Laks Survivor – 2nd edition
Second edition of our unique chamber festival just started! “Laks Survivor” festival, with program built entirely around music by Simon Laks and composers-emigrants. Join us at the Nizio Galeria in November! Admission is free!
November 15, 2024, 7:00 PM November 17, 2024, 7:00 PM November 24, 2024, 7:00 PM November 26, 2024, 7:00 PMand the Marshal of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship.
PERFORMERS:
Messages Quartet
- Małgorzata Wasiucionek-Potera – 1st Violin
- Oriana Masternak – 2nd Violin
- Maria Shetty – Viola
- Beata Urbanek-Kalinowska – Cello
The Messages Quartet was founded in 2014, and just a year later, it won the Second Prize, Silver Medal, and a Special Prize for the interpretation of a Shostakovich quartet at the 2nd International Chamber Music Competition in Plovdiv (Bulgaria, October 2015). The ensemble was also recognized by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, becoming a laureate of the “Young Poland” Scholarship Program in February 2016. Thanks to this support, their debut album, featuring recordings of Szymon Laks’ string quartets, was released in 2017 under the DUX record label. The album received excellent reviews in French, German, British, American, and Polish press.
In 2019, the quartet’s second album, titled Messages, was also released by DUX. The album De invitatione mortis by Andrzej Karałow, featuring the quartet, was nominated for the 2021 Fryderyk Award. The Messages Quartet is committed to promoting Polish chamber music, especially lesser-known and contemporary works. Their repertoire includes pieces by Polish composers such as Laks, Panufnik, Weinberg, Szymanowski, Moniuszko, and Bacewicz, as well as masterpieces of the global quartet repertoire. The ensemble has also premiered numerous works by both Polish and international composers.
The musicians of the Messages Quartet are graduates of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and the Academy of Music in Kraków. They have also completed soloist studies and masterclasses at leading European institutions in Paris, Brussels, Vienna, and Stuttgart. In addition to their concert activities, they serve as lecturers at the Music Academy in Katowice and Kraków and collaborate with Poland’s leading symphony orchestras. They have won awards at international solo and chamber competitions and are recipients of scholarships from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and other institutions supporting artists worldwide.
The Messages Quartet performs in Poland and abroad, with appearances in cities such as Vienna, London, São Paulo, and Moscow. The ensemble has presented its versatile and innovative repertoire multiple times as part of chamber music concert series at the NOSPR in Katowice. They also collaborate with the Composition Department of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, resulting in premieres of new works by young Polish composers.
Their discography includes a publication with a CD released in 2014 by the Academy of Music in Kraków, featuring the Messages Quartet’s recordings of chamber music by Philipp and Xaver Scharwenka.
Jakub Jakowicz (violin)
Jakub Jakowicz studied violin under the guidance of his father, Krzysztof Jakowicz, at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. He was also the last student of Professor Tadeusz Wroński, one of the founders of the Polish violin school.
He has been performing since the age of 11 and has played with all of Poland’s leading orchestras. In 1998, at the invitation of Krzysztof Penderecki, he performed at the composer’s festival in Kraków, presenting Capriccio per violino e orchestra under the baton of Jerzy Maksymiuk. In 2001, he made his debut with the Munich Philharmonic under Pinchas Steinberg, performing Karol Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 1. Since then, he has performed as a soloist with many renowned orchestras, including the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale in Florence, the Czech Philharmonic in Prague, Orchestra di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Dresden Philharmonic, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva, Orquesta Nacional in Madrid, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, and Concerto Köln.
He has collaborated with distinguished conductors such as Pinchas Steinberg, Jerzy Semkow, Antoni Wit, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Jacek Kaspszyk, Kazimierz Kord, Jan Krenz, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Eiji Oue, Marek Pijarowski, Krzysztof Penderecki, Agnieszka Duczmal, Kirill Karabits, Michail Jurowski, Marc Minkowski, and Stefan Solyom. In 2009 and 2011, he participated as a soloist in concert tours with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra in the UK, invited by Antoni Wit.
