Co-operation
Judith Kumfert gradüated from the College of Churchmusik in Herford and the College of Musik and Theatre in Hannover. Opera guest performences and radiorecordings have taken her as a solist throughout Germany and abroad. She devoted herself to solosongs / songrecitals and is a member of the ENSEMBLE FÜR ALTE MUSIK Hannover.
The guitarist Hans Kumfert, the organist Mana Usui as well the pianist Barbara Grzybek have been her duopartners.
Since 1993 she has been passing on her knowledge to students at the University of Bremen.
In 1997, the Bielsko Chamber
Orchestra celebrates ist 15th year of artistic activity.
The group began working in 1982 under the leadership of composer and conductor
Tadeusz Kocyba and current artistic director, Witold Szulakowski. The orchestra
consist of 25 professional musicians whose artistic work is connected with the
city of Bielsko-Biała. Their musical
versatility and high level playing allows for a varied repertoire, ranging from
the old classics through contemporary music, and including jazz and poular music.
The works of Polish composers are an important part of the repertoire, and the
orchestra successfully presents these works at concerts and festivals in Poland
and abroad. In the June 1995 issue of "Music movement", composer
Wojciech Kilar acknowledges that the Bielsko Chamber Orchestra performance of
his work "Orawa" was the finest he had heard until that time. The
orchestra has worked under the direction of many of the finest conductors,
including Krzysztof Missona, Jerzy Salwarowski, Jerzy Swoboda, Mirosław
Jacek Błaszczyk, Paweł Przytocki, Tadeusz Wicherek, Stanisław
Fijałkowski, Andrzej Zubek, Krzesimir Dębski and Sławomir
Chrzanowski. After his first concert tour piano phenomenal Adam Makowicz said in
the pages of “Republic” newspaper that of 13
different orchestras, “... the orchestra in Bielsko-Biała
played the best for me”. The Bielsko Chamber Orche -stra
has performed with such famous solo artists as Kaja Danczows -ka,
Piotr Paleczny, Andrzej Hiolski, Wiesław Ochman, Grażyna Bro -dzińska,
Krzysztof Jakowicz, George Zamfir and the “Wilanów” Quartet.
During the 15 years of its existence the Bielsko Chamber Orchestra has won many
lasting fans. The high caliber of play and wide repertoire mean that each
concert is an artistic event in its own right, and that the orchestra’s
headquarters, the Bielsko Cultural Center, is always filled to
capacity with music lovers.