Grzegorz Michalski is a musicologist, organiser, journalist (incl. Polish Radio 2) and mediator. He has been editor of the journal Ruch Muzyczny (1971–1973), head of the classical music section of Polish Television (1974–1981), a programme consultant for the Warsaw Philharmonic (1982–1988) and chief editor and director of PWM Edition in Cracow. From 1990 to 1992, he held the post of undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture and Art. From 1998 to 2000, as the proxy for the Minister of Culture and Art, he coordinated the Chopin Year celebrations, and from 2001 to 2008 (with a break in 2006) he was director of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw. He has also been president of the WitoldLutos?awski Society (2009–2014) and a member of the Chopin Institute’s Programme Committee (2011–2014). In 2015, he was director’s plenipotentiary for the 17th Chopin Competition.

Composer, piano improviser, music animator, born in 1959 in Lublin. He studied composition with Tadeusz Baird and Marian Borkowski at the Music Academy in Warsaw, and with Louis Andriessen at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. As an interdisciplinary artist, he writes in many genres. Recordings of his works have been released on labels such as BBC Music, Signum Classic, Polskie Nagrania, Acte Préalable, the Rozdro?a Centre for International Creative Initiatives, and Polish Music Information Centre. In 2000 his Interwoven Figures received a recommendation at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers; he has also received nominations for the Opus Music Prize and Musica Nova award. In 2001 he founded Mud Cavaliers, an improvised music group with which he has played in many countries. Jerzy Kornowicz has been active as a creator and programmer of many musical events, including the Audio-Art festival in Warsaw, the Generations series of concerts for Polish Radio, and The Academy of Sound, a series of educational concerts featuring new music at Warsaw schools. He has authored a programme of music animation in Warsaw high schools, organised yearly free improvisation workshops, and has founded and directed the Kody Festival of Music Tradition and Avantgarde in Lublin. Between 2003 and 2015, he has served as President of the Polish Composers’ Union. He has campaigned for the social dissemination of music, and is a founding member of the ECSA Composer Alliance in Brussels as well as the Creative Poland Association of Polish artistic communities and creative industries, of which he is the President.