As a chamber musician, Jakub Jakowicz has been performing as a violin duo with his father, Krzysztof, for many years. Since 2000, he has been collaborating with pianist Bartosz Bednarczyk, with whom he has recorded albums such as Subito (Polish Radio), Beethoven Violin Sonatas (Subito Records), an album featuring Witold Lutosławski’s Partita (CD Accord), and a recording of Franz Schubert’s chamber music (Polish Radio). He has also performed with musicians such as Heinz Holliger, Paul Gulda, Jan Krzysztof Broja, Michel Lethiec, Anna Maria Staśkiewicz, Ruth Killius, Katarzyna Budnik-Gałązka, Ryszard Groblewski, Avri Levitan, Ursula Smith, Daniel Müller-Schott, Andrzej Bauer, Rafał Kwiatkowski, Marcin Zdunik, Karol Marianowski, and Zvi Plesser.
He has also been associated with two string quartets. From 2008 to 2014, he was the first violinist of the Lutosławski Quartet, with which he recorded the complete string quartets of Grażyna Bacewicz. Since 2006, he has been a member of the Zehetmair Quartet, founded by Austrian violinist and conductor Thomas Zehetmair. The ensemble’s album (ECM) featuring works by Béla Bartók and Paul Hindemith received the Diapason d’Or de l’Année award in 2007. With the Zehetmair Quartet, Jakowicz has performed at venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall in London, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Gulbenkian Center in Lisbon, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Zankel Hall, and Y Hall in New York. He has also appeared at prestigious festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein, Salzburg, Lucerne, Aldeburgh, and Edinburgh. In 2014, the quartet received the Paul Hindemith Prize awarded by the city of Hanau.
Jakub Jakowicz has won first prizes at violin competitions in Lublin (1993), Wattrelos, France (1995), and Takasaki, Japan (1999). In 2001, he was one of the three winners of the International Rostrum of Young Performers in Bratislava, organized under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union and the International Music Council of UNESCO. In 2002, he received the Polish-Japanese Foundation Award for the most promising young violinist. He is also a recipient of the Polityka Passport award for 2003. In 2007, he was awarded the Orpheus Prize at the Warsaw Autumn Festival, and in 2018, he received the Witold Lutosławski Centennial Medal for his outstanding contribution to popularizing the composer’s music.
Jakub Jakowicz holds a doctoral degree in musical arts. He teaches violin at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. He plays a violin made by Gand Frères (Paris, 1859), courtesy of the Fondation Jerzy Semkow.
Maria Machowska (violin)
Maria Machowska is a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. She serves as the concertmaster of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and holds a postdoctoral degree in musical arts. Her violin professors included Mirosław Ławrynowicz, Marek Zebura, and later Konstanty Andrzej Kulka.
She is a laureate of the 13th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Poznań (2006) and the 6th International L. Mozart Violin Competition in Augsburg (2006). Machowska has performed extensively across Europe, as well as in the United States, Canada, Japan, China, Korea, and Israel.
From 2008 to 2014, she held the position of concertmaster with the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra. Currently, she teaches violin at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.
In 2022, Maria Machowska was awarded the Bronze Medal for Merit to Culture Gloria Artis in recognition of her significant contributions to Polish culture.
Katarzyna Budnik (viola)
Katarzyna Budnik is a distinguished violist, educator, and laureate of numerous prestigious competitions. She graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, where she studied violin under Professors Mirosław Ławrynowicz, Andrzej Gębski, and Janusz Wawrowski, as well as viola under Professor Piotr Reichert. She currently holds the position of Assistant Professor in the viola department at her alma mater.
Since February 2014, Budnik has been the principal violist of the Sinfonia Varsovia orchestra. In September 2013, she won third prize at the highly esteemed ARD International Music Competition in Munich. She has also achieved success in various national and international competitions, including:
- First Prize at the 47th International Beethoven Competition in Hradec (2008),
- First Prize at the 15th Johannes Brahms International Competition in Pörtschach (2008),
- First Prize at the 8th Jan Rakowski National Viola Competition (2008),
- Second Prize at the Max Rostal International Competition in Berlin (2009),
- Second Prize and a Special Award for the best performance of a Max Reger solo suite at the Max Reger International Chamber Music Competition in Sondershausen (2009),
- Second Prize and Special Award at the 4th Michał Spisak International Competition (2010).
