Teachers

Adam Korniszewski - violin
Professor at the Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles. Graduated from the Warsaw State School of Advanced Musical Studies (prof. I. Dubiska), Staatlische Hochschule fur Musik Hanover, Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles and the Chapelle Musicale Queen Elisabeth (Prof. A. Gertler). Prize-winner of several international violin competitions: "Niccolo Paganini" (Genoa), "Foundation Alberto Curci" (Napoli). Recitals and concerts with prestigious orchestras all over Europe, the USA and Canada. Invited as a soloist by the festivals of Paris, Torino, Venice, Ravello, Quebec, Zagreb, Brussels, Flanders Festival. Recordings for the BBC London, Radio France, Bavarian Radio Miinchen, RTBF, BRTW-Brussels, WDR-Cologne, Radio Suisse Romande, Radio Basel, SDR-Stuttgart, RAI-Milano. R.D'Haene, J. Bruzdowicz, J. Maksymiuk and Ch. H. Bernstein have dedicated their works to him. Master courses in main European countries.

Jan Stanienda - violin
Studied with Krzysztof Jakowicz at the Frederic Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw. In 1976 he was a prizewinner at the Niccolo Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa. In 1975 he joined the Polish Chamber Orchestra and two years later became its concertmaster and soloist, performing throughout Europe and the world. In 1986 he became the concertmaster of Sinfonia Varsovia and in 1992 the leader of Leopoldinum and the Wratislavia Chamber Group. As a concert-master and soloist he has performed in major concert halls worldwide including Carnegie Hall in New York, Philharmonie Hall in Berlin, Royal Albert Hall in London among others with many distinguished musicians including Sir Yeduhi Menuhin, Michaela Petri, Wanda Wiłkomirska, Krzysztof Jakowicz, Grzegorz Nowak, Nigel Kennedy, Barbara Hendricks, Fou Ts'ong. In 1991/ 1992 he was the premier violin solo of the Orchestrę National de Toulouse. At present Jan Stanienda heads the violin class at the Academy of Music in Warsaw and is also Artistic Director of the Wratislavia Chamber Orchestra. He has made recordings for: Pavane, Dux, Aperto, Linn Records... as well as forthe Radio and Television in Poland and France...

Piotr Reichert - viola
Chamber artist, soloist, teacher. Studied with A. Górecki (violin and viola, Lublin) and A. Neynski (viola class at the Sofia Music Academy, Bulgaria). In 1981 - 88 a musician with the Polish Chamber Orchestra led by J. Maksymiuk and Sinfonia Varsovia. Since 1988 a member of the Camerata Quartet (prizes in Paris 1990 - 1st prize, Munich - K. Klingler Preis Competition 1990 and Tokio 1991). Over a dozen chamber music recordings (for DUX, THOROFON, RICERCAR, KOCH). Won the Diapason d'Or, Magazine Studio - Record of the Year (1995) and Fryderyk 2000 awards. He has performed throughout Europe, in the USA and Japan. He is viola professor at the F. Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and Białystok. His pupils have won prizes at numerous international viola and chamber music competitions.

Kazimierz Michalik - cello


Wojciech Walasek - cello, chamber music
Professor at the Frederic Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw. He studied in A. Rezler's class and the St.Petersburg Conservatory, Russia (A.Nikitin's class). He also studied chamber music at Yale University, USA, in a class of members of the "Julliard" and "Tokyo" string quartets. Winner of quartet competitions in Vienna, Bordeaux, Munich, Avian and Helsinki. He now performs with his children in the family WALASEK quartet. He is also founder and conductor of the "Warsaw Virtuosos" chamber orchestra of which he has been in charge for nearly ten years.

Leszek Sokołowski - double bass
Professor and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Instrumental Music Pedagogy at Białystok branch of the Warsaw Academy of Music. He is a graduated of the Warsaw Academy's Białystok branch, where he studied in Prof. Mysinski's class. He was perfecting his skills in Salzburg with Prof. Stoll. Currently, he is principal bassist in The Białystok Philharmonic. He performs as a soloist, chamber and orchestra; musician, and also as the director of the Sinfonia Academica Chamber Orchestra.

