BARBARA KINGA MAJEWSKA
Barbara Kinga Majewska, musician (voice), performer, composer and publicist based in Warsaw. In her work Majewska entwines repertoire ranging from medievel to contemporary classical with performance, text and video. Uses voice as a tool for researching non-musical contexts of singing practice.
Author of Critical Vocal Guide, Critical Guide to Cantability and Manifesto New Cantability in Contemporary Music. She received SWR Composition Commission which premiered at Donaueschinger Musiktage 2017. Is an author of sound in installation by Agnieszka Brzeżańska shown at Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart in Berlin.
Since 2018 co-curates CD series TAL for Bôłt Records.
Gratuated form Detmold Music Academy, Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. Majewska performed in Konzerthaus Berlin, Nowy Teatr in Warsaw, National Opera in Warsaw, Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, NOSPR in Katowice, Polish Radio Studios, Polin Museum in Warsaw, National Museum in Warsaw, Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, Kunstwerk Köln, National Forum of Music in Wrocław and many others. She is recurring guest at such festivals as Warsaw Autumn, Sacrum Profanum, Malta Festival, Kwadrofonik Festival, Kwartesencja Festival, Sanatorium of Sound, Warsaw Gallery Weekend.
Recent works:
2022
- In Rhythmic Affinity premiere | composition for three singers a cappella | part of JASMINA CIBIC. MOST FAVORED NATION, Museum der Moderne, Salzburg
2021
- New Viewings #36 at Galerie Barbara Thumm exhibition with Susan Howe and David Grubbs, Ivan Seal, Tomasz Kowalski and Barbara Kinga Majewska
- CODEX SUBPARTUM exhibition at Marres - House for Contemporary Culture - Barbara Kinga Majewska | Michał Libera | Konrad Smoleński, Maastricht, Netherlands
- CODEX SUBPARTUM in concert - Zinc & Copper feat. Michał Libera & Barbara Kinga Majewska, KM28, Berlin
- UNSOUND FESTIVAL premiere of The Spirit Still Remains by Wacław Zimpel / Sam Shackelton feat. Barbara Kinga Majewska, ICE, Kraków
- Narrow Passage with Steep Walls - sound installation and performance commision for Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice
- The Palace of Solidarity premiere | composition for three singers a cappella | part of JASMINA CIBIC' exhibition PALACE. at Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź
2020
- artistic grant Kultura w Sieci to prepare Critical Guide to Cantability - project devoted to the idiom of cantabile in music
- Adonis Gamut - composition commision for voice and piano, Sacrum Profanum Festival (2020)
2019
- solo exhibition Little Solfege combining sounding sculptures and performative programme exploring the infrathin of voice in singing practice, Wschód Gallery, Warsaw
- Mother Yes - video and sound installation elaborating The Motherland Monument in Kyiv, commissioned by Polish Modern Art Foundation
2017-19
- Concert of Wishes for Independence Day cyclus of solo performances based on wishes sent by audience in response to the open call, performed at Zachęta National Gallery, Museum of Modern Art and Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw
2018
- Ugly, bad, untrue and feminine - solo performance on schauvinism in polish art-song tradition comissioned by InSitu Foundation
- Galar - sound installation, part of group exhibition How to talk with birds (…) at Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin
- Taratil 'id al-milad - CD & vinyl release - polish carrols translated into arabic released at Bôłt Records / Malta Festival Foundation
- Pandora’s Box by John Zorn with Arditti Quartet at Sacrum Profanum Festival (PL)
2017
- Isolde, Branäne, und Marke - SWR Composition Commission for solo voice and tape premiered at Donaueschinger Musiktage (2017)
EDUCATION
2011 - 2015 PhD Studies at Creative Education Lab - Academy of Special Education in Warsaw
2011 - 2012 Chamber Music - Lied Postgraduate Studies at Chopin Music University in Warsaw
