Paweł Zawadzki (Chairman), Aleksandra Jeleńska, Mikołaj Kuńczyk - piano
Michał Buczkowski, Adam Piechociński - violin; Zdzisław Kowalik - viola
Grace Pinkowski - Secretary of the Jury
Prof. Paweł Zawadzki (Wrocław, Poland) - piano , Chairman of the Jury
Paweł Zawadzki was born in Wrocław, Poland. In 1994 he started his studies at the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław under Professor Grzegorz Kurzyński’s tutelage and graduated with honors in 1999. Currently he is an employee of the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław as a lecturer. In 2004 he completed his doctoral studies and has obtained a degree of Doctor of Arts.
The pianist won the 1st and 2nd Franz Liszt International Piano Competitions in Wrocław (1991, 1993), and was the prize-winner of the 28th Festival of Polish Piano Art in Słupsk, Poland, 1994. In 1995, he belonged to the select group of 5 Polish competitors representing Poland at the 13th International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. He also won 4th prize at the Eduard Flips 6th International Piano Competition in Rotterdam.
Paweł Zawadzki leads a brisk and active artistic life, giving many concerts every year. The artist has been invited to the majority of the most important music centers in Poland. He has performed in philharmonic concert halls in piano recitals and symphonic concerts under the direction of distinguished leaders of the conducting art: Tadeusz Strugała, Jacek Kaspszyk, Marek Pijarowski, Giancarlo de Lorenzo, Kai Baumann, Massimiliano Caldi, Lee Hong-Jin, Mieczysław Gawroński, Wojciech Rodek.
He has given concerts in Germany, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Turkey, Finland, Denmark, Scotland, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Belarus and South Korea. Paweł Zawadzki performed in a prestigious concert hall in Helsinki (the Church in Skała) at the solemn event of the joining of Poland to the European Union, presenting F. Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 2 in F Minor. In 2005, he performed S. Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto in D Minor op. 30 at the EuroSilesia International Festival in Wrocław under the honorary auspices of Kurt Masur. In 2010, the artist rendered both F. Chopin piano concertos (the recent version of chamber music works for string orchestra by Jan Lewtak) during the F. Chopin Birthday Anniversary celebrated at the Wrocław Philharmonic (the 2nd performance of the chamber version after Rafał Blechacz).
In 2001, Paweł Zawadzki received a prestigious scholarship as the best young Polish pianist, acknowledged by the Japanese foundation J.E.S.C. This scholarship is awarded every 4 years to only one pianist in the country. In addition, the artist was repeatedly honored with the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Scholarship. Paweł Zawadzki has done many music recordings for radio and television. He has released CDs with F. Chopin and F. Liszt music (Selene- CD-s 9502.25, CD-s 0204.71). Paweł Zawadzki is a member of the jury at piano competitions, leads methodology seminars for teachers, and teaches gifted students, undergraduates and graduates, during piano workshops.
Michał Buczkowski (The Hague, Netherlands) - violin
"Michał Buczkowski is a soloist who has performed all over the world, from Bach to contemporary music. Chamber music plays a special place in his career. Playing in duets with outstanding pianists, as well as giving concerts in a duet with a classical guitar very close to his heart, he presents to the audience both well-known works and repertoire played very rarely or compositions performed for the first time.
Michał Buczkowski is a laureate of prestigious scholarships from the Belgian Government and the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. He lives in The Hague, Netherlands.
This talented violinist has performed as a soloist in many European countries as well as on stages in Australia and South Africa. He first studied violin at the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk, Poland, under the tutelage of Professor Mirosława Pawlak, graduating in 2005. He then continued his musical education at the Conservatorium Maastricht, The Netherlands, under Professor Rober Szreder. In 2007, as a scholar of the Socrates-Erasmus program, he studied in the masterclass of Professor Kati Sebestyen at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, Belgium. In 2011, Michal graduated with honors from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, Belgium, in the masterclass of Professor Zygmunt Marek Kowalski.
