Grzegorz Karnas

A singer born in Upper Silesia, Poland, to a family devoid of musical traditions. Finished one year of classical guitar at the secondary music school in Rybnik. Graduate of the Jazz Institute of the Academy of Music in Katowice, considered prestigious in Poland. Karnas has worked with top-line younger artists of Poland's jazz scene as well as its legends. In 1998, he was awarded first prize at the International Jazz Vocalists' Meeting in Zamość (Poland). The following year, his debut album “Reinkarnasja” (Nottwo 2000) was released and put Karnas on the road touring throughout the main clubs and festivals in Poland and Slovakia (International Jazz Pianists' Festival in Kalisz, Bratislava Jazz Days). Summer of 2004 saw the premiere of Grzegorz Karnas' self-produced solo project “Sny-Dreams of a Ninth Floor” (DeBies 2004) promotion of which took place with a series of over 30 club and festival concerts in Poland (Warsaw Summer Jazz Days), Slovakia and Czech Republic (Prague Jazz Open, Jazz Goes To Town in Hradec Kralove , International Jazz Festival in Kosice), Germany, Romania (Sibu Jazz Festival) and many others. A new album “Ballads for the End of the World” featuring brilliant silesian cello player Adam Oleś was released in april 2006. Promotions of both projects continue in 2007. Also in 2006 Karnas was awarded first prize at Young Jazz Singers Competition Brussels

. In august 2007 he was a winner of CREST JAZZ VOCAL competition in southern France. He is the artistic director of International Jazz Competition For Singing Musicians “Voicingers”

Gear

Grzegorz Karnas conducts music workshops for people who would like to engage in music-making using the instrument which is the human voice. Since playing music with the voice is based not only on play, but also on becoming familiar with several seemingly self- evident aspects of it, the issues dealt with during these workshops include: breathing, articulation and transmission of one's voice based on its natural tone, in keeping with its primary function – conveying emotions. Among other things, group sessions consist of creating so- called “cyclic cantos”, the aim of which is to broaden rhythmic awareness by bringing one into contact with what are known as poly-rhythms. This is a way to quickly create a live improvisational choir based on a group of people who - once familiar with a given rhythmic element, onto which a successive rhythmic element that creates a simple counterpoint to the first is then superimposed – are able to create a percussive effect. Notes in simple arrangements of intervals are then superimposed onto this mixture of rhythms. The melodies change in the course of their being sung, and the choir follows the cues of a leader.