2005 - 2011 BA and MA Vocal Studies at Hochschule für Musik Detmold (Prof. Gerhild Romberger)
2006 - 2011 Music Education Studies - Vocal Pedagogy at Hochschule für Musik Detmold
2009 - 2010 Royal College of Music in Stockholm - DAAD Scholarship
2003 - 2005 Musicology Studies at Warsaw University
2000 - 2004 Jozef Elsner State Music School in Warsaw
SELECTED MASTERCLASSES
2014 International Summer Course for New Music in Darmstadt with Donatienne Michel-Dansac
2013 International Lied Masterclass NEUE STIMMEN - Angelika Kirchschlager, Konzerthaus Berlin
2011 Opera Academy - Young Talents Development Programme / Polish National Opera
2010 International Opera Masterclass NEUE STIMMEN - Grace Bumbry, Francisco Araíza, John Norris
2010 Masterclass with Barbara Bonney
2010 Masterclass with Will Humburg
2009 Masterclass with Elisabeth Ljungar
2009 Masterclasses with KS Christa Ludwig
2008 Masterclasses with András Schiff
SCHOLARSHIPS
2015 Scholarship of Ministry of Culture and Heritage
2015 New Face of Music - Institute of Music and Dance
2013 Lied Masterclasses Bertelsmann Stiftung Scholarship
2011 Scholarship of Academy of Special Education in Warsaw
2010 Opera Masterclasses Bertelsmann Stiftung Scholarship
2010 Richard-Wagner-Stiftung Scholarship
2010 Werner Richard-Dr. Carl Dörken Stiftung Scholarship
2009 Hans und Stefan Bernbeck-Stiftung Scholarship
RECENT PERFORMANCES
2019
LOOK AT ME STANDING — sound installation & performance, tribute to Daniel Burens' set of columns commissioned by Galeria Studio, Warsaw
GHON — site specific performance for solo voice and tape, Pathology Building of Museum Kesselhaus, Berlin
PIGTWITCH — sonic tableau vivant, Musica Sanae Festival at Museum Kesselhaus, Berlin
CONCERT OF WISHES FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY — solo performance, Zachęta National Gallery, Warsaw
LITTLE SOLFÈGE — solo exhibition with performative programme at Galeria Wschód, Warsaw
CREDOPOL — contemporary piece by Jacek Sotomski, solo part, Warsaw Autumn Festival, Warsaw
PIGTWITCH — sonic tableau vivant, Musica Sanae Festival, Castel Nuovo, Naples
ODMA — sonic tableau vivant, Festival Jauna Muzika, Arts Printing House, Vilnius
CODEX SUBPARTUM — exhibition, joint project with Michał Libera and Konrad Smoleński at Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź
MOTHER YES — video & sound installation commissioned by Polish Modern Art Foundation, Warsaw
SONGS FROM LIQUID DAYS by Philip Glass — solo part with Elektro Camerata Varsoviensis, Polish Radio Concert Hall, Warsaw
2018
TRIBUTARIES OF VISTULA RIVER — sound installation, part of group exhibition How to talk with birds (…) at Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin
UGLY, BAD UNTRUE & FEMININE — solo performance, part of Sanatorium of Sound, Punctum Krasovka, Prague
CONCERT OF WISHES FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY — solo performance, Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw
REFRAIN — solo performance for voice, tape and video, Festival Musica Privata, Art Inkubator, Łódź
UGLY, BAD UNTRUE & FEMININE — solo performance, part of Sanatorium of Sound, Kunstwerk, Köln
ABDUCTION OF MINOTAUR — main part in micro-opera by Adam Radecki and Wojciech Pustoła, Nowy Teatr, Warsaw
SOUND OF SYNCING — video and solo performance, part of Warsaw Gallery Weekend, Galeria Wschód, Warsaw
SOLO by Ari Benjamin Meyers — performance, Instalakcje Festival, Nowy Teatr, Warsaw
DOPPELGÄNGER — solo performance, Museum of Sculpture, National Musem in Warsaw
BARDO — song project with Bartłomiej Wąsik, Kwadrofonik Festival, Museum of Sculpture, National Musem in Warsaw
IVY SNOWSTALKERS OF ANCIENT APRON by Piotr Kurek and Michał Libera — solo part, Contemporary Art Gallery, Opole
PANDORA’S BOX by John Zorn — with Royal String Quartet, part of Kwartesencja Festival, Teatr Rozmaitości, Warsaw
