Supporting Artists

altowiolistka | kameralistka | profesor sztuki

Maria Shetty to uznana altowiolistka, kameralistka, profesor sztuki i ceniony pedagog Akademii Muzycznej im. Krzysztofa Pendereckiego w Krakowie, gdzie prowadzi klasę altówki. Jest artystką o szerokim, międzynarodowym doświadczeniu scenicznym i pedagogicznym, łączącą działalność koncertową, nagraniową i dydaktyczną.

Kształciła się w Akademii Muzycznej w Krakowie w klasie prof. Janusza Pisarskiego oraz w Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien w klasie prof. Wolfganga Klosa, a swoje artystyczne podejście rozwijała również w European Chamber Music Academy pod kierunkiem wybitnych osobowości życia muzycznego, takich jak Hatto Beyerle, Johannes Meissl i Avedis Kouyoumdjian, a także członków Tokyo String Quartet.

W latach 2011–2025 była altowiolistką Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia w Katowicach, z którą koncertowała na najważniejszych estradach w Polsce i za granicą oraz uczestniczyła w licznych nagraniach płytowych, radiowych i telewizyjnych.

Muzyka kameralna stanowi centrum jej działalności artystycznej. Występowała na prestiżowych festiwalach w Europie, USA i Azji, m.in. Festival Pablo Casals, Mozartiade, Carinthischer Sommer, Pacific Music Festival, Imago Dei Festival oraz Paderewski Festival. Od 2014 roku współtworzy Messages Quartet – jeden z czołowych polskich zespołów kameralnych, wielokrotnie nagradzany i nominowany do Fryderyków, ceniony za charakterystyczne, rozpoznawalne brzmienie i wysoki poziom artystyczny.

Jej dorobek fonograficzny obejmuje liczne nagrania dla wytwórni DUX, Acte Préalable oraz UMFC. Solowy album „HINDEMITH”, nagrany z pianistką Moniką Wilińską-Tarcholik, spotkał się z entuzjastycznym przyjęciem międzynarodowej krytyki.

Maria Shetty jest artystką, dla której muzyka stanowi język dialogu ze światem. W pracy pedagogicznej szczególną wagę przywiązuje do przekazywania doświadczenia i wartości wyniesionych od swoich mistrzów, traktując nauczanie jako świadome i pełne zaangażowania dzielenie się tym, co najważniejsze w sztuce wykonawczej.

Krytycy podkreślają piękno jej brzmienia, dojrzałość interpretacyjną oraz umiejętność nadawania muzyce głęboko humanistycznego wymiaru. Jej wykonania cechują się spójnością, świadomością formy, wrażliwością oraz mistrzowskim prowadzeniem linii melodycznej.

violist | chamber musician | professor of arts

Maria Shetty is an acclaimed violist, chamber musician, professor of arts, and a respected pedagogue at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, where she leads the viola class. She is an artist with extensive international experience in both performance and teaching, combining concert activity, recording work, and educational practice.

She studied at the Academy of Music in Kraków in the class of Prof. Janusz Pisarski, and at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in the class of Prof. Wolfgang Klos. She further developed her artistic approach at the European Chamber Music Academy under the guidance of leading figures of the musical world, such as Hatto Beyerle, Johannes Meissl, and Avedis Kouyoumdjian, as well as members of the Tokyo String Quartet.

From 2011 to 2025, she was a violist of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, with which she performed on the most important concert stages in Poland and abroad, and participated in numerous recording projects for radio, television, and record labels.

Chamber music lies at the heart of her artistic activity. She has performed at prestigious festivals across Europe, the United States, and Asia, including the Pablo Casals Festival, Mozartiade, Carinthischer Sommer, Pacific Music Festival, Imago Dei Festival, and the Paderewski Festival. Since 2014, she has been a co-founder of the Messages Quartet—one of Poland’s leading chamber ensembles, awarded and nominated several times for the Fryderyk Awards, recognized for its distinctive sound and high artistic level.

Her discography includes numerous recordings for labels such as DUX, Acte Préalable, and UMFC. Her solo album HINDEMITH, recorded with pianist Monika Wilińska-Tarcholik, received enthusiastic acclaim from international critics.

Maria Shetty is an artist for whom music is a language of dialogue with the world. In her teaching practice, she places particular emphasis on passing on the experience and values inherited from her mentors, treating education as a conscious and fully engaged act of sharing what is most essential in the art of performance.

