A look back at the 21st edition of the (Not only) Slavic Song Contest!
Year-to-year, in May, the Institute of Slavic Studies (IFS) of the University of Wrocław organizes a festival of song, youth and joy – the lifeblood of the academic community.
This year’s joyous festival was special because of the change in rules – the students invited sang in various languages, not only Slavic ones.
On May 13, Oratorium Marianum was filled to the brim. The 13 finalists of the contest were judged by the jury comprised of: dr Mateusz Wiśniewski – chairman of the jury – bohemologist of the IFS, prof. dr hab. Oleh Beley of IFS, dr Justyna Salamon of the Institute of Romance Studies (IFR), Lena Ignasiak representing the Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic Arkadiusz Ignasiak, Barbara Skałacka-Harold of the International Office (BWM) of UWr. The main and financial prizes were awarded by the jury, while honors were awarded by the sponsors – prize founders. The Audience Award was awarded by a jury selected from the numerous audience. The jury faced a challenge – both professional and amateur singers qualified for the contest. The organizers made sure that the prize pool was big enough to award everyone qualified.
First Prize – 2000 PLN, funded by the dean of the Faculty of Letters prof. Arkadiusz Lewicki, was deservedly awarded to second-year French Studies student Lea Wiegand, for a beautiful rendition of the song Ave Maria in Spanish. Lea has sung in numerous choirs, including the youth choir of the Frankfurt Opera House in Frankfurt am Main. There, she played in many plays as a member of the choir, but she also had a solo role as a soprano in The Magic Flute by W. A. Mozart. She is a scholarship recipient of the opera class of Dr. Hoch’s Music Academy Frankfurt am Main. This talented student will be singing next at the concert organized by SKNR WroSlawianie from the IFS – in October’s fifth edition of the Melodies of Three Generations concert.
Second Prize – a concert in the ANIMA club in Wrocław, was awarded to the very energetic band of Germanists ZGRAYA, together with their lecturer dr Julianna Redlich. The band won the hearts of the audience both at the October Melody concert and the April charity concert organized by the Faculty of Letters, We Play for Sebastian. This time, ZGRAYA sang in German to promote the Institute of German Studies (IFG), a popular song Lieblingsmensch from the repertoire of Namika – a German singer and rapper of Moroccan descent.
There were three Third Prizes of the same amount. Ex aequo:
Third Prize of the IFS Administration – 1000 PLN was awarded to Natalia Kania, a student of Croatian Studies at the IFS, who sang a song by the title of Džanum in the Serbian language accompanied by a graduate of Serbian and Ukrainian Studies Paweł Łoboda. Natalia was also awarded invites to Anna Majkut-Polańska’s Centre of the Art of the Voice Art Voice, our long time sponsor and juror;
Third Prize of the International Office – 1000 PLN was awarded to Zofia Popławska of the Institute of Journalism and Social Communication for a beautiful interpretation of a song from Leonard Cohen’s repertoire Hallelujah in Polish. Zofia – the multiple-times winner of the Slavic Song Contest was accompanied, as always, by Stanisław Marinczenko. Zofia also won an award of the Homo Perfectus Foundation, 500 PLN.
Third Prize of the Administration of the Botanical Garden – 1000 PLN was awarded to Agnieszka Granosik, first-time competitor. Agnieszka was recognized by the jury for her beautiful voice and interesting interpretation of a song from the repertoire of Adele, Skyfall. She has sung in English, accompanied by a talented pianist and laureate of previous contests, a member of the artistic and theatrical team NOMEN OMEN, Stanisław Roguż.
The Prize of the Wrocław Art and Culture Center (OKiS) – 500 PLN and a set of books was given to a laureate of the contest, a Germanist from the ZGRAYA band Aleksandra Nowak by the Deputy Director of the OKiS, Olga Chrebor. Aleksandra has sung a popular German song from the repertoire of Udo Lindenberg, Kompass. She was accompanied by two band members – Weronika Krzysztofczyk on acoustic guitar and Julia Wielgos on cajon. Aleksandra was also awarded invites to Anna Majkut-Polańska’s Centre of the Art of the Voice Art Voice, our long time sponsor and juror.
The Dean of the Faculty of Law, Administration and Economics prof. Jacek Przygocki presented the award he founded, 500 PLN, to Julia Adryjanek, a sociology student. Julia was associated with the academic choir “Gaudium”, and she won the prize for a perfect rendition of the song Alfie by an American pianist and composer Burt Bacharach. She was accompanied by Dariusz Samerdak on the piano.
The two-time laureate of the First Prize of the Dean of the Faculty of Letters, an actor of the Capitol Music Theatre Adrianna Kwiatkowska, member of ZGRAYA was awarded an individual award of the Administration of the IFG – 500 PLN for the rendition of the hit song Fever by Beyoncé. She was accompanied by Julianna Redlich on the piano.