As a soloist and chamber musician, Budnik has performed extensively across Poland and Europe, including in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, and France. In 2010, she participated in the Chamber Music Connects the World project organized by the Kronberg Academy, performing alongside renowned musicians such as Gidon Kremer, Tatjana Grindenko, Yuri Bashmet, and Frans Helmerson. She has also appeared at prominent festivals, including the Łańcut Music Festival, the “Music on the Heights” International Chamber Music Festival in Zakopane, and the Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus (at the invitation of Gidon Kremer).
In November 2013, Budnik released her solo album Viola Recital, which earned her the Fryderyk Award in 2014. She has received the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Scholarship for outstanding achievements and is a recipient of the Young Poland scholarship. In 2013, she was nominated for the Polityka Passport Award.
Budnik continues to inspire as a leading figure in viola performance and education.
Bartosz Koziak (cello)
Bartosz Koziak is the winner of the 3rd International Witold Lutosławski Cello Competition in Warsaw (2001), the recipient of the 2nd prize at the Isang Yun Competition in Tongyeong (South Korea) and the Mykola Lysenko Competition in Kyiv, a laureate and special prize winner at the “Prague Spring” competition, and the 1st prize winner at the 11th International Contemporary Chamber Music Competition in Kraków. He has also received distinctions at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and the ARD Competition in Munich. In 2003, he was awarded the Special Prize of the Polish Culture Foundation by Ewa Podleś.Koziak has performed at prestigious venues such as the Konzerthaus in Berlin, Rudolfinum in Prague, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Teatro Politeama in Palermo, Witold Lutosławski Studio, and the National Philharmonic in Warsaw. As a soloist, he has collaborated with orchestras including the National Philharmonic Orchestra, NOSPR, Sinfonia Varsovia, Sinfonietta Cracovia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Münchener Kammerorchester, Prague Philharmonia, Radio Orchestras in Warsaw and Budapest, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, and the Armenian Youth Orchestra. He has worked under the baton of conductors such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Jan Krenz, Antoni Wit, Gabriel Chmura, Jacek Kaspszyk, Massimiliano Caldi, Volodymyr Sirenko, and Ola Rudner.
As a chamber musician, he collaborates with artists such as Kaja Danczowska, Elżbieta Stefańska, and Anna Maria Staśkiewicz, and performs with pianists including Justyna Danczowska, Marcin Koziak, Radosław Sobczak, and Agnieszka Kozło. He is a member of the Warsaw Cello Group “Cellonet.”
Koziak is a regular guest at renowned festivals such as Warsaw Autumn, Young Euro Classic in Berlin, Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, Musica Polonica Nova, the Łańcut Music Festival, Chopin and His Europe in Warsaw, Yerevan Music Perspectives, and East Meets West in South Korea.
For several years, he has frequently participated in Krzysztof Penderecki’s concert projects and took part in the first recording of “Concerto grosso” conducted by the composer. His discography includes a recording of Grażyna Bacewicz’s Cello Concerto No. 2, which was recognized by Pizzicato magazine in Luxembourg, as well as cello and piano works (including Schubert’s “Arpeggione” Sonata and Schumann’s “Märchenbilder”) recorded with Justyna Danczowska. In 2015, he released a CD of duets by Ravel, Kodály, and Martinů with Anna Maria Staśkiewicz.
Koziak graduated with Magna cum Laude honors from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, where he studied under Professors Kazimierz Michalik and Andrzej Bauer, and from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in Philippe Muller’s class. Thanks to the generosity of Kaja Danczowska, he plays a 19th-century copy of a J. Guadagnini instrument, previously played by the distinguished Polish cellist Dezyderiusz Danczowski.
Bartosz Koziak is represented by the Ludwig van Beethoven Association.
Grzegorz Mania (piano)
Grzegorz Mania graduated with honors in piano performance under Prof. Stefan Wojtas at the Academy of Music in Kraków. Simultaneously, he completed law studies at the Jagiellonian University. In 2017, he earned a PhD in legal sciences for his dissertation on music in copyright law, supervised by Prof. Janusz Barta. He also graduated with distinction from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he studied with Prof. Martin Roscoe, Prof. Charles Owen, and Prof. Caroline Palmer.
