Music that lasts a lifetime.
International Chamber Music Workshop
Pulawy Poland
Violin
Wieslaw Kwasny (Poland)
Krzysztof Smietana (U.K.)
Witold Swoboda (Canada)
Viola
Witold Swoboda (Canada) Herman Voss, (Germany)Cello
Julian Tryczynski (Brazil)
Piano
Janusz Skowron (Poland)
Wieslaw Kwasny was born in 1950 in Cracow and obtained his primary and secondary musical education there. He studied violin under Eugenia Umifiska at the Cracow Academy of Music from which he graduated with honours. Wieslaw Kwasny perfected his artistic skills under Broadus Erle at the Yale University School of Music. In 1974 he won fifth prize in the " Vianna da Motta " - International Competition in Lisbon and received a special prize for the best interpretation of Bach work guaranted by Henryk Szeryng. In 1977 he received second prize at the Young Artists Competition organized by North Carolina Symphony and first prize in the G.B.Dealey Competition in Dallas. For many years he has been playing, both as a concertmaster and a soloist in the worldwide known ensembles, Polish Chamber Orchestra and Sinfonia arsovia. He has performed in many countries of Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zeland and Japan.
He has been a guest professor at the University of Mainz. He has been invited to run master classes in Poland and abroad. He has made many radio and TV recordings. At present he runs the violin class at the Music Academy of Cracow. He is also the concert master of the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra.
Pianist, Janusz Skowron was born in Krakow, Poland. After receiving his maters from the Academy of Music in Krakow, he went to Post Graduate studies at the Hochschule fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst Vienna, Austria. Mr. Skowron had participated in major competitions including the TchaikovskyInternational Piano Competition and the Dino Ciani International Piano Competition in Milan, Italy. He has been a winner at the National Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland. Mr. Skowron has performed extensively in concert halls throughout Europe and North America including, Carnegie Hall,
Chicago Cultural Centre, International Music Festival Pitarsaari, Finland, among others. Mr. Skowron is currently Professor of Piano at the Academy of Music in Krakow after having taught at University of Western Ontario, Algoma University, and the Musik Koservatoria in Jakobstad, Finland.
“…Mr. Skowron appears to be a pianist of physical ability and musical intelligence….” The New York Times.
“Janusz Skowron gave an absolutely spectacular piano recital ..” The Winnipeg Free Press
Krzysztof Smietana was born in Poland, first studied at the Cracow Academy of Music, later moving to London to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he himself now teaches. He won most of the national awards in Poland and has been a prize winner in several major international violin competitions.
He has made many recital and concerto appearances throughout Britain
as well as abroad and is regularly heard on BBC Radio 3 including the
highly acclaimed performances of both Szymanowski's concertos with the
BBC Symphony Orchestra. His recording of the Panufnik's violin concerto
with London Musici for Conifer became the CD of the month in CD Review
magazine. He has played the concerto throughout Europe, prompting
the Strad to comment on his "beautifully controlled slow bowing andlanguorous
vibrato". He has recorded Faure's Sonatas for Meridian, the Brahms'
Sonatas for ASV and recently Stravinsky's Violin Concerto with
the Philharmonia conducted by Robert Craft for Music Masters.
Adding to his activities as a soloist and chamber musician he has been appearing as a guest leader of several British orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed as a soloist at the PROMS Festival with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Witold Swoboda was educated at the
High Schools of Music in Bielsko-Biala and Cracow, Poland. In 1980 he
graduated from the Cracow Academy of Music with a Masters in Violin Performance.
A member of the Polish Radio and Television Orchestra, Cracow Philharmonic
Orchestra and as violinist and violist with Ewa Demarczyk Ensemble he
has performed in many European countries, Cuba, Mexico and former U.S.S.R.
Since 1981 he has lived with his family in Canada, where he has been a
member of the Canadian String Quartet, concermaster of the Sault Symphony,Toronto
Sinfonietta, Peterborough Symphony, Etobicoke Symphony and Orchestra da
Camera Toronto. He has performed numerous solo and chamber music
recitals with his pianist wife Ewa, both in Europe and North AmericaHis
teaching positions (violin &viola) have included Algoma University,
Mohawk College as well as Summer Music Camps and workshops in Canada,
United States, England and Poland.
Witold is the founder and artistic director of the International Chamber
Music Workshop in Pulawy, Poland. He is co-founder of Accademia
Musica a very successful Suzuki program in Peterborough, Ontario. He is
also a sought after clinician and adjudicator.
Mr. Tryczynski is a 2nd prize winner in the Aldo Parisot International Cello Competition in Brazil.He has appeared as soloist and as a chamber musician in Poland, US, Belgium, Brazil, Japan,Canada, England, Iceland and Ireland.
He recorded Brahms’ Double Concerto and Bloch’s Schelomo for Polish Radio Archives. He has taught master classes at Louisiana State University, University of Texas Austin, Yale University and Tokyo College of Music.
Mr. Tryczynski is also a member of the Trio Cracovia (a piano trio rooted in Poland)with whom he has made two CD recordings for Polygram Poland.