The Prize of the Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Wrocław Arkadiusz Ignasiak – two equal prizes of 500 PLN were awarded to a Bohemian Studies student Małgorzata Pelak for a deeply moving interpretation of the song Sarajevo by Jaromir Nohavica. She was accompanied by Bruno Dębicki. Małgorzata was also awarded a prize of our long time sponsor of events in the Botanical Garden Irina Jezior – a dinner for two at Kozacka Chatka.
The Second Prize of the Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Wrocław Arkadiusz Ignasiak was awarded to the tenor Marek Kaczmarczyk for the aria Jontka Szumią jodły na gór szczycie. Marek was also awarded the prize of our long time sponsor of the Slavic Song Contest Ilona Jasińska of the Joanna Tourism Bureau – a weekend in Prague for two people. He was accompanied by Stanisław Roguż.
Marek also performer in the non-competition part along with the senior rector prof. Adam Jezierski as an accompanist singing the old hit song Kiedy znów zakwitną białe bzy.
UNISON – a band comprised of French Studies students who’ve met during the preparations for a performance at the charity concert We Play for Sebastian. For their performance of the song On écrit sur les murs from the repertoire of Kids United in French they were awarded the Prize of the biggest enthusiast of not only Slavic song 1000 PLN. This close-knit musical group is bound together by an accompanist Grzegorz Marekwica and mgr Ewa Warmuz of the IFR, initiator of Panorama Piosenki Romańskiej.
Lyrical student of Economy Studies of the UWr Soffia Ivanichenko by her beautiful, moving rendition of the Ukrainian song Обійми by Oкеан Ельзи won the Prize of the Anonymous Enthusiast of the not only Slavic song 500 PLN. She was accompanied by her sister Hanna on the piano.
The Third Prize of the Anonymous Enthusiast of not only Slavic song 500 PLN was awarded to an amateur, Russian Studies graduate and Croatian Studies student Patryk Malinowski. His rendition of the song Свадьба by Muslim Magomajev was so liked by the funders and the audience that the was called to the stage several times. In addition, Patryk was awarded the Homo Perfectus Foundation 500 PLN Prize, a Prize of our long time sponsor Galina Asatryan of the restaurant ARMINE – GivMeChinkal – dinner for two, and above all, the biggest in the history of the Contests, the AUDIENCE AWARD – a jar of money collected among the audience.
During the non-competition part, during the jury deliberations, the scene was overtaken by the graduates of the IFS, laureates of the previous editions of the contest. Martyna Dubińska, hailed as the angelic voice of IFS surprised everyone by singing a very energetic song Stefan from the repertoire of a Slovak folk band Hrdza. She was accompanied on the stage by her fellow graduates singing and playing together with her – Stanisław Mrinczenko plaing bouzuki, Igor Jelinek on guitar, Maria Molenda on violin, Kamila Ogrodnik in choruses and Andrzej Walus on saxophone. Kamila Ogrodnik reminded us of a Czech language cover of the song by Ray Charles – Georgia On My Mind, for which she won the First Prize of the Dean of the Faculty of Letters 10 years ago.
Especially women’s hearts were won by two male duos: the charming Igor Jelinek and Stas Marinczenko with the subtle song from 1983 “Дельтаплан”, by Walerij Leontjew, and the amazingly scenic graduates of Serbian Studies Maciej Ogrocki and Paweł Łoboda who performed the energetic song Himna generacije in Bosnian.
After being absent for five years, the stage was graced by dr Monika Jasińska-Okulewicz together with first-year students of Russian Studies. They made the audience cry with laughter by performing the song 18 мне уже by Руки вверх. The young tenor Marek Kaczmarczyk performed with the senior rector a captivating hit from many years ago Kiedy zakwitną białe bzy. The second part was concluded by a mix of the most popular Ukrainian songs performed by Lyubov Moc, rousing the audience to sing along.
The third part of the concert was held in the hospitable premises of the Botanical Garden – it is here, where thanks to our sponsors and the supporters of not only Slavic song the traditional afterparty has been held for many years, to which the organizers invite the student singers, graduates, lecturers, university administration and the supporters of these concerts.
The concert was hosted by the third-year students of Russian Studies – Agata Bromboszcz and Maciej Kanty. The organizers of the concert were: Student Scientific Association of Russicists WroSlawianie of the IFS, OKiS, BWM and the Student and Doctoral Student Support Office.
Julia Kożuchowska
Russian Studies student
The project was co-financed from the budget of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship and the funds of the City of Wrocław.
Photos: Agata Mitek i Ryszard Cach
Translated by Kacper Piotrowski (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