Critics highlight the beauty of her tone, interpretative maturity, and her ability to endow music with a deeply humanistic dimension. Her performances are characterized by coherence, structural awareness, sensitivity, and masterful shaping of melodic lines.

photo by Magdalena Hałas

The Polish Radio Choir, based at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice, ranks among the finest vocal ensembles in Poland. Its members include gifted young singers, full of energy and irrepressible imagination, alongside seasoned vocalists who skilfully navigate the intricacies of the demanding art of singing with perfection and finesse.Founded in 1948, the choir has for more than seventy-five years performed a repertoire that comprises both a cappella music and vocal-instrumental forms. Not only does the ensemble draw on the rich history of choral music, but it also constantly continues to seek new paths by reaching into the traditions of various styles and epochs and confronting them with its own artistic idiom and individual, recognisable sound in a creative and modern manner. The choir’s work includes presentations that explore the relationships between sound, the body, and space, interpretations of traditional songs and pre-Classical repertoire as well as performances of complex melodic and harmonic structures. Musical encounters with the world of jazz are also well within its scope. Polish music of the twentieth century holds a special place in the choir’s work. Its achievements include premières of pieces by some of the most significant contemporary composers, among them Krzysztof Penderecki, Witold Lutosławski, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, and Wojciech Kilar. In recent years, the ensemble has also worked closely with leading voices in today’s Polish music, including Agata Zubel, Aleksander Kościów, Paweł Łukaszewski, Andrzej Kwieciński, Szymon Godziemba-Trytek, Aleksander Nowak, Paweł Mykietyn, and Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa.

The Polish Radio Choir– Lusławice participates in numerous festivals both in Poland and abroad. It also regularly collaborates with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, the Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, the New Music Orchestra, the Beethoven Academy Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Capital Royal City of Krakow Sinfonietta Cracovia. In 2025, the ensemble – invited by Philharmonie Luxembourg – visited Luxembourg and Brussels, where it achieved great success in a concert performance of Wagner’s “Der fliegende Holländer” (“The Flying Dutchman”), conducted by Tarmo Peltokoski and featuring distinguished soloists.

In October 2025, the Polish Radio Choir – Lusławice welcomed its new artistic director Dawid Ber, D.Mus. (Habil.).

Dr. Marta Plominska is Assistant Professor of Flute at New Mexico State University. She enjoys an active career as an international soloist, chamber musician, orchestral flutist, and pedagogue, having performed across the United States, Europe, and Asia. She previously held a Postdoctoral Scholar position at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and was the director of the Las Vegas Flute Ensemble and Vice President of the Las Vegas Flute Club.

As a soloist, Dr. Plominska has been a prizewinner of prestigious competitions, including the Grand Prize Virtuoso Brussels International Competition, the International Music Competition Barletta (Italy), the IMKA International Music Competition (Bosnia and Herzegovina), the South Carolina Flute Society Young Artist Competition, the Flute Society of Kentucky Young Artist Competition, the Oklahoma Flute Society Collegiate Competition, and the Arizona Flute Society Young Artist Competition.

Highlights of her orchestral career include performances with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, Nevada Chamber Orchestra, Pan-European Philharmonia, Krakow Opera, Pop Symphonic Orchestra, and Grammy-nominated UNLV Wind Orchestra.

Dr. Plominska’s recent engagements include performances at the National Flute Association Convention, SHE: Festival of Women in Music, Music by Women Festival in Mississippi, Women Composers Festival of Hartford, Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, and the Chicago Flute Festival. She is dedicated to promoting and advocating for the works of female composers to increase visibility and recognition of their contributions to the music industry.

Dr. Plominska maintains an active presence as an adjudicator at international competitions, including the Stockholm International Music Competition (Sweden), the Muse International Music Competition (Greece), the Montana Association of Symphony Orchestras Young Artist Competition, the Jean Sibelius International Music Competition (Finland), and the III Malopolski Flute Festival (Poland).

Dr. Plominska earned her DMA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Master's of Music and Bachelor's of Music from The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow, Poland.

Piotr Lato już jako uczeń, a potem student klarnetu uzyskał szereg nagród i wyróżnień w ogólnopolskich oraz międzynarodowych konkursach muzycznych, m.in. w 2002 roku został półfinalistą Międzynarodowego Konkursu Klarnetowego „Praska Wiosna” w Pradze, w 2006 roku zdobył III nagrodę w IV Międzynarodowym Konkursie Muzyki Kameralnej im. Johannesa Brahmsa w Gdańsku, a w ostatnim czasie II nagrodę w MEDICI International Music Competition.