As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed both in Poland and internationally, appearing at venues such as the Kraków Philharmonic, Zielona Góra Philharmonic, NOSPR, St. Martin in the Fields in London, and at the Opera House and Conservatory of Music in Hanoi, Vietnam. He has performed at festivals including the “Emanations” Festival and Mendelssohn Music Days. He regularly gives solo and chamber music concerts in the UK and has also performed in France, Norway, Germany, Austria, Italy, Iceland, Israel, and the United States.
He has participated in performance workshops and masterclasses with distinguished artists, including Krzysztof Śmietana, Wiesław Kwaśny, Peter S. Buck, Anthony Spiri, the Altenberg Trio, Jerome Rose, Wolfgang Redik, Ewa Bukojemska, Alisdair Beatson, Carole Pressland, Victor Rosenbaum, and Kaja Danczowska. From 2003 to 2005, he attended the International Chamber Music Courses in Puławy and was a finalist in international solo and chamber music competitions.
A versatile and experienced chamber musician and accompanist, he has received numerous accolades at instrumental competitions. He has collaborated with many distinguished soloists and, together with pianist Piotr Różański, forms the Zarębski Piano Duo.
In addition to his musical achievements, Mania has participated in numerous academic conferences and is the author and co-author of articles and legal commentaries. He co-authored a copyright law textbook for teachers at art schools and, alongside Dr. Monika Gardoń-Preinl, prepared a sight-reading textbook for intermediate music school students, published by PWM Edition.
Currently, he works as a piano teacher and accompanist while practicing as a legal counsel in collaboration with the Kraków Advocacy Group. He is also a co-founder and president of the Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association.
Mania has coordinated numerous national and international projects, including youth exchanges, concert tours, and the organization of festivals, competitions, and academic conferences. In 2018, he received (together with Prof. Stefan Wojtas) the Ars Quaerendi Award from the Małopolska Region for outstanding contributions to the development and promotion of culture. He is also a recipient of a scholarship from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Bartłomiej Wezner (piano)
Born in 1981 in Nysa, Bartłomiej Wezner graduated from the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, where he studied piano under the guidance of Prof. Ewa Pobłocka (2006). From 2002 to 2004, he was also a student of Prof. Jerzy Sulikowski and simultaneously studied harpsichord with Prof. Urszula Bartkiewicz. He completed postgraduate studies at the Interfaculty Vocal Performance Study at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music (2011) and a postgraduate Artistic Residency in Piano Chamber Music under Professors Maja Nosowska and Jan Stanienda (2012). In 2013, he defended his doctoral thesis and earned the title of Doctor of Musical Arts. In 2014, he began teaching at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz as an Assistant Professor.Wezner is one of the most versatile pianists of his generation. Together with violinist Joanna Kreft (as Herbert Duo), he won Third Prize at the 16th International Chamber Music Competition Trio di Trieste in Trieste, Italy (2015), was a Laureate of the Académie de Musique in Lausanne, Switzerland, and received a special prize at the Ludwig van Beethoven International Chamber Music Competition in Lusławice, Poland. As a member of the BMF Piano Trio, he won the St. Martin’s Chamber Music Competition in London (2011), First Prize at the 19th International Chamber Music Competition in Thessaloniki, Greece (2010), and participated in the ARD International Music Competition in Munich (2013).
Since 2008, he has collaborated with Vadim Brodsky (including the Brodsky Jazz Quartet) and, since 2011, with violinist Maria Machowska. In 2013, Wezner co-founded the Herbert Piano Trio with Joanna Kreft (violin) and Dominik Płociński (cello). He is also part of a unique family ensemble, the Wezner Ensemble, performing with his father and siblings.
Wezner and mezzo-soprano Agata Schmidt received recognition as laureates of the 50th International Vocal Competition ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands (2014) in the Lied Duo category and Third Prize at the 17th Kiejstut Bacewicz International Chamber Music Competition in Łódź, Poland (2010). He has earned accolades as the best pianist at various vocal competitions across Poland, including Warsaw, Katowice, Łódź, Sopot, and Częstochowa.
