Guest Artists:

Floocello Duo: Pola Benke - cello, Antonina Styczeń- flute

with Evgeny Zvonnikov - violin

Floocello, based in Los Angeles, is a chamber group featuring Antonina Styczen on flutes and Pola Benke on cello. Founded by two Polish musicians, Floocello combines traditional classical music, with contemporary music, works by female composers, and folk traditions. They have won the Beverly Hills National Auditions in 2022 and performed at venues across the United States. Committed to expanding the classical music repertoire, they actively commission new music.

Pola Benke-cello

Pola Benke is a distinguished cellist and conductor known for her blend of passion and pursuit of musical excellence. Her musical journey began at the age of eight in Poland, leading to a soloist debut in 2007 with a captivating performance of Lutoslawski's Grave. Pola earned a Master’s Degree in orchestral training from The Boston Conservatory and pursued postgraduate studies under Marek Szpakiewicz in Los Angeles. She further honed her skills through scholarships, studying with renowned cellists including Lynn Harrell, Dominik Polonski and Astrid Schween.

Pola's prowess in classical music has taken her to prestigious festivals across Europe and the United States, including the Aspen Music Festival. As a versatile musician, she has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra member, premiering numerous contemporary pieces. Her association with the chamber orchestra Sinfonietta Cracovia, patronized by Krzysztof Penderecki, has bolstered her reputation in the classical music world. Additionally, she directed the International Cello Festival "Hello-Cello."

In her conducting career, Pola serves as an Assistant Conductor at the Riverside Philharmonic, and the Long Beach Symphony, and an Associate Conductor at the Westside Youth Orchestra. Early recognition of her talent included selection for Maestro Neeme Järvi's summer program and an invitation to the Dartington Music Festival and Järvi Academy in Estonia.

Pola's passion for contemporary music and advocacy for female artists defines her career. Her musical influences include Krzysztof Penderecki, Igor Stravinsky, and Yo-Yo Ma. Now residing in Los Angeles, she continues to inspire audiences with her remarkable musicianship and leadership, performing with local ensembles like the OC Trio, Floocello and Romantica Piano Quartet.

Antonina Styczen - flute

A dynamic flutist and entrepreneur, Antonina Styczeń has appeared in unlikely spaces as a concerto soloist and created large-scale, crowd-sourced projects, with an emphasis on performances that include improvisation, electronics, deejay, her own compositions, and works by female composers. Ms. Styczeń is a First Prize and special prize winner for the Best Performance of a New Work at the National Flute Association Young Artist Competition, a two time Second Prize and William H. Grass Memorial Prize winner at The James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition, and Third Prize winner in the Mid-South Flute Society Young Artist Competition and Texas Myrna Brown Young Artist Competition as well as winner of 2018 Astral Artists National Audition and 2022 Beverly Hills National Audition. Her debut album „Mieczyslaw Wajnberg: Works for Flute” was nominated for the International Classical Music Award and the Prize of German Critics. She holds degrees from Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Poland, Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, Spain and Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Recently, she’s toured worldwide with Iranian pop-star Googoosh, while pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Southern California. Antonina maintains her private teaching studio in Irvine, serves as a president of the San Diego Flute Guild and is a co-founder of two chamber groups, active in Southern California: Floocello with Pola Benke (cello) and Duo Kava with Doris Cosić (guitar).