Jego ożywiona działalność artystyczna i naukowa została wielokrotnie doceniona poprzez liczne stypendia oraz odznaczenia, m.in. odznakę honorową „Zasłużony dla Kultury Polskiej” (2016), Nagrodę Województwa Małopolskiego „Ars Quaerendi” za wybitne działania na rzecz rozwoju i promocji kultury (2019), Brązowy Krzyż Zasługi (2019), Partnerstwo dla Muzyki 2.0 (2020), Stypendium Twórcze Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego (2020), odznakę „Honoris Gratia” Miasta Krakowa (2021), „Medal Komisji Edukacji Narodowej” (2022) oraz „Medal Zasłużony Kulturze Gloria Artis” (2024).

Wziął udział w wielu festiwalach krajowych i zagranicznych, takich jak Festiwal Wielkanocny Ludwiga van Beethovena, Festiwal Muzyki Filmowej w Krakowie, Muzyka w Starym Krakowie, Musica Polonica Nova, Festiwal Muzyki Kameralnej „Muzyka na Szczytach”. Zrealizował szereg nagrań płytowych, telewizyjnych i radiowych dla wytwórni polskich i zagranicznych, m.in. DUX, Centaur Reccord, Le Foxx Music, Universal Music.

Prowadzi działalność pedagogiczną w Państwowej Szkole Muzycznej II st. im. Władysława Żeleńskiego w Krakowie. Od 2006 roku jest zawodowo związany z Akademią Muzyczną im. Krzysztofa Pendereckiego w Krakowie, początkowo na stanowisku asystenta w klasie klarnetu. W 2011 roku uzyskał stopień doktora sztuk muzycznych w zakresie instrumentalistyki, po czym objął stanowisko adiunkta. W 2016 roku uzyskał stopień doktora habilitowanego sztuki. Od roku 2020 jest kierownikiem Katedry Instrumentów Dętych Drewnianych i Akordeonu w Akademii Muzycznej im. Krzysztofa Pendereckiego w Krakowie na stanowisku profesora. Od roku 2024 objął funkcję prorektora ds. artystycznych i naukowych.

Od 2004 roku pełni funkcję pierwszego klarnecisty Orkiestry Akademii Beethovenowskiej. Gościnnie koncertuje z wieloma orkiestrami i zespołami, jak również solo. Jest członkiem Zarządu Stowarzyszenia Polskich Muzyków Kameralistów. Współpracuje z Henri Selmer Paris, MARCA Reeds, Eddie Daniels Expressions Ligatures oraz Chedeville USA.

Piotr Lato is a recipient of numerous awards and distinctions: he entered the semi-finals of the Prague Spring International Clarinet Competition in 2002, received third prize at the 4^th Johannes Brahms International Chamber Music Competition in Gdańsk in 2006, and very recently second prize at the MEDICI International Music Competition for Chamber Music.

In recognition of his artistic and academic achievements, he has been awarded honorary badges and scholarships, such as the Order of Merit in the Service of Polish Culture (2016), the Ars Quaerendi Małopolska Voivodeship ‘for outstanding commitment to dissemination and promotion of culture’ (2019), the Bronze Cross of Merit (2019), creative scholarship of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (2020), the Order of Honoris Gratia by the City of Kraków (2021), Medal of the Commission for National Education (2022) and Medal of Merit to Culture Gloria Artis (2024).

He has taken part in many national and international festivals, e.g. the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, Kraków Film Music Festival, the Music in Old Kraków. He has been involved in numerous CD, television and radio recordings for DUX, Centaur Records, Le Foxx Music, Universal Music and others.

In demand as a teacher, he has served as an assistant professor at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow since 2006. In 2011, he obtained the Doctor of Philosophy degree in instrumental art and the Post-doctoral degree of Musical Arts five years later. Since 2020 he has been the chair of the Woodwinds and Accordion Faculty and was promoted to the position of associate professor. Since 2024 he has been Vice Rector for Art and Research Affairs. He is also a clarinet teacher at the Władysław Żeleński Secondary State School of Music in Kraków.