He has served as a pianist and vocal coach at numerous masterclasses, including those led by Teresa Żylis-Gara, Helena Łazarska, Zofia Kilanowicz, Thomas Hampson, and others. He has been an official pianist at international vocal competitions such as the Ada Sari International Vocal Art Competition in Nowy Sącz (2011, 2013, 2015) and the Stanisław Moniuszko International Vocal Competition in Warsaw (2016).
As a soloist, Wezner received a Special Prize at the 6th Paderewski International Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz (2004) and an Honorable Mention at the 15th Leoš Janáček International Piano Competition in Brno, Czech Republic (2008). As a harpsichordist, he performs with the Capella Bydgostiensis chamber orchestra and the early music ensemble illo tempore.
Wezner has attended numerous prestigious courses and workshops, including the Piano Texas Festival and Academy in Fort Worth (USA, 2006), the Paderewski Piano Academy, and the Dartington Summer School in the UK. In 2015, with the Herbert Piano Trio, he was awarded a scholarship at the Beethoven Haus in Bonn, Germany, participating in seminars and workshops with Prof. Clive Brown and the Jean Paul Trio.
He has performed in Poland and internationally in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Greece, Germany, Serbia and Montenegro, Switzerland, the UK, Italy, and the USA. He has collaborated with ensembles such as Capella Bydgostiensis, the Toruń Symphony Orchestra, the Opole Philharmonic, and the National Chamber Orchestra of Lviv.
Wezner is a recipient of scholarships from the Marshal of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (2011, 2012) and the Ministry of Culture’s “Young Poland” Program (2012). He has recorded for labels including CdAccord, Dux, Fonoteus, and Acte Préalable.
In 2013, the album Landscape of Memories, featuring works by Andrzej and Roxanna Panufnik, Zygmunt Mycielski, Zbigniew Bargielski, and Hanna Kulenty, was released by CdAccord. In 2017, a recording with Maria Machowska featuring works by Igor Stravinsky and Karol Szymanowski was scheduled for release by CdAccord.
Piotr Lato (clarinet)
Piotr Lato graduated from the Academy of Music in Kraków in the clarinet class of Prof. Andrzej Godek with distinction. He has received numerous awards and honors in music competitions, including first prize at the National Woodwind Instruments Competition in Olsztyn (1996), third prize at the 11th Academic Clarinet Competition of K. Kurpiński in Włoszakowice (2000), and third prize at the 4th International Johannes Brahms Chamber Music Competition in Gdańsk (2006). In 2002, he was a semifinalist at the International Clarinet Competition “Prague Spring,” and in 2003, he qualified for and participated in the ARD International Clarinet Competition in Munich. For his musical achievements, he was awarded the Ministry of Culture Scholarship twice (2000-2002) and the Kraków City Creative Scholarship (2003). He has participated in numerous national and international festivals, such as the Eurosilesia International Music Festival, Music in Old Kraków Festival, the Borderlands of Contemporary Music Festival, Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, Young Euro Classic Festival, 12 Days of Music of Kraków Composers International Festival, Musica Polonica Nova Festival, and the “Music on the Peaks” International Chamber Music Festival, among others. He has taken part in several clarinet courses, including an interpretative-compositional course led by K. Stockhausen. Piotr Lato has recorded for domestic and international labels, including DUX, Centaur Record, Le Foxx Music, Universal Music, and others. He is involved in teaching at the Władysław Żeleński State Secondary Music School in Kraków and has been an assistant in the clarinet class of Prof. Andrzej Godek at the Academy of Music in Kraków since 2006. In 2011, he received a doctoral degree in musical arts in the field of instrumental studies and was appointed assistant professor. Since 2004, he has served as the principal clarinetist of the Beethoven Academy Orchestra. He also collaborates as a guest artist with many orchestras and ensembles, while maintaining an active solo and chamber music career. In 2016, he obtained the degree of habilitated doctor of arts. He is an artist endorsed by Henri Selmer Paris and MARCA Reeds.