Elwira Sliwkiewicz-Cisak - accordion


Leszek Wachnik - wood-wind instruments
A graduate of F. Chopin Warsaw Academy of Music. In 1995, he got the first class honours in bassoon playing and finished a pedagogic study. In 1991, he became the "Yamaha" stipendiary and in 1997- "Wiener Philharmoniker" stipendiary. In May 2001, he was decorated with "Man Deserved Well of the Culture" by Minister of Culture. In 1992 - 1993, he was first bassoonist of the Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw. Since 1993, Leszek Wachnik has been a member and principal of the National Philharmony in Warsaw and soloist of the Chamber Orchestra "Camerata Vistula". Since 1997, he has been teaching in the High School of Music in Warsaw, still cooperating with "Sinfonia Varsovia" orchestra as a first bassoonist. He is co-founder and a member of the Wind Quartet "Arundo". For many years he has given concerts in Poland and foreign countries. Records especially for Polish Radio.

Ryszard Bałauszko-guitar
A solist and an educator. He graduated from The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music with M. Zalewski as his primary teacher. He then studied in Conservatorio Superior in Alicante in J. Thomas' class and attended several master courses. He is currently a head of the guitar department in The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and it's branch in Białystok. He is also a teacher in the 2nd degree Public Music School in Warsaw. Ryszard Bałauszko is regularly invited to conduct many music courses in Poland, Slovakia, Germany and Spain. He performs and records not only solo but also with famous musicians and bands. Moreover he is a head of jury on numerous international and Polish contests. He is a mentor of many renowned guitarists and teachers.

Jolanta Janucik - solo singing


WALASEK quartet
Emilia Walasek (violin), Wojtek Walasek (violin) and Kamil Walasek (viola) are the young assistants of The Janowiec Course in Musical Interpretation. Together with their father, Wojciech Walasek (cello) they form a family string quartet. The routine and experience of the cellist who has now been performing for nearly half a century, together with the youthful temperament of two violinists and a viola player, ensure great musical creations, WALASEK quartet is numbered among the world elite of string quartets. M. Hertel, B. Konowalski, R. Stradomski, J. Bruzdowicz and R. Kritz have dedicated their works to the quartet.

Pianists working with the Course Participants

Elżbieta Jarszewska-Kordykiewicz
- is a graduate of the F. Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw. She completed her piano studies with distinction in professor Bronisława Kawalla's class. During her studies she conducted increased concert activity as a soloist and chamber musician. She took part in numerous master's courses ran by outstanding teachers, among others M. Flaksman and T. Nikołajewa. After the graduation she continued performing concerts and collaborated with the National Concert Bureau (Krajowe Biuro Koncertowe) and the Warsaw Philharmonic stage. She has also been a successful teacher at the Warsaw Music Academy for many years. In 2003, she received the Award of the Ministry of Culture. She has been collaborating with different eminent musicians and giving concerts home and abroad. She has already recorded for the Polish Radio, Television and the label company DUX.

Anna Sokołowska
- graduate from the Białystok Branch of the Warsaw Academy of Music in the class of prof. Juliusz Borzym. At present, she is a qualified teacher at the I. Paderewski Complex of Music Schools in Białystok as well as being a double-bass students accompanist there. She has performed with pupils at all-Polish competitions in which she has been repeatedly awarded.

Grzegorz Gorczyca
- graduate from the Warsaw Academy of Music in classes of Prof. B. Kawalla (piano) and senior lecturer A. Guz (piano chamber music). He has improved his piano abilities at master courses taught by prof. T. Szebanowa, A. Jasiński, W. Mierżanow. In 1993, he became the prize-winner of the Claude Kahn International Piano Competition in Paris. He has given numerous concerts as a soloist as well as chamber music player in Austria, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, the USA and Italy. He cooperates constantly with outstanding Polish musicians, getting numerous competitive laurels together with them. He has performed with: M. Jarecka, J. Janiszewski, K. Duda, O. Pasiecznik, W. Wiłkomirska, A. Orkisz, T. Strahl... Since 1997, he performes frequently with famous cellist Rafał Kwiatkowski. In his repertoire there are pieces from Bach to Lutosławski. G. Gorczyca is a lecturer at the Warsaw Academy of Music.

Jan Bobak - Violin Making and Repair
Graduate from the Nowy Targ Violin Making School (1970), Member of the Polish Luthier's Association. He won the first prize at the Wieniawski International Luthier Competition in 1986. Founder of the firm Bobak Violino, which celebrated its tenth anniversary two years ago. While he stayed in the USA and worked under the direction of Tetsudo Matsuda - a disciple of the Cremona School, he became familiar with the workshop organization form of William H. Lee in Chicago, which consequently influenced his views on violin making.