The founder of Ad Libitum festival, Krzysztof Knittel, creates aesthetically, thematically and formally varied music which combines experiences derived from his composition and computer programming studies, as well as his work at the Experimental Studio of Polish Radio, live electronics, improvised music, graphic computer music, sound art, elements of poetry, visual and performance arts, rock, jazz, and even hip hop. His improvisations have always included elements of structure, (frequently computer-based) procedures, technological environments, performative gestures, and relations between members of the various bands he has founded.
Marek Chołoniewski is an indefatigable explorer in search of (neo-? post-?) avant-garde, and an eternal experimenter, combining instrumental, electroacoustic, post-Internet music, performance art, sound installations, audio-visual, new media, and digital network projects. He is a key figure in Cracow’s experimental music scene. In 1977 he set up ‘Muzyka Centrum’ Artistic Association, which became a platform for pursuing his varied artistic interests. For many years he has been associated with, among others, the Electroacoustic Music Studio of Cracow’s Academy of Music and Audio Art festival. A pupil of Bogusław Schaeffer, he has himself educated new generations of musicians and composers who explore the frontiers of contemporary music.
Both artists have collaborated for many long years. This year they invited the young pianist-composer Joanna Duda to join them for their Ad Libitum concert. She is a producer of stage music, and represents the borderland between acoustic and electronic compositions, taking advantage of both the piano and integrated circuits.
