The citation for the prize highlights Borowicz’s indefatigable efforts to promote Polish music abroad and to re-discover, both in concert performance and recordings, the almost forgotten works by lesser-known Polish composers.
Born in Warsaw in 1977, Łukasz Borowicz graduated from the city’s Music Academy, where he studied with Bogusław Madey. Currently serving as Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Poznań Philharmonic, his previous positions include that of Music Director of the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Warsaw (2007-2015).
Borowicz has appeared as guest conductor and recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Paris Opera, and several leading German orchestras. His forthcoming engagements include a debut with the Israel Philharmonic.
Borowicz’s discography of over 100 CDs includes the complete violin concertos by Grażyna Bacewicz (Chandos), and the complete symphonic works by Andrzej Panufnik (cpo), which brought him the International Classical Music Award.
Maria Dłużewska
Meanwhile, the Public Media Award in the Image category, which is granted by public television broadcaster TVP, went to documentary filmmaker Maria Dłużewska.
The citation stresses her “openess to the world and concern for preserving the memory of Polish heritage.”
In her films, Dłużewska focused on some of the key events in Poland’s recent history, such as the tragic suppression of workers’ protests on the Baltic coast in December 1970, the Solidarity revolution (as seen through the profiles of its leaders Andrzej Kołodziej and Andrzej and Joanna Gwiazda), and Pope John Paul II’s visit to Poland in 1987.
Andrzej Zybertowicz
In the Printed Word category, which is sponsored by the Polish Press Agency PAP, the Public Media Award went to sociologist and columnist Andrzej Zybertowicz. The citation hailed Zybertowicz’s ability to “explain and interpret scientific facts with the eye of an acute sociologist and with no regard for ‘pseudo scientific’ trends that are commonly accepted at a given time.”
Leszek Długosz
Meanwhile, poet, singer and composer Leszek Długosz received the Public Media Award in the Ideas category, which is awarded by a panel comprising directors of Polish Radio’s 17 regional stations.
One of the finest representatives of the artistic scene in Poland’s historic southern city of Kraków, a co-founder of its legendary Piwnica pod Baranami (Cellar under the Rams) literary cabaret, Długosz is a holder of the Order of the White Eagle, the highest Polish state distinction.
At Monday’s awards-giving gala in Warsaw, the winner in each category received a statuette and a cash prize of PLN 100,000 (over EUR 21,000).
Długosz was not able to attend the ceremony.
(mk/pm)