Piotr Sleczek

BIOGRAPHY: Piotr Sleczek, composer

Piotr Sleczek is a composer, violinist, multi instrumentalist and arranger. His work has been performed by leading music ensembles. Born in Poland, he began his music education at the age of 7. After receiving his music degree from Frederic Chopin Music High School in Krakow, he graduated with a B.A. and M.A. from the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland in the violin class of Prof. Ryszard Fastnacht and Dr. Adam Mokrus. In addition, he also graduated with a B.A. in British literature from Marie - Curie Sklodowska University in Lublin, Poland.

He was awarded 1st prize at the 1st Henryk M. Gorecki International Composers Competition in 2012 for his composition titled In Memoriam.

Piotr has taken part in many composition courses, including the International Composition Courses in Darmstadt and American Choral Directors Association Conference in Dallas. Since his well-received debut with the composition Microfluctus (2009) for soprano saxophone solo and string orchestra premiered by Bartlomiej Dus and Sinfonietta Sonora, he looks for new methods of expression in music.

His music has been performed at numerous music festivals, including the 1st HMG International Contemporary Music Festival 2011, Cracovia Sacra 2012, and has been directed by such conductors as Jaroslaw Wolanin (Silesian Philharmonich Choir), Andreas Herrmann (Munich Philharmonic Choir), and Jeremy Jackman, formerly a counter-tenor of the King's Singers and Chorus Master to the Belfast Philharmonic Choir and the London Philharmonic Choir. He has had the honor to have his music preformed multiple times by the renowned Silesian Philharmonic Choir which premiered such pieces as Stream for mixed choir a cappella, Dream of the Rood for mixed choir a cappella (16 voices), De profundis for soprano solo and mixed choir.

He has composed music for TV and film including I love you so much directed by Maciej Bochniak and Mr. Sandman directed by Joanna Pawluskiewicz and Marzena Poplawska where among many, Jan Pilch, a leading polish percussionist, has recorded Sleczek's music. As a violinist, he has performed in Poland, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, and Holland. In addition, Piotr has written articles on music for the American publications.

I see music as an expression of thankfulness and power. In its essence, it is an interdisciplinary way of communication, where structure and compositional techniques are used without a limitation to a historical period, interweaving their esthetic coloration within a given register.

Music as an abstract means to express the empty nature of sound is to be, in its playful nature, experienced free of any preconceptions. My motivation in the creative process is to bring the listener closer to the oneness of all phenomena, where the listener, music and the act of listening is experienced as a totality, free of real existence.

From the openness to space and its potential, music is utilized to elicit a taste of emptiness, that is to enable the listener to recognize and later identify with one's natural state of mind, beyond all thoughts, feelings, and phenomena experienced.