Krzysztof Knittel

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Born 1947 in Warszawa. Studied sound engineering and composition with Tadeusz Baird, Andrzej Dobrowolski and Włodzimierz Kotoński at the Academy of Music in Warszawa. Since 1973 he has collaborated with the Polish Radio Experimental Studio. In 1974-75 he studied computer programming in the Institute of Mathematics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He also took part in the new music courses in Darmstadt (1974, 1976). Knittel is a co-founder of several live electronic and intuitive music groups: KEW Composers' Group (with Elzbieta Sikora and Wojciech Michniewski, 1973-76), Cytula Tyfun da Bamba Orkiester (1981), Independent Electroacoustic Music Studio (1982-84), Light from Poland (1985-87), and the European Improvisation Orchestra (1996). Knittel was also a co-organizer of the new wave ensembles Go-Go Boys and Box Train�-performing with poets, artists, film and video producers. In 1978 he worked for The Center of the Creative and Performing Arts in Buffalo. In 1989 Knittel, together with Marek Choloniewski, founded the CH&K Studio which gave concerts in Europe, the United States and Canada. A composer and performer, Knittel is also active as a journalist and critic (contributing to the periodical Tygodnik Literacki and collaborating with the Music Department of Polish public television). He ha taught at New Music seminars and courses in Kazimierz Dolny, Munich, Boston, Philadelphia, Barcelona, Alicante, Budapest, Prague and Vitasaari. In 1985 Knittel was awarded the Solidarity Prize for his String Quartet, written in a tribute to Father Jerzy Popiełuszko. His international honors include the 1998 Award of the Foundation for Contemporary Performing Arts in New York.

The composer has served as Vice-Chairman of the Polish Section of the ISCM (1989-92)and Vice-President of the International Contemporary Music Festival "Warsaw Autumn" (1995-98). In 1999 he was elected President of the Polish Composers' Union. Since 1990 he has organized concerts at the Center of Contemporary Art at Ujazdowski Castle. Knittel composes music for chamber ensembles, solo instruments, electronic and computer music, music for theatre, television and film. His principal works of recent years include: Histoire I for tape (1988), Histoire II for clarinet, piano, synthesizer and tape (1988), Bits and Pieces for instruments and tape (1988), Histoire III or harpsichord and tape (1989), Man-Orchestra, version for keyboards (1989), Jingle-Jangle for voices and keyboards (1989), Borders of Nothing for synthesizers (1990), Man-Nature, graphic computer music (1991), Homage to Charles Ives for chamber ensemble (1992), 14 Variations by Piotr Bikont and Krzysztof Knittel on 14 Variations by Edwin Morgan on 14 Words by John Cage (1986/92), and Instant Reactions for instruments and computer (1992).


http://www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/composer/knittel.html