Agnieszka Stulgińska graduated from the Faculty of Choral Conducting, Music Education and Eurhythmics of the Academy of Music in Gdańsk, where she studied composition in the class of Krzysztof Olczak. She continued her education at the Hogeschool voor Wetenschap & Kunst Lemmensinstituut in Leuven, and received a scholarship from the Belgian Government to study at the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp in the class of Professor Luc van Hove. She also did a postgraduate course in film and computer music and audiovisual art at the Academy of Music in Łódź.
For me, there are no barriers, everything is music. Ambient sounds are just as important, and sometimes even more important. They are much more complex and ambivalent, they surround us. At the same time the sound of the instrument is defined by what is inside the musician. It is more introverted. I am now tending towards what is inside, towards acoustic instruments, or any objects in the hands of the performer. I am going in the direction of theatricality.
– said Stulgińska about her work in an interview with Krzysztof Marciniak and Grzegorz Dąbrowski.
She has won the following composition competitions: the Composer Alive in Chicago, USA; the CCO Composers Showcase in Ithaca, NY, USA; the Musiconversations in Texas, USA; the 46th Tadeusz Baird Competition, Poland; the multimedia track competition for the festival music@venture, Belgium. Stulgińska also participated in a 4-year programme to promote young composers from the European Krzysztof Penderecki Centre for Music.
Her works have been performed at many festivals in Poland and abroad, such as at the Baltic Festival of Science (2004, 2005, 2008), the 1st Flying Academy of Contemporary Music (2006), the New Sounds from Gdańsk Festival (2006), the 14th Audio Art Festival (2006), music@venture (2007), Musica Moderna in Łódź (2007), the Łaźnia Centre for Contemporary Art in Gdańsk (2008), the Gdańsk Music Festival (2008), Intersonanzen in Potsdam (2013), Musica Electronica Nova in Wrocław (2013), Musica Polonica Nova in Wrocław (2014), the 22nd International Carillon Festival in Bok Tower Garden, Florida (2014), and the 4th International Actual Music Festival Another Space in Moscow (2014). Stulgińska’s pieces could also be heard at composers’ concerts at the Academy of Music and the Old Town Hall in Gdańsk, the Gdańsk Studio of the Polish Radio, the Centre for Contemporary Art in Leuven, the Conservatory, deSingel and Vlinderpaleis in Antwerp.
Her compositions have been included in the repertoire of Kwartludium, Lutosławski Piano Duo, Neoquartet, the Prometheus ensemble, I Solisti del Vento, Elise Artoisenet & Marie Noelle Betce Piano Duo, the Silesian Chamber Orchestra, the Warsaw Contemporary Ensemble, Lux:NM, Kwadrofonik, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, the Progress Chamber Orchestra, and the Palomar Ensemble.
Contact with musicians is very important to me – when we work on a piece we discover the possibilities of an instrument together. This happens at an early stage. Then I collect material that fits my musical commentary, and learn to write for these instruments, which is often not so obvious. I could mention the names of many musicians I have worked with and I am very grateful for their time.
– said Agnieszka Stulgińska in an interview with Glissando magazine.
- 1999: Study of Sound for piano, Fear Before Sleep for piano
- 2000: Material for violin and flute, Ras for percussion
- 2001: Two for Piano, KZS for violin, clarinet and piano, Tale of a Maybug for clarinet, cello and piano
- 2003: Piene for clarinet and live electronics
- 2004: The Look of Light for violin, clarinet, vibraphone and piano; music for the film Ave, the Decisive Moment directed by Waldemar Żuchowski
- 2005: A Legend from an Old Fairy Tale for trumpet, trombone, tuba, marimba, percussion, piano and tape; Enchanted Box for violin, clarinet, vibraphone, piano and tape
- 2006: Impressions for string quartet
- 2007: Let’s Meet for two pianos
- 2009: In Credo for percussion and string orchestra
- 2010: Ori for clarinet, cello, accordion and electric guitar
- 2011: The Old River for chamber orchestra
- 2012: FGT (Flying Garbage Truck) for saxophone, violin, cello, accordion, piano and tape
- 2013: Agnieszka Stulgińska, Chamber Works (Dux)
- 2011: NeoQuartet (Dux)
- 2010: Òpòwiédz mie bôjkã/Tell Me a Fairy Tale (Baltic Cultural Centre)
- 2008: Young Composers in Tribute to Fryderyk Chopin (Dux)
- 2008: Vivat Academia. 60th Anniversary of the S. Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk (S. Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk)
Sources: polmic, stulginska.com, transl. Bozhana Nikolova