On the passions of university people. Singing soloist
Viennese concerts by the world’s first Orkiestra Księżniczek with an all-star cast, soloists, ballet, fairytale costumes, multimedia projections and a breathtaking light show – this is how its creators write about their project. And why are we writing about it today?
Because as early as this Friday, 5 April, in the Concert Hall of Radio Wrocław, on stage we will see, among others, Anna Ciereszko, who not only sings in this show, but also works at the University of Wrocław. In the employee affairs department, she handles the day-to-day affairs of our university’s employees. – And I have been singing, in fact, ever since I can remember. Ever since I was a child I liked singing. And she recalls how she and her friends used to organise home concerts, where the couch served as a stage. – she laughs.
But apart from singing, she dreamt of playing the piano. Her adventure with real music began when her parents enrolled her in the G. Bacewicz First Stage Music School in Wrocław. – It was quite a challenge, as we lived in Oborniki Śląskie (30 km from Wrocław) and my parents drove me to classes several times a week.
Thanks to her parents’ determination and her own, she graduated from piano class and continued her studies at the R. Bukowski Secondary Music School. – But after the first class it occurred to me that the piano was not my passion. – She recalls. – I went for some private singing lessons and managed to change to the vocal department.
After two years in the singing class, she enrolled at the Vocal Department of the K. Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław, where for the following years she studied in the solo singing class of Professor Agata Młynarska-Klonowska. This is how she became a graduate of the Wrocław art academy.
She started working at the University in 2018. – At first, I worked on a freelance basis to support the WPAE Postgraduate Studies. At the time, I treated this job as a complement to my artistic activity. Unfortunately, musicians in Poland do not have an easy life and an additional, independent source of income is something very valuable.
Then came the pandemic and out of the 100 concerts planned for the season, I only managed to play one… – And I made a decision. You have to try working as a full-time employee, at least for a ‘moment’, and when everything calms down, go back to my artistic activity. – She recalls. – And so, since 2021, I have been working in employee affairs, and it has turned from a ‘moment’ into more than three years.
Life writes different scenarios. – The truth is that I’ve grown fond of this job and the people I work with, which is why I combine my work as an artist with a full-time position at UWr. – She adds. – One job is a break from the other for me. And I think it’s only because these are two completely different fields that I manage to combine them.
Where did Księżniczki come from in Ms Ania’s artistic activity? – You could say that they came to me by themselves. – She laughs. – Since 2018, I have been working with the Tomczyk Art Agency, where I have the opportunity to sing solo parts in the 3-part project ‘Viennese Concerto’.
In the course of this collaboration, the classical string quartet has been replaced by Orkiestra Księżniczek, made up of talented and beautiful ladies themselves. Orkiestra Księżniczek concert tours are very intensive: – We always play from October to May with a few short breaks. – She describes. – We perform practically all over Poland, in the biggest concert halls and philharmonics – about 130 concerts per season!
Before that time, she took part in many projects. – I gave concerts in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and even in China (in 2017 I went as a soloist on a New Year’s concert tour). – She says.
What project will she remember forever? – A concert at Elphi (Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg) conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, where we performed Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony together with his Venezuelan symphony orchestra. – She says. – Working with such a Master and in such a place makes the heart grow!
Friday’s show combines the classical form of a concert with the latest trends, and the main idea of the project is to integrate the artists with the audience. – The Princess Orchestra is more than just another musical project on the map of Poland, it is a combination of the talent of the artists performing on stage with the possibilities offered by contemporary stage design. – emphasise its creators Klaudyna and Jędrzej Tomczyk.
Performances are undoubtedly accompanied by stage fright. How do you get rid of it? – It is customary for artists to say “toi, toi, toi!” to each other before taking the stage, which is a borrowed phrase from German and a wish of “good luck!”.
More about the orchestra: https://www.orkiestraksiezniczek.pl/
Read also about the passions of university people: https://uwr.edu.pl/o-pasjach-ludzi-uniwersytetu-muzyka-w-moim-sercu/
Katarzyna Górowicz-Maćkiewicz