Maksymilian Lipień (oboe)
Maksymilian Lipień is the principal oboist of the National Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radio in Katowice. He graduated with distinction from the Academy of Music in Kraków in 2008, where he studied under Dr. Arkadiusz Krupa. He is a laureate of several prestigious awards, including third place at the 3rd International Academic Oboe and Bassoon Competition in Łódź (third prize ex aequo – no first or second prizes were awarded), second place at the National Woodwind Instruments Competition in Olsztyn, first place at the Macroregional Woodwind Instruments Competition in Lublin, and fourth place at the National Young Musician Competition in Szczecinek. He was a scholarship recipient of the “Porozumienie bez barier” foundation, founded by Jolanta and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, as well as the Ministry of Culture and Art. Lipień participated in the Polish-German Youth Philharmonic and the International Bach Academy under the direction of Helmuth Rilling. He has collaborated with numerous orchestras, including Sinfonietta Cracovia, Sinfonia Varsovia, the AUKSO Tychy City Chamber Orchestra, the Beethoven Academy Orchestra, and the Polish Chamber Philharmonic in Sopot. As a soloist, he has performed at events such as the “Łańcuch XIV” Festival in honor of W. Lutosławski and the Wratislavia Cantans Festival, performing with orchestras like the National Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radio in Katowice, the AUKSO Tychy City Chamber Orchestra, and the Beethoven Academy Orchestra. From 2004 to 2005, he was the principal oboist of the National Lebanese Symphony Orchestra in Beirut. Since 2013, he has also been an assistant in the oboe class at the Academy of Music in Kraków, named after Krzysztof Penderecki.
Damian Lipień (bassoon)
Damian Lipień graduated with honors in bassoon from the Academy of Music in Kraków, where he studied under Professor Kazimierz Siudmak. In 2000-2001, he was a scholarship recipient of the Erasmus-Sokrates Foundation at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig, studying under Professor Werner Seltmann. During his studies, he collaborated with the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra, Capella Cracoviensis, the Lublin Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Tarnów Chamber Symphony Orchestra. In 2002, he qualified for the “Prague Spring” Competition and the ARD International Competition in Munich. After graduating, he became the principal bassoonist of the Częstochowa Philharmonic and later the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra in Beirut from 2002 to 2004. Between 2004 and 2005, he was a bassoonist and chamber musician with Capella Cracoviensis. From 2005 to 2010, he served as the principal bassoonist of the Beethoven Academy Orchestra. As a soloist, he performed with the Fresco Sonare Orchestra, the Podkarpacka Philharmonic in Rzeszów, and the Beethoven Academy Orchestra. Since 2008, he has been a member of the National Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radio in Katowice. He has also collaborated with the Sinfonietta Cracovia and the Polish Chamber Philharmonic in Sopot. Lipień has participated in numerous music festivals both in Poland and abroad and has recorded for Polish Radio, Tacet (Germany), and Accentus (Germany). In 2013, he served as a member of the jury for the “International Interpretative Wind Instruments Competition Brno.” Alongside his orchestral career, he also teaches at the Bronisław Rutkowski State Music School in Kraków. Since 2008, he has been an assistant professor at the Academy of Music in Kraków, working with Professors Kazimierz Siudmak, Krzysztof Kamiński, and David Tomas-Realp (Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe). In 2016, he earned a Doctor of Arts degree in music, specializing in instrumental performance. That same year, he won a competition for the position of assistant professor in the Department of Woodwind and Accordion Instruments at the Academy of Music in Kraków, where he currently leads his own bassoon class. Since October 2016, he has collaborated with Professor Frank Forst at the Hochschule für Musik Weimar. He has also worked with the “Cultura Animi” and “Teraz Muzyka” foundations, conducting music workshops for talented young musicians. Along with Piotr Lato and Maksymilian Lipień, he co-founded the LLLeggiero Woodwind Trio, with which he actively engages in chamber music activities. In 2019, he was appointed assistant professor in the bassoon class at the Academy of Music in Kraków.
Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk (soprano)
Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk graduated with honors from the vocal department of the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław, where she studied under Professor Danuta Paziuk-Zipser. She further honed her skills at the University of Music in Vienna. A highly awarded singer, she received, among others, the First Prize at the Salomea Kruszelnicka International Vocal Competition in Lviv, the First Prize and Special Prize at the Stanisław Moniuszko International Vocal Competition in Warsaw, as well as the First Prize at the Karol Szymanowski International Vocal Competition in Łódź. Additionally, she was awarded Special Prizes at the Toti dal Monte International Competition in Treviso and the International Vocal Competition in Toulouse, as well as the Audience Prize at the Malmö International Vocal Competition. She was honored with the Jan Kiepura Theater Music Award in the category of Best Singer, the Wrocław Music Award, the President of Wrocław’s Award for “Promoting Wrocław on Polish and international opera stages,” and the honorary badge “Meritorious for Polish Culture” awarded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. She is also a laureate of the Iuvenes Wratislaviae Award, presented by the Polish Academy of Sciences.
She performs in numerous prestigious opera houses and concert halls, including Opernhaus Zürich, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Theater an der Wien, Teatr Wielki – National Opera in Warsaw, Teatro Verdi in Trieste, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, Ateneul Roman in Bucharest, the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, NOSPR in Katowice, and the NFM in Wrocław. The artist’s repertoire includes over 30 opera roles, such as Morgana (Alcina by Handel), Pamina (The Magic Flute by Mozart), Constanze (The Abduction from the Seraglio by Mozart), Violetta (La Traviata by Verdi), Nannetta (Falstaff by Verdi), Gilda (Rigoletto by Verdi), Fiakermilli (Arabella by Strauss), Norina (Don Pasquale by Donizetti), Adina (The Elixir of Love by Donizetti), and Amina (La Sonnambula by Bellini). She also has a wide repertoire of oratorio and song works.
Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk has collaborated with conductors such as: J. Bernacer, P. Fournillier, V. Sinaisky, V. Petrenko, P. Eötvös, E. Boncompagni, J. Axelrod, S. Blunier, Ch. Moulds, J. Kaspszyk, J. Lopez-Cobos, A. Yurkevych, G. G. Calvo, A. Mendez, F. Bottigliero, M. De Rose, Ł. Borowicz, T. Kozłowski, T. Strugała, E. Michnik, P. Klinichev, M. Pijarowski, M. Klauza, J. M. Zarzycki, S. Chrzanowski, and P. Przytocki.
The artist has made numerous recordings. Her discography includes: Weinberg (Un)Discovered Songs (DUX 2022), Impressions for soprano and viola (DUX 2022), the opera Gismondo, Re di Polonia by Leonardo Vinci (Parnassus Arts Productions 2020), Arminio by G.F. Handel (UNITEL 2018), the Fryderyk-nominated album Musica Sacromontana – Józef Zeidler – Missa D-dur (DUX 2018), and a disc with music by Michał Bergson (DUX 2020), as well as the Fryderyk-awarded Widma by S. Moniuszko (CD Accord 2018).
Since 2012, she has worked as a voice teacher at the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław. In September 2019, she was awarded the degree of habilitated doctor.
Anna Bernacka (mezzo-soprano)
A versatile artist, Anna Bernacka has over 50 operatic roles in her repertoire and is also a respected performer of oratorio and cantata music, spanning from early music to contemporary works. She made her debut in 2006 at the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater as the Dryad in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. She performs on Polish opera stages, including in Białystok, Gdańsk, Kraków, Poznań, Łódź, Szczecin, and Warsaw, at institutions such as the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera and the Warsaw Chamber Opera. She has also performed at prominent European venues, including the Komische Oper in Berlin and the Staatsoper in Stuttgart. From 2007 to 2017, she was associated with the Wrocław Opera, where she sang roles such as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier by Strauss, Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni by Mozart, Nicklausse in The Tales of Hoffmann by Offenbach, Rosina in The Barber of Seville by Rossini, Jadwiga in The Haunted Manor by Moniuszko, Marina Mniszek in Boris Godunov by Musorgsky, Maddalena in Rigoletto by Verdi, and Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus by Strauss.
She has collaborated with numerous orchestras, including the National Philharmonic, Podlaska, Lower Silesian, Silesian, Wrocław, Łódź, Baltic, and Podkarpacie Philharmonics, as well as the National Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radio in Katowice, the Polish Radio Orchestra, Capella Cracoviensis, Sinfonietta Cracovia, Mitteldeutsche Kammerphilharmonie, and Musicae Antiquae Collegium Varsoviense. Her performances have been featured in numerous festivals, such as the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival and the Mozart Festival in Warsaw.
