Winter Concert by Karolina & Iwo at the KF Washington DC

Join us for a Winter Concert by Karolina Mikołajczyk & Iwo Jedynecki and let their lovely music warm your heart!

The 60-minute program will include:

1. F. Chopin – Nocturne op. 9 no 2

2. A. Tansman – Five pieces for violin and chamber orchestra
I. Toccata
II. Song and Music Box
III. Perpetual Movement
IV. Aria
V. Basso Ostinato

3. A. Vivaldi – Violin concerto in f minot “Winter” from the Four Seasons
I. Allegro non molto
II. Large
III. Allegro

4. A. Piazzolla – Inverno porteno” (Winter) from The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires

5. C. Saint-Saens – Danse Macabre

6. B. Bartok – Romanian Folk Dances:
I. Stick Dance
II. Sash Dance
III. In One Place
IV. Dance from Bucsum
V. Romanian Poland
VI. Fast Dance

Refreshments will be served.

Purchase tickets HERE.

Don’t miss this chance to experience world-class music in an intimate and elegant setting.

Duo Karolina Mikołajczyk & Iwo Jedynecki is one of the most vibrant and innovative chamber ensembles of the current generation of classical musicians. Recognized by artists such as Krzysztof Penderecki and Maxim Vengerov, in 2024 they have been awarded Poland’s most prestigious prize for classical music – the ‘Polityka Passport’ – with duo being praised for its ‘versatility and ability to navigate through diverse musical realms; virtuosity, unbridled imagination, and ingenuity in selecting and creating new repertoire for the distinctive combination of violin and accordion’. This accolade follows a long line of Grand Prix and First Prizes at international music competitions in addition to performances at prestigious venues, includng Carnegie Hall, Esplanade Concert Hall (Singapore), The Edge Melbourne (Australia), Teatro del Lago (Chile), Guangzhou Opera House (China) and a sell-out debut performance at the Warsaw Philharmonic. The duo has meanwhile thrilled audiences with recitals across the world, from Switzerland to Cuba to the United Arab Emirates to Brunei, totalling 32 countries on five continents as of today. Their repertoire ranges from Bach’s Goldberg Variations, through violin sonatas of Mozart, Beethoven, Franck and Penderecki, thrilling arrangements of other Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20th Century works to contemporary music, including commissioned pieces and three double concertos. Thanks to Iwo Jedynecki’s accordion transcriptions, both well-loved and little-known repertoire gain bold, new interpretations and original sounds, all the while boasting delightfully diverse colouring.

 

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Photos by Anita Wąsik

The ensemble is proud to collaborate with leading Polish composers. In 2016, Marcin Błażewicz composed a rare double concerto for violin, accordion and symphonic orchestra, dedicating it to Karolina and Iwo. In 2019, the Duo collaborated with Krzysztof Penderecki, arranging his Violin Sonata (1953) for a duo of violin and accordion with an official approval from the Master.

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As of today, the Duo has recorded four CD albums – Premiére with original and self-arranged (i.a. Frartes by Arvo Pärt) contemporary music for violin-accordion, Orfeum Trio Plays Piazzolla, BŁAŻEWICZ (nominated for the Fryderyk Prize – a Polish equivalent of a Grammy) and IMAGIQUE: A Different History of Music. The duo also shows an up-to-date approach in promoting its work by presenting video recordings in social media: the one with Mozart’s Violin Sonata gained more than a milion views on Facebook and YouTube, and was shared by the most popular internet platform devoted to classical music – Classic FM -followed up by Kreisler’s Chinese Tambourine performed on the Great Wall of China as well as Bach’s Goldberg Variations and excerpts from film music-inspired The Hollywood Fantasy projects.

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Karolina Mikołajczyk studied under Zakhar Bron in Cologne as well as Andrzej Gębski, Maria Machowska, Agata Szymczewska and Janusz Wawrowski in Warsaw. Iwo Jedynecki holds performance degrees from Germany (Detmold), Poland (Warsaw & Bydgoszcz) and, most recently, the United States (New York University) as the first accordionist recipient of the Fulbright scholarship. Both musicians received their doctorate degrees in 2021-2022.

Karolina Mikołajczyk plays a Duke London violin from 1776. Iwo Jedynecki plays a Pigini Sirius Millennium accordion. The purchase of both instruments was financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.