Michał has performed at the famous Queen Elisabeth Hall in Brussels, as well as in Canberra, Australia, where he played for the Leader of the House of the Australian parliament. He has done many recordings for both radio and television in Australia, The Netherlands, and Poland. Making his debut in 2013 as concertmaster for the Belgian Symphonia Assai orchestra, he has also performed with the top Belgian chamber orchestras, including the Brussels Chamber Orchestra and the BruSolistes. Michał has participated in violin masterclasses in Australia, Poland and Switzerland, where he worked with world-famous musicians including Frank-Peter Zimmermann, Michał Grabarczyk and Krzysztof Węgrzyn. Among these, he considers his cooperation with the legendary Polish violinist Wanda Wiłkomirska to have been especially pivotal.''
Aleksandra Jeleńska (Zakopane, Poland) - piano
Aleksandra Jeleńska, Cracow Academy of Music graduate, has been active in this town for many years as a soloist, chamber music performer and piano teacher. In 2013 she moved to Zakopane, where she became the region's leading pianist; she's now a much sought-after accompanist as well as a renowned piano pedagogue affiliated with both the Zakopane and Orawa-District State Music Schools. As a chamber music performer, specializing in the violin / piano repertoire, she has given concerts all over Poland.
Mikołaj Kuńczyk (Warsaw, Poland) - piano
Mikołaj Kuńczyk (b. 1962) is graduated from Paris Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique and Warsaw Academy of Music. He has been consistently working as a piano teacher and as such was affiliated with the Art Department (Music Division) at Maria Skłodowska-Curie University in Lublin for many years, where he was in charge of piano improvisation classes and taught keyboard pedagogy as well as history of keyboard music and historical performing practices.
He also worked as a teaching supervisor at the Warsaw University College of Education. As a live performer, he appears regularly as an accompanist and arranger / band leader. Mikołaj is also involved in research in the field of musicology (performance practice issues) and music criticism.
Zdzisław Kowalik (Sydney) - viola/violin
Zdzisław Kowalik, Polish born violist and violinist was graduated in Chopin Academy of Music (Warsaw), where he studied under the renowned Professor Stefan Kamasa (viola) and Professor Kazimierz Wiłkomirski (chamber music). As a performer he worked in polish and other countries orchestras, taking roles as principal viola, (Płock Chamber Orchestra (Poland), Queretaro Symphony (Mexico), WIN Wollongong Symphony Orchestra (Australia), Sydney Contemporary Orchestra. He was also member of Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra, Willoughby Symphony.
Equally, to performing activities he provides his expertise to young students teaching violin and viola (presently) in Broughton Anglican College, Macathur Anglican School and St.Peter’s Primary Anglican School. In 2011 he founded L’Estero Armonico String Orchestra where he is a conductor and Artistic Director.
Adam Piechociński (Melbourne) - violin
Adam Piechociński is a violinist and violin teacher. He was born in Poland and commenced his music education at the Szymanowski School of Music at the age of 7. A year after his matriculation he completed his Diploma of Music Grade 2 and furthered his studies at the Krakow Academy of Music.
After migrating to Australia in 1989, he became a member of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and performed with conductors and soloists, including Paul Dyer, Elizabeth Wallfish, Ivonne Kenny and Andreas Scholl. He also played in ARIA award-winning recordings for ABC Classics, at the opening Concert of the City Recital Hall Angel Place in Sydney and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Adam’s interest in romantic and contemporary music led him to additional study with Warwick Adeney and John Curro at the Queensland Conservatorium where in 2007 and 2009 he was awarded Griffith Award for Academic Excellence, and graduated with Master of Music Studies in Violin Performance and Orchestra Playing.
Since June 2012 Adam has lived in Melbourne playing as freelance violinist, soloist, and concertmaster of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra. He works at Ivanhoe Grammar School as Head of Strings, teacher, chamber music and orchestra conductor, and judicator.
