 Internationally acclaimed Polish a cappella ensemble Affabre Concinui will perform at Bishop Union High School on the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 20. The group consists of Robert Hylla, contratenor; Leszek Marciniak, contratenor; Przemyslaw Czekala, tenor; Piotr Lewandowski, baritone; Piotr Dziurla, bass; and Artur Hoffmann, bass. Photo courtesy Bishop Community Concert Association Bishop Community Concert Association 2-14-2008
Music-lovers from all over the Eastern Sierra are in for a treat next week when a critically acclaimed ensemble brings its unique harmonies to Bishop.
Affabre Concinui, a men’s a cappella group, will perform live on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Bishop Union High School Auditorium, as the Bishop Community Concert Association offers its second-to-last show of the season.
Affabre Concinui (Latin for “ideally harmonized, the ensemble’s artistic credo) performs songs from the Renaissance to contemporary music. Season membership to the Bishop Com-munity Concert Association is $45 per adult, $20 per student and $110 per family. Reduced-price tickets for the Feb. 20 peformance only may be purchased at the door.
The ensemble, also known as the Polish Chamber Singers, was formed in 1983 by alumni of two famous men’s choirs in the city of Poznan and made its debut at a Christmas concert in Gdansk. Since then, Affabre Concinui has performed in all the cities of Poland as well as in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Lebanon, South Korea, Algeria, Japan, China, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the Ukraine, United States and the Vatican, at major concert halls and important music festivals.
Affabre Concinui has won a number of top prizes at international vocal competitions, including those in Gorizia, Italy in 1988 and Arezzo, Italy in 1994. The singers have frequently represented their homeland at international events such as the 1992 World Exposition in Seville, the 1995 Festival of Polish Culture in Taiwan, the 1996 World Economic Forum in Switzerlan and the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
In 1991, the group recorded its first CD comprising the music of Polish Renaissance for a French distributor, Harmonia Mundi. The CD was highly appraised by the critics of Diapason magazine. Since then, Affabre Concinui has made numerous CD recordings which encompass more than 300 pieces of music ranging from Renaissance to contemporary music, Christmas carols from Poland and all over the world, musical jokes and orchestral works – with a unique and astonishing imitation of musical instruments.
The composers of the music performed by the group are among others, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Bartlomiej Pekiel, Waclaw z Szamotu, Thomas Tallis, Orlando di Lasso, Thomas Morley, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Frederic Chopin, Stanislaw Moniuszko, Francis Poulenc, Krzysztof Penderecki, Krzesimir Debski. A prominent part of their repertoire consists of top pop hits of the 20th century. Masterpieces in terms of arrangement, they faithfully reflect the atmosphere of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and infuse the audience with enthusiasm.
For more information about next Wednesday’s concert, call Mary Mae at (760) 873-6690.
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