Karol Osman
Composer of film, theater and concert music
Karol Osman is a composer of theatre, concert and film music. He is a graduate of the Academy of Music in Krakow (Faculty of Composition and Music Theory, specialising in film and theatre composition). He made his debut in 2019 with the piece Hortus nocti for soprano and orchestra. Today, his artistic output as a composer is very diverse, ranging from theatre and film works to contemporary compositions that combine acoustic instruments with electronics.
His works have been recognised in international composition competitions such as: International Film Music Festival YoungTalent Award 2019 and International New Vision CompositionCompetition 2018.
Currently, Karol Osman is working on a PhD thesis dedicated to timbral qualities of sound and different concepts of musical tuning and their use in artistic works. Karol is also a member of the Polish Foundation for the Promotion of Music Culture and works as an assistant lecturer at the Faculty of Music at Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce (PL).
The composer’s compositions have been performed many times at concerts, composition courses and as part of numerous festivals, including:
XX. International Chopin and Friends Festival (USA)
30th International Festival of Krakow Composers
25th International Shakespeare Festival in Gdańsk
48 Hour Film Project Warsaw 2019
55. OFF Kontrapunkt in Szczecin
National Festival of Young Theater Alchemy 2021
With Lem through generations 2021
Open Eyes Art Festival
Karol Osman’s compositional output includes autonomous chamber and orchestral works as well as compositions for films, theater performances and radio plays.
Awards and competitions
The most important compositions include:
International New Vision Composition Competiton (USA)
winner of the main prize in the international composition competition under the honorary patronage of the Consulate of the Republic of Poland in New York
Shakespeare Festival in Gdansk
performance with music by the composer awarded the first honorary special prize OFF
Film Music Festival Young Talent Award
finalist of the international film music competition
OFMAT – SCKM
performance with the composer’s music awarded at national festival
Marvin Hamlisch Film Scoring Competition
music and sound effects for the film qualified for the top 30% of the highest rated submissions
Major events
Whisper in purple
awarded the grand prize and performed as part of the 20th International Chopin & Friends Festival at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in New York City
Hortus nocti for soprano solo and symphony orchestra
premiere 27.06.2019 in Krakow: Soprano – Annika Mikolajko, orchestra Corda Cracovia conducted by Patrycja Pieczara
RePlay from music
music composed for a series of 7 documentary and educational episodes dedicated to the history of music, under the patronage of the Krakow Festival Office, the Play Krakow platform and the Polish Music Publishing House
music to the radio play Jeremiah by Karol Wojtyła
premiered on 11.10.2020 on Polish Radio’s First Program. Acoustic realization – Andrzej Brzoska
music for the theater play The Wedding by Witold Gombrowicz
premiere 20.12.2020 at the Cyprian Kamil Norwid Theater in Jelenia Góra
music for the film adaptation of Jan Kochanowski’s Threnody
production under the honorary patronage of the National Cultural Center and TVP Kultura (2020)
music for a theater play
carried out as part of the Laboratory of New Theater project at the Proxima Theater in Krakow (2020)
music for the radio play The Little Demon by Fyodor Sologub.
premiere 20.12.2020 in Polish Radio Program 2 in acoustic realization by Andrzej Brzoska
piece Tales of the Robots
premiered as part of the With Lem through generations Festival organized by the Krakow Cultural Forum
music for the theater play I have something to tell you
performance awarded as part of the OFMAT festival – SCKM