UGLY, BAD UNTRUE & FEMININE — solo performance, part of Sanatorium of Sound, Plateforme Intermédia, La Fabrique, Nantes
CREDOPOL — contemporary piece by Jacek Sotomski, solo part, Musica Polonica Nova Festival, National Forum of Music, Wrocław
2017
CONCERT OF WISHES FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY — solo performance, Ujazdowski Castle, Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw
ISOLDE, BRANGÄNE UND MARKE — Composition Commission of the Südwestrundfunk, Donaueschinger Musiktage
MY HOBBY — solo performance, Warsaw Gallery Weekend, National Museum in Warsaw
MAULWERKE IN VERNISSAGE — sound installation, Warsaw Autumn Festival, Galeria Studio, Warsaw
INDUSTRIAL SYMPHONY by David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti —solo part with Kwadrofonik Ensemble, La Bâtie Festival, Genève
HEIMWEH — audio-visual essay, National Audiovisual Institute, Warsaw
BIO EN
Barbara Kinga Majewska was born in Warsaw. Graduated form Detmold Music Academy (Solo Voice Studies / Art Song, Opera and Vocal Pedagogy), studied at Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and University of Warsaw. In 2012 she completed interdisciplinary postgraduate course in Lied performance at Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.
Majewska was the finalist in 2009 NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition and was selected to participate in the 8th NEUE STIMMEN International Opera Master Class in 2009. In 2013 she was one of four singers to take part in the NEUE STIMMEN Lied Master Class with Angelika Kirchschlager and to perform Lied Recital in Konzerthaus Berlin.
Participated in master classes with such renowned singers and teachers as Grace Bumbry, Anita Garanča, Christa Ludwig, Olga Pasiecznik, Maciej Pikulski, Jadwiga Rappé and András Schiff. Im 2014 took part in the International Summer Course for New Music in Darmstadt and in the Contemporary Opera Workshop. She has received scholarship from Polish Ministry of Culture and Heritage, Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Varsavia, Bernbeck Foundation, Werner Richard and Dr. Carl Dörken Foundation and Richard Wagner Scholarship Foundation. She took part in Young Artists Programme OPERA ACADEMY in Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in 2011.
She debuted in 2014 in Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Sławomir Wojciechowski’s opera Victory Over the Sun. She sung world-premiere performances of compositions by Paweł Mykietyn, Aleksandra Gryka, Marcin Stańczyk, Andrzej Kwieciński, Wojciech Blecharz, Sławomir Wojciechowski, Karol Nepelski, Joanna Woźny, Lukas Ligeti, Adam Walicki, Jason Buchanan, Julian Lembke. Since 2015 Majewska performes role of Klawdia Chauchat in Paweł Mykietyns opera Czarodziejska Góra. In polish premiere of Olga Neuwirths opera Lost Highway she sung double role of Renee and Alice.
Majewska performed with Arditti Quartet, Kwadrofonik Ensemble, Kwartludium Ensemble, Royal String Quartet and Garage Ensemble. She sung in Nowy Teatr in Warsaw, National Opera in Warsaw, Konzerthaus Berlin, NOSPR in Katowice, Teatrze Rozmaitości in Warsaw, Małopolski Ogród Sztuk in Kraków, Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź, Polish Radio Studios, Polin Museum in Warsaw, Królikarnia Museum in Warsaw, Museum for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, ICE in Kraków, Mediateka in Tychy, Center for Contemporary Art in Toruń and took part in Donaueschinger Musiktage (Kompositionsauftrag SWR), Warsaw Autumn Festival, Sacrum Profanum, Malta Festival, Muzyka na Szczytach, Kwadrofonik Festival, Kwartesencja Festival, Ogrody Muzyczne, Klang Festival.
Majewska publishes for Glissando Magazine, National Audiovisual Institut and Muzyka w Mieście Magazine. Since 2016 publishes monthly feuilleton for Ruch Muzyczny Magazine.
Majewska is the author of CRITICAL VOCAL GUIDE (krytycznyprzewodnikwokalny.pl) and Manifesto NEW CANTABILITY IN CONTEMPORARY MUSIC.
