Composer Dobromila Jaskot and Other Minds Festival

No other city has an organization quite like Other Minds, cultivating all the music that would otherwise drop between the cracks - Alex Ross, The New Yorker

The 14th Other Minds Festival introduces an emerging voice from Poland, Dobromila Jaskot, as one of nine of the most exciting and innovative composers from around the world, for concerts and artists\' talks. The festival, produced by its Director Charles Amirkhanian, continues an annual tradition of presenting the most creative voices from across the musical spectrum.

Two works by Jaskot, Poland\'s hottest emerging "other mind," will be presented during the festival: her Linearia for string quartet andHannah for cello and electronics. In both compositions, she uses traditional instruments to thrilling effect. Linearia will be performed by the award-winning Del Sol Quartet, and the electro-acoustic Hannahwill be performed by cellist Hannah Addario-Berry with Dobromila Jaskot on electronics.

Dobromila Jaskot was born in 1981 in Torun. In 2005 she graduated with distinction from the Academy of Music in Poznan in the composition class, and in 2007 she completed postgraduate studies in Special, Computer, Film, and Theater Composition at the Academy ofMusic in Wroclaw. Her creative interests are centered around multimedia arts, with particular focus on their interactive aspects. Her compositions are deeply emotional, displaying a formal clarity and gestural invention that have made her a popular guest at music festivals throughout Europe, such as the UltraSchall, Warsaw Autumn, Musica Electronica Nova, and Contemporary Music week in Esbjerg. ,She has been a prizewinner at several competitions for composers and performers. In 2006 her interactive chamber opera Fedora was premiered at the National Opera in Warsaw.

The Other Minds Festival, one of the few in the United States that encourages contemporary music, fosters cross-cultural exchange and creative dialogue by exploring areas in new music seldom touched by mainstream institutions. Begun in 1993, it has featured over 150 composers and 447 guest performers from more than 35 countries.

The roster of composers invited for the 14th Other Minds Festivalincludes Michael Harrison (USA), Dobromila Jaskot (Poland), Ben Johnston (USA), Catherin Lamb (USA), Chico Mello (Brazil), John Schneider (USA), Linda Catlin Smith (Canada), Bent Sorensen (Denmark), and Chinary Ung (Cambodia). Featured performers include the Trio con Brio Copenhagen, the Amsterdam Cello Octet, under the direction of Polish cellist and composer Robert Putowski, performing works by Arvo Part (US Premiere) and a special presentation in memory of Mauricio Kagel (1931 - 2008), and San Francisco\'s Del Sol String Quartet.

Other Minds Festival Polish Cultural Institute