Throughout her career, she has had the opportunity to work with distinguished directors, including Mariusz Treliński, Keith Warner, Ivo van Hove, David Pountney, Christopher Alden, Willy Decker, Moshe Leiser, Patrice Caurier, Lydia Steier, Benedict Andrews, Christoph Marthaler, Laco Adamik, Waldemar Zawodziński, and conductors such as Patrick Fournillier, Stefan Soltesz, Konrad Junghänel, Friedrich Heider, Benjamin Bayle, Keri Lynn-Wilson, Stefano Montanari, Andriy Yurkevych, José María Florêncio, Carlo Montanari, Bassem Akiki, Steven Sloan, Jacek Kaspszyk, Tadeusz Kozłowski, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Łukasz Borowicz, Michał Klauza, and Wojciech Semerau-Siemianowski.
She is a finalist and prizewinner of many international vocal competitions, including the Stanisław Moniuszko Competition in Warsaw, the Antonín Dvořák Competition in Karlovy Vary, and the Halina Halska-Fijałkowska Competition in Wrocław. In 2015, she was awarded the Jan Kiepura Theatre Music Prize for “Best Singer” for her role in the new production of Der Rosenkavalier. In 2017, the premiere of Goplanie by Żeleński, in which she participated, won the International Opera Awards. In 2021, she became a laureate of the “Stage for Polish Music” program.
She trained at the Wrocław Academy of Music in the solo singing class of Ewa Czermak and at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover with Carol Richardson-Smith. She also participated in masterclasses with renowned pedagogues such as Teresa Berganza, Christa Ludwig, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Helena Łazarska, and Ryszard Karczykowski.
Monika Kruk (piano)
Monika Kruk is a graduate of the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław, where she completed her studies in piano, with a specialization in vocal coaching. She earned her diploma under the guidance of Michał Szczepański in piano and Magdalena Blum in chamber music (2012). She also completed the Interfaculty Postgraduate Studies in Song at the University of Warsaw. Her artistic development has been significantly shaped by encounters with prominent figures in the music world, such as Jerzy Marchwiński, Olga Pasiecznik, Jadwiga Rappé, Stephen Drury, Esther de Bros, Ubaldo Fabbri, and Ronan O’Hora. She has collaborated with distinguished flutists, including Aldo Baerten, Mario Caroli, Paolo Taballione, and Carlo Jans.
Monika Kruk is a laureate of various scholarships and prizes in chamber music competitions, both in Poland and internationally. Among her accolades are the 2010 Chopin Prize for the best chamber music pianist at the II Summer Singing Academy in Sopot, as well as diplomas for outstanding accompaniment at competitions such as the XVII International Ada Sari Vocal Art Competition in Nowy Sącz, the International “Stonavská Barborka” Competition in Kroměříž, and the International “Písňová Soutěž B. Martinů” in Prague.
She has performed extensively in Poland’s most prestigious concert halls, including the National Philharmonic, the National Forum of Music in Wrocław, the Łódź, Częstochowa, and Jelenia Góra Philharmonics, as well as the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio in Warsaw. In 2021, together with soprano Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk and mezzo-soprano Anna Bernacka, she participated in the premiere of songs by Mieczysław Weinberg, set to poems by Julian Tuwim and Adam Mickiewicz, and recorded the album Weinberg (un)discovered with this repertoire. In 2023, she released another album featuring previously unknown chamber music by Paul Caro, a composer from former Breslau.
In 2019, Monika Kruk defended her doctoral thesis and currently works as a vocal coach at her alma mater, where she is also invited to conduct courses and workshops. For several years, she has collaborated with the National Forum of Music as part of the Polish National Youth Choir project. She serves as the general director of the Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy International Chamber Music Festival in Duszniki-Zdrój and the artistic director of the Summer Chamber Music Festival Music in Old Wrocław. Along with cellist Krzysztof Karpeta, she is the initiator and organizer of the Wrocław Chamber Music Forum.