I. ORGANIZATION OF VIOLIN COMPETITIONS

In line with its statutory objectives the Foundation has several lines of activities.  The most important of  these is the Tadeusz Wronski International Solo Violin Competition.  The Foundation was established in the early 2008, and became involved in the organization of that contest, the then-upcoming edition being the 4th Competition. It took place at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw on 24 – 30 September 2009, under the Honorary Patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland, and the Mayor of Warsaw (see also History of the Competition), and was co-financed by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the city of Warsaw. The University was its host and co-organizer. The Competition is the only violin contest in the world in which the entire program consists exclusively of music for violin solo. The contest, which became a scene of an interesting musical rivalry of young artists from 12 countries  attracted about 2500 listeners. As there were two winners with exactly the same score – Mr.Hitoshi Ooka from Japan, and Mr. Igor Pikayzen from Russi – the Foundation financed two ex aequo first prizes. The President of the RP founded a special prize, a master bow. The Competition was covered by the media and received very good reviews from the critics. The commentators – artists from Poland and abroad underlined the very high level of the contest. Fairness and objective judgment of the jury was noted, as the final results were exactly those the observers and the audience had expected. That is a rare situation in international music competitions. The event was covered by two TV stations (TVP Kultura, TVP Warszawa) and two radio stations (PR Program I and PR Program II). The reviews and comments appeared in music magazines (Ruch Muzyczny) ,and on internet portals (www.maestro.net.pl, www.kamerton.net, www.violincompetition-wronski.pl).

The 5th International Tadeusz Wronski Solo Violin Competition took place in Waraw on 24 – 31 March 2015.  The date was planned to coincide with the centenary of  professor Wronski’s birth on April 1, 1915.  A special seminar was held on April 1, to commemorate the occasion. As previously, also the 5th Competition was honored by the President of the Republic of Poland (Honorary Patronage), and was co-financed by the city of Warsaw and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The 38 participants from 8 countries contested for the pool of prizes of 150 000 Polish zloty (+/- 40 000 USD), as well as for a number of special prizes, among others in the form of invitations to appear as soloist on stages of various Polish music institutions. The Competition was live-streamed on the internet and covered by radio and press reviews, with 2 dedicated critics (from Poland and the USA) listening in throughout the entire event.  The jury was unanimous in its decision to award  the first prize to Mr. Orest Smovzh from Ukraine, and, again, that verdict was widely applauded.  

On April 1, 2015 a special seminar, organized by the Foundation was held to commemorate the centenary of prof. Wronski’s birth. The idea was to discuss and analyse the life, performance, work, and teaching of this great Polish violinist.  The seminar was attended by a number of prof. Wronski’s former students, today renown artists and violin professors from Poland, Germany, Sweden, and the USA, including two very special guests from the USA – professors Sally Chisholm and Eugene Purdue, who came to Warsaw especially for the occasion. The event was initiated, planned, organized, and moderated by prof. Sławomir Tomasik, the spiritus movens  of the commemoration. The attendants had an opportunity to listen to the recording Tadeusz Wronski performing the Karol Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto no. 1. Then, a number of the maestro’s friends and followers remembered Him, and talked about their memories and experience of contact with prof. Wronski, his art, and his teaching.

Presently, the Foundation is engaged in organizing the 6th International Tadeusz Wronski Solo Violin Competition to be held on September 23-30, 2020. 

The Foundation supports also the National T. Wroński Solo Violin Competition for primary and secondary music school pupils. The Competition is organized every two years at the T. Wronski School of Music in Tomaszow Mazowiecki in central Poland. Since 2008 the Foundation has regularly supported the organizers and founded many special prizes.

II. PROMOTION OF POLISH VIOLIN MUSIC AND MUSIC TEACHING

Publishing

CDs:

One of the Foundation’s statutory activities is promoting Polish and international violin music.

The first CD issued and financed solely by the Foundation contained live recordings of the participants in the 3rd International T. Wronski Solo Violin Competition in 2004. It was issued for the inauguration of the 4th Competition in 2009. (to buy – click shop).​

The Foundation’s second music edition project was a double CD album realised in 2010 together with FFV Records (a recording company linked to the Foundation), containing Karol Szymanowski’s complete works for violin and piano (Karol Szymanowski – Dzieła wszyskie na skrzypce i fortepian) performed by Sławomir Tomasik (violin) and Robert Morawski (piano). Until now, this is the only edition on the music market in Poland, and probably abroad, where K. Szymanowski’s violin and piano complete works are performed by the same two artists. The album was awarded a Polish prestigious Academy of Phonography award Fryderyk 2011 for the best chamber music CD album of the year. Since 2011 it has been distributed by Polskie Radio S.A. in Poland, and by the Warner Bross. Co. on the international market. The pieces from this album are regularly broadcasted by the Polish Radio (national broadcaster). The edition was co-financed by the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland. (to buy – click shop). ​