In 2015 she was nominated for renowned Award Paszporty Polityki. According to Wysokie Obcasy Magazine one of 50 Most Influential Polish Women of 2016.
BIO PL
Urodzona w Warszawie wokalistka, autorka tekstów, publicystka, inicjatorka projektów poświęconych muzyce współczesnej. Absolwentka wokalistyki i pedagogiki muzyki w Hochschule für Musik Detmold. Studiowała śpiew solowy w Royal Academy of Music w Sztokholmie i muzykologię na Uniwersytecie Warszawskim. Ukończyła Podyplomowe Studium Pieśni Uniwersytetu Muzycznego Fryderyka Chopina w Warszawie.
Stypendystka Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego, DAAD, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Richard-Wagner-Stiftung, Werner Richard – Dr. Carl Dörken Stiftung, Hans und Stefan Bernbeck Stiftung. Finalistka Międzynarodowego Konkursu Wokalnego NEUE STIMMEN. Uczestniczka Akademii Operowej Teatru Wielkiego – Opery Narodowej oraz kursów mistrzowskich Angeliki Kirchschlager, Grace Bumbry, Christy Ludwig, Barbary Bonney, Anity Garanča, Andrása Schiffa. Ukończyła 47. Międzynarodowe Kursy Nowej Muzyki w Darmstadt w klasie Donatienne Michel-Dansac. Uczestniczka pierwszej edycji programu Instytutu Muzyki i Tańca Nowa Twarz Muzyki.
Zadebiutowała w 2014 roku operą Sławomira Wojciechowskiego Zwycięstwo nad Słońcem (Projekt P) w Teatrze Wielkim – Operze Narodowej w Warszawie. Prawykonała kompozycje Aleksandry Gryki, Marcina Stańczyka, Andrzeja Kwiecińskiego, Wojciecha Blecharza, Sławomira Wojciechowskiego, Karola Nepelskiego, Joanny Woźny, Lukasa Ligetiego, Adama Walickiego, Jasona Buchanana, Juliana Lembke. W operze Pawła Mykietyna Czarodziejska Góra w reżyserii Andrzeja Chyry wykonuje partię Kławdii Chauchat. W polskiej premierze opery Olgi Neuwirth Lost Highway występuje jako Renee i Alice.
Współpracowała m.in. z zespołem Kwadrofonik, Kwartludium, Royal String Quartet, Arditti Quartet, Garage Ensemble. Występowała w Międzynarodowym Centrum Kultury Nowy Teatr, Teatrze Wielkim - Operze Narodowej, Konzerthaus Berlin, NOSPR, Teatrze Rozmaitości w Warszawie, Małopolskim Ogrodzie Sztuk w Krakowie, Muzeum Sztuki w Łodzi, Studio Polskiego Radia im. W. Lutosławskiego, Studio Polskiego Radia im. W. Szpilmana, Willa Decjusza w Krakowie, Muzeum Polin w Warszawie, Muzeum Królikarnia w Warszawie, Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej w Warszawie, ICE Kraków, Mediateka w Tychach, Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej w Toruniu oraz na festiwalach: Warszawska Jesień, Sacrum Profanum, Malta, Muzyka na Szczytach, Kwadrofonik, Kwartesencja, Ogrody Muzyczne, Słuchy, Klang (Kopenhaga) i innych.
Publikuje w magazynie Glissando i Muzyka w Mieście. Laureatka nagrody głównej w Konkursie Polskich Krytyków Muzycznych KROPKA 2015. Od września 2016 r. stała felietonistka miesięcznika Ruch Muzyczny.
Autorka KRYTYCZNEGO PRZEWODNIKA PO SPOSOBACH REALIZACJI ZAPISU NUTOWEGO WE WSPÓŁCZESNEJ MUZYCE WOKALNEJ i manifestu Nowa Śpiewność w Muzyce Współczesnej.
Nominowana do PASZPORTU POLITYKI 2015 w kategorii Muzyka Poważna. Według magazynu Wysokie Obcasy jedna z 50 najbardziej wpływowych kobiet w Polsce w 2016 roku.