Piotr Lato joined the Beethoven Academy Orchestra as principal clarinet in 2004. He appears regularly as a soloist, with many orchestras and ensembles. He is a signed artist of Henri Selmer Paris, MARCA Reeds, Eddie Daniels Expressions Ligatures and Chedeville USA.

Ukończył studia w zakresie Teorii Muzyki w klasie prof. Franciszka Wesołowskiego, Studium Prowadzenia Zespół Wokalnych i Wokalno – Instrumentalnych w Akademii Muzycznej im. G. i K. Bacewiczów w Łodzi oraz Podyplomowe Studia Chórmistrzowskie w Akademii Muzycznej im. F. Nowowiejskiego w Bydgoszczy.

Od 1998 zatrudniony jako nauczyciel przedmiotów teorii muzyki w Zespole Szkół Muzycznych im. S. Moniuszki w Łodzi, gdzie od 2011 roku sprawuje funkcję Kierownika Sekcji Teorii.

Od 2008 roku zatrudniony w Katedrze Edukacji Muzycznej Akademii Muzycznej im. G. i K. Bacewiczów w Łodzi, gdzie prowadzi klasę dyrygentury chóralnej, obecnie na stanowisku profesora AM. Od 2016 roku pełni funkcję Kierownika Katedry Edukacji Muzycznej.

W latach 2011 - 2021 pełnił funkcję pierwszego dyrygenta / Szefa Chóru Filharmonii Łódzkiej.

Obecnie dyrygent Chóru Kameralnego Akademii Muzycznej w Łodzi Lodz Chamber Choir, Chóru Kameralnego Vivid Singers, Chóru Męskiego Lutnia w Warcie oraz Chóru Mieszanego Kościoła Chrześcijan Baptystów w Łodzi.

Ma na swoim koncie nagranie kilkanastu płyt z muzyką chóralną, ostatnia wydana przez wytwórnię fonograficzną DUX w listopadzie 2023 Contemporary Choral Music from Lodz, nagrana wraz z Chórem Kameralnym Akademii Muzycznej w Łodzi.

Z prowadzonymi przez siebie chórami uzyskał kilkadziesiąt nagród i wyróżnień na licznych festiwalach i konkursach chóralnych w Polsce i za granicą.

Juror i wykładowca festiwali, konkursów, warsztatów i seminariów z zakresu teorii muzyki oraz chóralistyki.

Dr. Pedro Martinez is Full Professor of Trombone at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where he teaches all aspects related to the trombone studio, be it through applied trombone lessons, trombone pedagogy, director of the trombone choir, or director of the One O’clock Latin Band.

Susana Salas is a distinguished Venezuelan violinist with an extensive career as concertmaster, orchestral musician, and chamber performer across major stages in Latin America and Europe. She began her professional career in the first violin section of the Maracaibo Symphony Orchestra and later served as Concertmaster of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Venezuela. She currently holds the position of Concertmaster of the Panama Philharmonic Orchestra and Camerata Panamá. From 2002 to 2017, she was a member of the first violin section of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Venezuela, ensemble nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards for the recording Latin American Classics. Her artistic training includes advanced studies in Venezuela and Germany, as well as masterclasses with internationally renowned musicians such as Josef Gingold, Charles Shapiro, and Agustín Dumay.

Alongside her performance career, she has developed an outstanding pedagogical path as professor, ensemble director, and mentor to young musicians in Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, and Panama. She served as music teacher at the Nikolaus Kopernikus German School in Panama and as Coordinator of the Youth and Children’s Philharmonic Network of FUNSINCOPA, contributing significantly to orchestral and music education programs for young musicians.

Her artistic profile is complemented by a strong academic background in both musicology and cultural management. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts with a specialization in Musicology from the Central University of Venezuela, pursued Musicology studies in Germany, and also earned an MBA with an emphasis in Marketing, strengthening her professional expertise in arts administration and cultural leadership.

Since 2020, she has been Founder and General Director of BelleArt Eventos, Academy & Store, a cultural institution devoted to the promotion, education, and dissemination of classical music. She currently also serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Panama Philharmonic Orchestra (FILPA), successfully combining her artistic career with cultural leadership and arts management.

One of the most awarded double bass player among the Polish young generation of jazz musicians. Nominated three times (2014,2016,2020) for best "Jazz Debut ", Polish phonographic academy "FRYDERYK" award. Master alumnus of the Katowice Academy of Music Jazz Department considered the most prestigious in Poland. Educator, bass guitar player, composer.

