his own compositions. The guitarist collaborates with flamenco personalities such as Úrsula López, Adela Campallo, Carmen Ledesma and José Méndez and, in various artistic projects, with musicians and dancers of other genres. Performs in Europe, Asia and Africa as a soloist and accompanist in shows of flamenco dance and singing, contemporary dance, poetry and traditional and classical music.
His artistic career includes compositions and arrangements of music for shows with flamenco dance, contemporary dance, poetry and song, electronic music and numerous concerts as a soloist.
In addition to being a performer and composer, Kamil Urbański investigates the influence of music from America, Africa and the Iberian Peninsula on the creation and development of flamenco.
