Program:

Cesar Franck – Prelude, Fugue, Variation
Maurice Ravel – Ma mère l’Oye
Jean-Michel Damase – Sonatine for two harps (Part I)
Evgen Andreev – Verkhovynka
J.S. Bach – Jesus bleibet meine Freude
Ernesto Lecuona – Malagueña from Suite Espagnol (arr. Marguerite Lynn Williams)
Cueca, Jota, Terezinka (traditional Latin American pieces)
Duo Arpicante is a duo founded in 2022 during studies at the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk, formed by two talented harpists – Laura Jurčová and Oktawia Bylicka. The artists perform classical repertoire, as well as music on the border of entertainment and jazz, and even improvise together during street performances.

Laura Jurčová – harpist, currently studying at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw in the class of Dr. Hab. Zuzanna Elster. She began learning the harp with Aldona Poczwardowska, and continued her studies at the bachelor’s level with Prof. Anna Sikorzak-Olek. She has participated in masterclasses with renowned harpists such as Helga Storck, Veronika Lemishenko, Carlos Peña Montoya, Katrina Szederkényi, and Louisic Dulbecco.

She is a laureate of numerous national and international competitions, including the 2nd National Karol Groll Harp Competition in Warsaw (2019) and the International Karel Patras Harp Competition in Prague (2019 and 2023). Laura grew up in Białystok in a musical family, with whom she forms the quartet Alternativo. The group’s repertoire includes not only classical pieces but also those on the border of entertainment and jazz.

Oktawia Bylicka – harpist, a graduate of the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk in the class of Prof. Anna Sikorzak-Olek, where she graduated with distinction in 2023. She is currently studying with Prof. Sophie Hallynck at the Royal Institute of Music and Pedagogy in Namur, Belgium. She has participated in masterclasses with leading harpists such as Alexander Boldachev, Veronika Lemishenko, Helga Storck, Urszula Mazurek, Carlos Peña Montoya. As part of the Erasmus program, she spent a semester working with Prof. Margit-Anna Süß in Graz.

In 2021, she won 1st prize at the International Music Competition “Music Without Limits” in Lithuania. In her career as a harpist, she has performed with many orchestras, including the Polish Baltic Philharmonic in Gdańsk, “Sinfonia Baltica” in Słupsk, and various project orchestras. As a soloist, she has performed with the Elbląg Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra in Rome, and the Chamber Orchestra in Vilnius.

She primarily performs classical music but is open to various musical genres. She loves chamber music and is a permanent member of Duo Arpicante (with harpist Laura Jurčová) and Duo Arpimba (with marimbist Dona Amyrotou). Occasionally, she creates musical illustrations for children’s performances and storytelling evenings. She also holds a degree in horticulture and horticultural therapy.