Performed with such musicians as: David Liebman, Randy Brecker, Joel Frahm, Michał Urbaniak, Janusz Muniak, Andrzej Olejniczak, Janusz Stefański, Adam Pierończyk, Marek Dyjak and many more.

Alan Wykpisz has taken a part such festivals as: Wind Band Festival at Carnegie Hall (USA), Rochester Jazz Festival (USA), Edmonton Jazz Festival (Canada), Jazz a Liege Festival (Belgium), Heineken Jazzaldia (Spain) Hip Hop Kemp (Czech Rep.), Nine Gates Festival (China), Utsav Jazz (India) Manado Jazz Festival (Indonesia), Ubud Jazz Festival (Indonesia), Penang Jazz Festival (Malasyia).

Passionate traveller, vegan cuisine enthusiast and inner peace lover.

Photo by Agnieszka Wojtuń

Dr. Jacob Dalager is an award-winning composer whose music bridges classical, jazz, and contemporary traditions with rhythmic vitality, lyrical immediacy, and harmonic warmth. His works have been recognized internationally for their inventive blend of accessibility and sophistication.

Dalager’s first concerto, 3ɟutures for trumpet and orchestra, has earned wide acclaim—receiving the Silver Medal in the 2026 Global Music Awards, Second Prize for Composition and Winds & Brass at the 2022 Music International Grand Prix, an Honorable Mention for Orchestral Composition from The American Prize (2023), and selection for the 2025 International College Music Society Conference. The work was performed and recorded by the Las Cruces Symphony under Ming Luke in March 2025, following earlier performances with the Austin Symphony Orchestra.

His Organ Mountain Fantasia for trumpet and wind ensemble was a The American Prize Finalist for Band Music Composition (2023) and a featured selection at the 2024 International Trumpet Guild and College Music Society conferences.

Dalager’s chamber works have also garnered significant recognition. His brass quintet Suite Analogique received Third Prize in The American Prize for Chamber Music Composition (2023), Second Prize in the 2020 Robert Avalon International Competition for Composers, and the 2022 Foundation for Modern Music Audience Choice Award.

As a recording artist, Dalager’s Desert Dialogues won the Silver Medal in the 2026 Global Music Awards and Paradigms: The Music of Anthony Plog was a The American Prize finalist for both Instrumental Performance and the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for American Music (2023). His compositions have been performed by ensembles including the Austin Symphony Orchestra, NMSU Wind Symphony, Parkway Brass, and Canadian Brass’s Jeff Nelsen.

wiolonczelista, solista i kameralista, profesor sztuk muzycznych. Pedagog i Dziekan Wydziału Instrumentalnego Akademii Muzycznej im. Krzysztofa Pendereckiego w Krakowie. Kształcił się w Akademii Muzycznej w Krakowie, École Normale de Musique w Paryżu i Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst w Stuttgarcie pod kierunkiem m.in. prof.: Witolda Hermana, Paula Julien i Petera Bucka. Pracował również pod kierunkiem m.in.: Davida Geringasa, Ivana Monighettiego i Arto Norasa. Nagrywał dla radia i telewizji, m.in. koncerty wiolonczelowe Witolda Lutosławskiego (Libańska Orkiestra Narodowa; Azerbejdżańska Orkiestra Narodowa) i Marka Stachowskiego (Orkiestra Akademii Beethovenowskiej). Jako solista występował pod batutą m.in.: Raufa Abdullayeva, Łukasza Borowicza, Michała Dworzyńskiego, Jacka Kaspszyka, Pawła Przytockiego, Daniela Rajskina, Wojciecha Czepiela, Adama Klocka, Jacka Rogali, Antoniego Wita, Jacka Rafała Delekty, Macieja Tworka, Pawła Kotli, Jurka Dybała i Pawła Kapuły.  Występował na najbardziej prestiżowych estradach świata m.in. w Seoul Arts Center w Seulu, Alfred Newman Hall w Los Angeles, Carnegie Hall w Nowym Jorku, Palacio de Bellas Artes w Meksyku, Salle Cortot w Paryżu, St Martin-in-the-Fields w Londynie i Concertgebouw w Amsterdamie. Odbywał kilkutygodniowe tournée promujące muzykę polską w takich krajach i rejonach świata jak Bliski Wschód (2006); Kaukaz (2013); Gruzja (2014); USA i Korea Południowa (2015); Meksyk (2015, 2016); Brazylia i Argentyna (2016, 2017); USA (2017); Chiny (2018), USA (2022, 2023, 2024); Brazylia (2023). Od 2001 roku, wraz z pianistą Markiem Szlezerem, tworzy zespół Cracow Duo. W 2021 roku, z okazji 20-lecia istnienia zespołu, muzycy nagrali płytę Classics & Discoveries (DUX, 2021), skomponowaną z najsłynniejszych utworów na wiolonczelę i fortepian w połączeniu z mniej znanymi, niezwykłymi odkryciami muzycznymi. Opublikowali również serię płyt pt. Dedykacje vol. 1-3 (DUX, 2013, 2023) będącą rejestracją utworów napisanych dla Cracow Duo przez współczesnych polskich kompozytorów. Nagrania muzyków, oprócz pochlebnych recenzji otrzymały liczne nominacje do Polskich Nagród Fonograficznych „Fryderyk”. W 2024 roku artyści otrzymali Złoty Dyplom w kategorii Zespół Kameralny oraz Brązowy Dyplom w kategorii Płyta Fonograficzna IV Międzynarodowego Konkursu „Muzyczne Orły”. Za swoją działalność na rzecz muzyki polskiej został odznaczony przez Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego odznaką honorową Zasłużony dla Kultury Polskiej. Jan Kalinowski od roku 2012 gra na instrumencie Wojciecha Topy.

