Affabre Concinui,also known asAffabre – The Chamber Singers,are a Polisha cappellavocal ensemble(sextet) founded in 1983 by alumni of two famous Polish choirs: Poznań Boys' Choir andPoznań Nightingales,inspired by the British ensembleThe King's Singers.The name of the ensemble (Affabre Concinui) means in Latin "perfectly attuned"[1]or "ideally harmonized",[2]which is an artistic credo of the group. They quickly gained renown in Poland and many other countries.

Affabre Concinui
Choir
Concert of Affabre Concinui inPoznań,15 July 2007 (from left to right: Robert Hylla, Leszek Marciniak, Przemysław Czekała, Piotr Lewandowski, Piotr Dziurla, Artur Hoffmann)
OriginPoznań,Poland
Founded1983
GenreClassical
Pop
MembersRobert Hylla
Leszek Marciniak
Przemysław Czekała
Piotr Lewandowski
Piotr Dziurla
Artur Hoffmann
Websiteaffabre.net

History

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The group has always consisted of six singers, with their membership changing over the years. The current ensemble is composed of:

Former members includeWojciech Drabowicz,Krzysztof Piernik, Przemysław Stanisławski, Tadeusz Gawroński, and Radosław Skrzypczak.

Repertoire

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Their concerts combine many forms of music: traditional (folk, Christmas carols), classical (renaissance to contemporary music) and pop hits, often with imitation of musical instruments. Over the years their library has expanded to over 300 works of all styles, composed byGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina,Wacław of Szamotuły,Thomas Tallis,Orlando di Lasso,Thomas Morley,Franz Schubert,Robert Schumann,Frederic Chopin,Stanisław Moniuszko,Maurice Ravel,Krzysztof Penderecki,Krzesimir Dębski,Freddie Mercury,The Beatles,Sting,etc.

The group is best known for itsa cappellaperformances in both Poland and abroad: Algeria, Austria, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, Vatican, United Kingdom, and United States). The group represented Poland duringEXPOinSevilla(1992),Hannover(2000), andAichi(2005), during the Festival of Polish Culture in Taiwan, Days of Polish Culture in Beijing andAlgiers,theWorld Economic ForuminDavosas well as in concerts that accompanied theOlympic GamesinAtlanta(1996).

Awards

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In 1994 the ensemble was awarded the 2nd prize at the 42nd InternationalGuido d'ArezzoPolyphonic Contest inArezzo,Italy, and in 1988 it became the winner of the International Competition of Choral Composition "Seghizzi" inGorizia,Italy, in the category of chamber ensembles. In 1987, the Young Art Medal was awarded to Affabre Concinui by the editorial board of the Polish newspaperGłos Wielkopolski. In 2008, at theEdinburgh Festival Fringe,the ensemble earned a five-star review inThe Herald.[3][4]

Educational activities

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Beside recording and performing, the Affabre singers are committed to education, participating inmaster classesandworkshops(e.g. at the Academy of Music in Poznań or theGorzkie żaleworkshop in Poznań).

Discography

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  • Musique de la Renaissance Polonaise (1991)
  • From Marley to McCartney
  • Boże Narodzenie z Affabre Concinui (Christmas with Affabre Concinui)
  • Znaszli ten kraj (Do you know the country)
  • Lata dwudzieste, lata trzydzieste (The 1920s, the 1930s)
  • Thomas Tallis, Wacław z Szamotuł...
  • The Polish Chamber Singers live
  • Thomas Tallis, Mikołaj Zieliński...
  • Poważni niepoważnie (Serious ones unseriously)
  • Great Pretenders
  • Sing we at pleasure
  • Affabre Na Bis (Affabre encore)
  • Kolędy (Christmas carols)
  • Great Pretenders II
  • 25 lat Affabre Concinui (25 years of Affabre Concinui) (2008)
  • Great Pretenders III
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References

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  1. ^"Polish Music Newsletter, January 2009, Vol. 15, No. 1".Archived fromthe originalon 11 March 2016.Retrieved13 March2016.
  2. ^"The Diapason, September 2006"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 13 March 2016.Retrieved13 March2016.
  3. ^Rowena Smith,Affabre Concinui,St Andrew’s & St George’s,The Herald,11 August 2008
  4. ^Keith Bruce,Filing from the FestivalsThe Herald,11 August 2008