Born in 1971, he is a native Cracovian. In the field of composition he was taught by Marek Stachowski (Academy of Music in Kraków) and Hans Abrahamsen (Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen). He enhanced his skills as a composer under the direction of Franco Donatoni, Per Nørgård, Goce Kolarovski, Robert Saxton. The graduate of the organ class of Jan Jargon.
Laureate of several international and all-Polish composition competitions, including a prestigious recommendation of the 56th International Rostrum of Composers UNESCO in Paris, 2006 (for “Earthsumption” for orchestra and organ), recipient of artistic and research scholarships in Poland, Denmark, Great Britain and Italy. Author of about 50 works performed in 16 European countries, Turkey, USA, Japan, South Korea, Argentina, Mexico, Georgia, Azerbaijan, recorded on 12 CDs, published in Poland (PWM Edition), Germany, France and Italy, commissioned by institutions, artists and ensembles of international renown.
At the age of 41 Wojciech Widłak received the title of Professor of Art from the President of Poland. 2005 he took the position of the Head of Composition Chair, 2012-2020 Dean of the Faculty of Music Composition, Interpretation and Education at Academy of Music in Cracow. At his home Academy he has got a class of composition in which young composers from Poland and many other countries have studied. Until 2020 he has promoted 7 doctorates (PhDs) in music. He has held guest-lectures and composition masterclasses in several countries incl. USA, Israel, Turkey, Italy, Lithuania, Slovakia and Hungary. Member of jury panels in several composition competitions. 1998-2003 first director of Diocesan School of Church Music in Bielsko-Biała. Member of the Polish Composers’ Union.
In the 90s Widłak was using traditional compositional means, including a distinct harmony, expressive rhythm and obsessive repeatability. Since 2000 he has turned into more radical timbre, multilayered structure, game of musical idioms. Lately, he has been focusing on expression’s extremes, microtonality, an original conception of “swivel harmony“.
http://www.wojciech.widlak.art.pl/
Photo: Bartek Barczyk, courtesy by PWM