www.jankalinowski.com

photo by Anita Wąsik - Płocińska

Mateusz Pałka is a Polish jazz pianist, composer, and Doctor of Musical Arts. He graduated with distinction from the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków. He has received numerous prestigious awards and distinctions at international and national music festivals. He is a recipient of the Krakow Jazz All Souls' Day "Hope of Polish Jazz 2024" scholarship. He collaborates with outstanding artists of the Polish and European jazz scenes. He delights with his mature playing, subtlety, professional craft, and meticulous attention to every note. His piano playing is saturated with the spirit of Impressionism and Romanticism, while his music exudes a palette of refined sounds, rich colors, and a limitless space in which a constant search for beauty, sensuality, and expression coexists. He co-creates projects such as the Mateusz Pałka Trio, Heartbeats, and the Mateusz Pałka Quartet. He has performed in numerous European countries: France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Croatia. He has released over a dozens albums and has participated in numerous master classes in Poland and abroad led by such masters as Chick Corea, Gerald Clayton, Enrico Pieranunzi, Dave Kikoski, Kenny Garrett, Chuck Israels, Ben Street, Ed Cherry, David Liebman, Eddie Henderson, Paolo Birro, and Carlo Morena.

Discography:

• Jerzy Małek – Pashmina (Jerzy Małek 2025 ZAIKS/BIEM) as a guest
• Grzegorz Masłowski Quintet – Through The Hourglass (SJ Records 2025) as a guest
• Margo Zuber – Cisza (SJ Records 2024) as a guest
• Mateusz Pałka Trio – Melodies. The Magic Mountain (Agencja Muzyczna Polskiego Radia, Dwójka Program Drugi Polskiego Radia, Polskie Radio 2023)
• 85. lat Dwójki – album z okazji 85 lecia Dwójki, Heartbeats (Polskie Radio, Agencja Muzyczna Polskiego Radia, Dwójka 2022) as a guest
• Madame Jean Pierre – Tuli (Soliton 2022) as a guest
• Mateusz Pałka – Blur (Echo Production 2021)
• Heartbeats – Cracow Jazz Hub (IG Group/Szymon Mika 2021)
• Mateusz Pałka / Szymon Mika Duo – Short Form (Mateusz Pałka/Szymon Mika 2019)
• Wojciech Lichtański Questions – Iga (Audio Cave 2019) as a guest
• Szymon Mika Trio & Guests – Togetherness (Hevhetia 2018) as a guest
• Mateusz Pałka Trio – Sansa (Emme Record Label2017)
• Jazz Juniors - 40 lat Jazz Juniors (Fundacja Muzyki Filmowej i Jazzowej 2016)
• Blue Note Poznań Competition - 2016 (Stowarzyszenie Inicjatyw Muzycznych Blue Note 2016)
• Mateusz Pałka / Szymon Mika Quartet – Popyt (SJ Records 2015)

Awards:

