She studied composition under Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil and graduated with honours in 2001 from the Academy of Music in Wrocław. During 2000, she held a year-long internship with Italian composer Ivan Fedele at the Conservatory in Strasbourg. She also graduated from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where studied under Louis Andriessen. She also completed a PhD focusing on computer music at the Sonic Arts Research Centre pf the Queen's University Belfast.
She has participated in numerous international composition competitions in Kraków, Vienna, Radziejowice, Brussels, Apeldoorn (Holland), Dartington (England), and Avignon (France) led by Louis Andriessen, Jonathan Harvey, Hanna Kulenty, Zygmunt Krauze, Tristan Murail, Martjin Padding, and Bogusław Schaeffer. In 1999 she received a scholarship from the European Commission in Holland, and another in 2000 from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst. She also received the William Glock scholarship, which allowed her to attend the International Summer School in Dartington (2001). In 2002 and 2003 she received scholarships from both the Dutch and French governments. She currently holds a scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
Pieces composed by Katarzyna Głowicka have been performed both in Poland and abroad, mainly in France, Germany, Holland, the UK, Austria, Belgium, and Ukraine, at festivals such as Adam Didura Festival in Sanok, Warsaw Autumn, Musica Electronica Nova in Wrocław, Suite in Amsterdam, Oproven in Den Bosch, Oerel on the island Terscheling, Yo! in Utrecht, Vienna Modern, Steve Reich Festival in the Hague, Gaudeamus in Amsterdam, Biennale di Venezia, International Women in New Music Festival in California, and International Computer Music Conference in Barcelona. Her pieces are most often performed by De Eereprijs, Ensemble Recherche, Holland Symfonia, Nederlands Vocaal Laboratorium, Jonathan Peter Kenny (countertenor), Ties Mellema (saxophonist) and transmitted by the Polish Radio, Dutch television VPRO and the Austrian radio ORF. Her opera The King's Gravedigger with librettist Jerzy Lukosz was selected to be performed as part of the project entitled the Genesis Prize for the Opera in London (2001). Another piece Quasi Rublev, which was inspired by Andrei Tarkowski’s film, was commissioned by the Dutch Fonds Podium Kunsten foundation.
Katarzyna Głowicka is a laureate of the Adam Didura National Composition Competition (1998 – 1st prize, 2000 – 3rd prize), the Polish Association for Contemporary Music Award at the Adam Panufnik National Composition Competition (2000), the special prize and second prize at the National Instrumentation and Composition Competition in Wrocław (2001) and the second prize and the Award of the Mayor of the city of Wrocław at the National Composition Competition to commemorate the 25th anniversary of John Paul II’s Pontificate (2003).
Głowicka collaborates with film and theatre directors, and choreographers, but most often with musicians and conductors. She makes films, and music for opera, ballet and symphonic. Her pieces stand out due to the their vivid expression and colour. As a composer, she seeks unique forms of expression and often uses a computer as well as musical instruments as composing tools.
Selected compositions:
1994
- Kołysanka (Lullaby) for children’s choir and string quartet
1995
- Pieśń Świętego Franciszka (St. Franis’s Song) for mixed choir
1996
- Sonatina for cello and piano
1998
- Gindry for bass and string quartet
2000
- Summer's day, three songs to Shakespeare’s words for countertenor accompanied by a string quartet
- String quartet
- Deliberately intrusive for instrumental ensemble
- Wild Women's Voices for tape
2001
- Jane-Plane Litany for instrumental ensemble
- Autumn Concerto for alto saxophone and symphonic orchestra
2002
- Cape Adare for accordion and soprano saxophone
- Summer's day. 2nd song, version for a guitar solo
- Jego wybrał Pan (He was chosen by the Lord), cantata for a soprano, choir and symphonic orchestra
2003
- Microgalaxis for vocal ensemble
- Marsyas for 3 baroque instruments
- Mothball, the war dance, chamber song- dramatic piece
- Surface Tension for ensemble
2004
- Le Voyage, music for a ballet performance
- Receiding Sands in Place of Time – Breath for an orchestra
- Lute of Aquarious for a water phone and electronics
2005
- Dust Point Red for harpsichord and computer
- Opalescence for 3 female voices and a computer
- Contre Bruit for string quartet and computer
2006
- The King's Gravedigger, chamber opera
2007
2008
- Perpetuity, for string orchestra and electronics
2009
- Quasi Rublev, for harpsichord, live video and electronics
2010
- Turbulence, for piano, electronics and video
- Springs and Summers, concert for vocals, string quartet and electronics
- Retina, for piano, electronics and video
2011
- Container, musical theatre
- La Notte, for a choir
- RETINAn, for piano, live video and electronics
2012
- Music in Three Parts + DJ Philipe Petite i ECO orchestra; 1, 43, 33, 43, 33, 43, 33, 43, 1 for piano, objects and electronics
2014
- Red Sun, album with the Małgorzata Walentynowicz
2015
Author: Małgorzata Kosińska, Polish Music Information Center, Polish Composers' Union, April 2003, update: October 2008, July 2015 Translated by: Zuzanna Wisniewska, August 2015
