Dear Sirs,
In 2020, we will celebrate the centennial anniversary of the birth of Karol Wojtyła. On this occasion, The Centre for Thought of John Paul II takes the initiative of the composers’ competition for a choral a cappella piece to selected words of John Paul II.
In this way, we want to bring the pope’s teaching to the composers of the younger generation, and then, by making the pieces, reach a wide audience. In this way, we want to continue the tradition started by composers such as Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Krzysztof Penderecki, Wojciech Kilar and Włodek Pawlik, who were inspired by the teaching of John Paul II in their works.
The motto of the first edition of the competition „John Paul II, the son of the land of Poland” refers to the 40th anniversary of the election of Karol Wojtyła as the Pope. The words were taken from the homily given at the Victory Square in Warsaw on June 2, 1979.
And I cry – I who am a son of the land of Poland and who am also Pope John Paul II – I cry from all the depths of this Millennium, I cry on the vigil of Pentecost: Let your Spirit descend! Let your Spirit descend! And renew the face of the earth. The face of this land!
The choice of the best compositions will be made by the Jury, which included highly regarded Polish composers and choirmasters – Paweł Łukaszewski, Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny, Miłosz Bembinow, Bartosz Michałowski and Szymon Godziemba-Trytek.
During the gala concert, the premiere of the awarded compositions will be performed by the Choir of The Centre for Thought of John Paul II under the direction of Jan Krutul. The compositions indicated by the Jury will also be published by the Chopin University Press publishing house as part of a special papal series and will become an attractive repertoire proposition for many choirs.
I am warmly invite you to take part in the competition.
Michał Senk,
Director of The Centre for Thought of John Paul II