• Grand Prix, First Award – Creative Scholarship “Nadzieja Polskiego Jazzu 2024” from Krakowskie Zaduszki Jazzowe, PZU (2024)
• Creative Scholarship from the “Grazella” Foundation named after Anna Maria Siemieńska at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow (2019)
• Creative Scholarship from the My Polish Heart Foundation (2019)
• First Prize/Grand Prix at the Azoty International Jazz Contest (2013) with the Pałka/Mika Quartet
• Second Prize with the Mateusz Pałka Trio at the 40th International Jazz Festival Jazz Juniors in Cracow (2016)
• Second Prize with the S.O.T.A. band at the International Blue Note Poznań Competition (2016)
• Second Prize with the Małgorzata Zuber Quartet at the International Krokus Jazz Festival (2016)
• Third Prize with the S.O.T.A. band at the 40th International Jazz Festival Jazz Juniors in Cracow (2016)
• Finalist at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa with the Mateusz Pałka/Szymon Mika Quartet (2015)

Links:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UILnNM3PtuY
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0o0xM0ftRI
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rj61Bymrbg
• https://bfan.link/melodies-the-magic-mountain?fbclid=IwAR3a5j2lavdNmieFym7i1H43-rdP_msqzsqZH6nnvwQ1fW_trlOxJOeCTGk
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkMBC_uEiXo

https://www.mateusz-palka.com

Dr. Alexander Sanso is Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley where he teaches applied Trumpet and chamber music.  Dr. Sanso remains active as a performer, pedagogue and is a Bach Regional Performing Artist.

Dr. Gözde Çakır Ramsey, a native of Turkey, is Assistant Professor of Flute at Tennessee Tech University and principal flutist of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra. An active chamber musician, she performs with the Cumberland Quintet, Center Hill Trio, and NEFES Ensemble. She has appeared internationally across the United States and Europe and performed at Carnegie Hall with the New Manhattan Sinfonietta.

Dr. Çakır Ramsey is a prizewinner of multiple competitions, including the Coltman Chamber Music Competition and the Izmir International Flute Competition, and has worked with renowned artists such as Emmanuel Pahud and James Galway. Her collaborations include the Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge symphony orchestras, as well as the Kansas City Lyric Opera. She has also recorded for video games, television, and film.

She holds degrees from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory, Central Michigan University, and Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.

Tomasz Białowolski (b. 1990) is a jazz pianist, accompanist, and educator from Zamość, where he received formal music training from the elementary through secondary levels; he later graduated from the Henryk Majewski Jazz School in Warsaw (jazz piano with Wojciech Majewski) and the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków (jazz piano with Joachim Mencel).

His improvisational language grows out of bebop, disciplined sound, and a love of lyrical phrasing and tradition. Over the years it has been shaped by collaborations with many artists and ensembles: Białowolski/Szwugier/Skrzyński, Paulski/Białowolski Quartet (Pick Yourself Up, 2019), the project To Muniak With Love (To Muniak With Love, 2019), New Brand Quintet (New Brand Quintet, 2021); currently the Tomasz Białowolski Trio and a duo with vocalist Judyta Pisarczyk. He has also performed alongside Janusz Muniak, Leszek Żądło, Lora Szafran, Marian Pawlik, Marcin Ślusarczyk,and Basia Stępniak-Wilk.

He is a recipient of the Rector’s Scholarship of the Academy of Music in Kraków, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage scholarship within the Culture Online programme, and the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport scholarships in the Competition for Creative Scholarships and Scholarships for the Promotion of Culture.

Białowolski is a devoted student and advocate of Barry Harris’s harmonic concepts—he has participated multiple times in Harris’s workshops in Italy; this fascination resulted in the educational film series Jazz Harmony According to Barry Harris and a master’s thesis on the same subject.

He collaborated with the Krakow Variete Theatre in its early years, creating and performing music for the musical farce There Goes the Bride by John Chapman and Ray Cooney, directed by Janusz Szydłowski, also serving as music director (2016–2020).

At the Bronisław Rutkowski Secondary Music School in Kraków, he co-founded the Jazz Section and serves as its head (2014–2018, 2023–present), combining artistic work with teaching and section management.

Photo by Maria Jarzyna

Gabriel Bita is a versatile soloist, chamber musician, collaborative artist, and teacher based in the Denver area. He has performed concertos with the Filarmonica de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico, Columbus Symphony, Ashland Symphony, Canton Symphony, Fort Collins Symphony, Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra, and Denton Chamber Orchestra. He currently serves as an adjunct piano faculty member at MSU Denver, teaching class piano and secondary applied piano and maintaining an equally collaborative presence as a performing pianist with music faculty, students, and guest artists.