Another undertaking in which the Foundation has participated was the publication by Strefa Sztuki of an album “The Violin with the Polish Soul” (Skrzypce z polską duszą), recorded by Krzysztof Jakowicz (violin) and Robert Morawski (piano). The CD presents pieces of Polish Romantic music by F. Chopin, H. Wieniawski, K. Lipiński, A. Zarzycki, J. Zarębski, I.J. Paderewski, etc. Krzysztof Jakowicz played a different violin for each of these pieces. All of these instruments – form historic to contemporary ones are the work of Polish violin makers, among others: M. Groblicz, J. Rymwid-Mickiewicz, K. Pruszak, J. Karoń, J. Pawlikowski, J. Olma, H. Stalmierska, W. Topa, M. Woźniak, and others. The Foundation received a grant of from the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland for production of this CD. (to buy – click shop). ​​​

In 2012 the Foundation prepared another double CD album „The Power of Polish Violin” (Siła polskich skrzypiec), which appeared on the market in early 2013. It contains less known, but, in our eyes, truly valuable Polish violin works: concertos by K. Lipiński, I. J. Paderewski, Z. Turski and B. Kowalski, rendered by Sławomir Tomasik, the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), Subito Strings (under S. Macura, M. Caldi, S. Chrzanowski, B. Kowalski), and Robert Morawski for the piano part in Paderewski’s concerto. The album was nominated for Fryderyk 2014 (see above) award in two categories. The project was co-financed by STOART (Association of Stage Artists). (to buy – click shop)

The year 2014 brought the edition of a CD containing violin and piano works by Józef Elsner, a Polish musician and composer, an early teacher of a young Fryderyk Chopin. Sławomir Tomasik, playing historic violins for this recording, with Edward Wolanin at the piano, present J. Elsner’s complete works for a violin-piano duo.(to buy – click shop)

Books and textbooks:

The first text edition published by the Foundation was a book by Tadeusz Wroński, containing several of his essays, lectures, anecdotes, and memories (Resztki z mojej szuflady – rzeczy niemuzyczne, op.posth., only in PL). The book was prepared for the inauguration of the 4th International T. Wronski Solo Violin Competition in September 2009. (to buy – click shop)

Subsequently, in 2015, the second book of T. Wronski’s essays, etc., Resztki z mojej szuflady – rzeczy muzyczne (only in PL), this time devoted to music and music teaching, was published for the  5th Competition and for the centenary of the artist’s birth.(to buy – click shop)

Another important edition prepared for the 2015 events was the long-waited re-publication by the Foundation of the book by T. Wronski O czym nie ma czasu mówić na lekcjach (only in PL). The book contains a series of brief lectures and suggestions for teachers to deal with certain problems for which there is usually no time during lessons with their students (that is exactly the Polish title – things for which there is no time during lessons). (to buy – click shop)

In the meantime the Foundation published (in 2011) a music textbook for teaching children to play double stops (Abecadło dwudźwiękowe dla dzieci, only in PL), by prof. Sławomir Tomasik. The textbook was purchased by a number of music schools in Poland and by the Centre for Education in Arts in Warsaw, to be distributed to music education centers nationwide. (to buy – click shop)

III. OTHER STATUTORY ACTIVITIES

Special prizes

The Foundation supports three violin competitions in Poland with special prizes: the International T. Wronski Solo Violin Competition in Warsaw, the National T. Wroński Competition for Solo Violin for primary and secondary music schools students, Tomaszow Mazowiecki (from 2008 onwards), and the National Duo Competition for Children in Oleśno (from 2012 onwards). The prizes awarded are in the form of money, books, strings, CDs and music editions.

Violin courses

In 2016 the Foundation organized a Tadeusz Wronski Violin Summer Course in the spa town of Nałęczów in Poland.  From 2017 onwards the Foundation is involved in the event – the course and also a competition (for the participants) – the International Tadeusz Wronski Summer Violin Course.  The principal organizer is the Agli Artisti Foundation.  The course has been attracting increasing interest of young violinists, as it invites outstanding artists and pedagogues from Poland and abroad, to share their art, skill and knowledge with the aspiring youth. From 2020 the undertaking has grown to include piano and piano chamber music classes, and will also take place during winter school break.

See: www.kursyskrzypcowe-naleczow.pl, www.konkursyskrzypcowe-naleczow.pl

Renting instruments

Since it was established the Foundation loaned (for free) several instruments from its private collection to the young, gifted violinists in need of good violin.

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At present the Foundation is preparing the 6th International Tadeusz Wronski Solo Violin Competition to be held in Warsaw on 24 – 30 September 2020.