Born 1971, Marcel Chyrzynski obtained his Master’s degree (with distinction) from the Academy of Music in Cracow in 1995, where he studied composition with Prof. Marek Stachowski, orchestration with Prof. Krzysztof Penderecki and computer music with Marek Choloniewski, Richard Boulanger, Cindy McTee and Rodney Oaks. Since 1994 he has worked as a lecturer at the Academy of Music in Cracow in the Departament of Composition, Conducting and Theory of Music. In 1998 he was awarded a doctorate in composition.

Chyrzynski perfected his compositional skills on numerous courses, including the International Akademie für Neue Komposition in Schwaz in Austria (1994), the Young Composers Summer Course in Bialystok (1995) and Radziejowice (1996, 1997), Internationale Werkstatt für Neue Musik und Computer in Stuttgart (1995) and the International Workshop of New Music in Cracow (1996). He has gained valuable experience and training under the tutelage of composers such as Paul Paterson, Sylvano Bussotti, Claude Lefebvre, Joji Yuasa, Boguslaw Schaeffer, Lidia Zielinska and Hanna Kulenty.

Among many Polish awards and citations, Chyrzynski has twice received 1st prize in the A. Krzanowski Competition for Young Composers in Bielsko-Biala for Miniature for solo clarinet and for Three Preludes for clarinet and piano, 1st prize for Four Love Lyrics for baritone and piano in the 3rd All-Polish Adam Didur Composers’ Competition in Sanok (1994), citation for Piece for Orchestra in the Composers’ Competition organised by Polish Radio in Warsaw (1996), 3rd prize for Psalm 88 for mixed choir in the 2nd All-Polish Composition Competition Musica Sacra in Warsaw (1996), 3rd prize for …similes esse bestiis for mixed choir in the 3rd All-Polish Composers’ Competition Musica Sacra in Warsaw (1997) and 1st prize for Ferragosto per tromba, pianoforte e batteria in the Tadeusz Baird Composition Competition for Young Composers in Warsaw (1997).

In 1994 he received a music scholarship from the City of Cracow. Since 1995 he has been a member of the Polish Composers’ Union. Since 2005 he has been a member of the Polish Society for Electroacoustic Music. In 2006 he received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

His works have been performed in Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, Bialorussia, Germany, Austria, England, France, The Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Greece, Kosovo, Romania, Finland, Sweden, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and the USA at numerous concerts and festivals, including Silesian Days of Contemporary Music in Katowice (1994, 2000), Journees de la Musique des Compositeurs Cracoviens (1995–99, 2002–03), MOSAICO Music Festival in Cracow (1995), The International Festival of Contemporary Music Warsaw Autumn (1996), Musica Moderna in Lodz (1997), Musica Polonica Nova in Wroclaw (1998, 2006), The International Festival of Sacred Music Gaude Mater in Czestochowa (1997, 1998), the Internationale Studienwoche für zeitgenössiche Musik in Hamburg (1995), FIU Music Festival in Miami (2000), 8th Music Festival in Vitebsk (2001), The International Festival of Contemporary Music CONTRASTS in Lvov (2002), The International Contemporary Music Festival The New Music Scene of Prishtina in Kosovo (2003), IV Festival International de musique en Catalogne in Ceret in France (2004), Cadaques International Festival of Music in Spain (2004), Festival of Polish Music in Cracow (2005, 2006), UltraSchall Festival für neue Musik in Berlin (2006), Festival New Music New Faces in Cracow (2006) and Polish Modern Music-Festival of World Premier in Katowice (2007). Three of his compositions, Ferragosto per tromba, pianoforte e batteria, Quasi Kwazi I and Quasi Kwazi II, were perfomed at the Dimensions of Time and Silence concert which presented Polish and Australian music in Sydney (1998). His composition Extended Perception of Echo for Strings represented Polish contemporary music at the International Fair Midem Classique 2000 in Cannes.

His compositions have been published by PWM Edition, and have been released on compact disc by DUX, ZPR Records, Acte Prealable, The Institute of Art and PWM-DUX. Several of his works have been performed on Polish television and Australian, Finnish, German and Polish radio.