Bita has played solo recitals throughout the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Romania, and Japan, with concerts in Tokyo and Asahikawa receiving critical acclaim. The Hokkaido Shimbun Press wrote that he established "magnificent sonority in his playing with soul and passion."

Bita has won national and international piano competitions, with top prizes at Suceava, Romania; Città di Catanzaro and Città di Senigallia, Italy; the Ohio Music Teachers Association; Nena Wideman Piano Concerto Competition; the Van Cliburn Institute Concerto Competition; and the Columbus Symphony Concerto Competition.

His teachers include Vladimir Viardo, Martin Canin, Peter Takacs, Jerome Lowenthal, and André Laplante. He has also participated in masterclasses and summer music festivals, studying under Sergei Babayan, Leon Fleisher, Jose Feghali, Menahem Pressler, Ralph Votapek, and Claude Frank. A sought-after collaborator and teacher, Bita previously served as full-time staff accompanist at Texas Woman's University, where he performed frequently on degree recitals. He received the prestigious Rudolf Serkin Scholarship and the national ARTS Award

Oriana Masternak – skrzypaczka i kameralistka, profesor sztuki, Kierownik Katedry Skrzypiec i Altówki Akademii Muzycznej im. Krzysztofa Pendereckiego w Krakowie.

Artystka o międzynarodowej aktywności koncertowej, występowała w Europie, Azji i obu Amerykach, realizując ponad 700 koncertów solowych i kameralnych, m.in. w Musikverein w Wiedniu, Carnegie Hall w Nowym Jorku oraz na prestiżowych festiwalach, takich jak Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Festival Pablo Casals czy Carintischer Sommer.

Jej repertuar obejmuje zarówno klasykę, jak i muzykę najnowszą – dokonała blisko 40 prawykonań, a szczególne miejsce w jej działalności zajmuje twórczość polska. Od 2014 roku współtworzy Messages Quartet, z którym realizuje projekty koncertowe i fonograficzne, w tym nagrania dla wytwórni DUX.

Laureatka licznych nagród i stypendiów, wielokrotnie nominowana do nagrody Fryderyk. Wraz z Messages Quartet zdobyła główną nagrodę konkursu „Muzyczne Orły” oraz nominację do Koryfeusza Muzyki Polskiej. W 2023 roku została odznaczona Odznaką Honorową „Zasłużony dla Kultury Polskiej”.

Obok działalności artystycznej prowadzi intensywną aktywność badawczą i organizacyjną. W 2024 roku otrzymała grant Narodowego Centrum Nauki (Sonata Bis) na projekt poświęcony Krakowskiej Szkole Skrzypcowej.

Pedagog i jurorka konkursów międzynarodowych, prowadzi kursy mistrzowskie w Polsce i za granicą.

Jej sztuka wyrasta z przekonania, że wykonawstwo jest świadomym i odpowiedzialnym dialogiem z dziełem – zakorzenionym w wiedzy, a prowadzącym do artystycznej wolności. Krytycy podkreślają w jej grze piękno dźwięku, bogactwo barw, nieskazitelną intonację i naturalność frazowania, które składają się na spójny i wyrazisty język interpretacyjny.

Artystka gra na instrumencie Sebastiana Lang z 1788 roku.

Więcej informacji: www.orianamasternak.com

Oriana Masternak is a violinist and chamber musician, Professor of Arts, and Head of the Violin and Viola Department at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków.

An internationally active performer, she has appeared across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, giving over 700 solo and chamber concerts. Her performances have taken her to venues such as the Musikverein in Vienna and Carnegie Hall in New York, as well as to leading festivals including the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Festival Pablo Casals, and Carintischer Sommer.

Her repertoire spans both the classical canon and contemporary music, with nearly 40 world premieres to her credit. A significant part of her artistic work is devoted to Polish music. Since 2014, she has been a member of the Messages Quartet, with which she regularly performs and records, including projects for the DUX label.

She is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships and has been repeatedly nominated for the Fryderyk Awards. Together with the Messages Quartet, she received the Grand Prize at the “Muzyczne Orły” International Competition and was nominated for the Coryphaeus of Polish Music award. In 2023, she was awarded the Honorary Badge “Meritorious for Polish Culture.”

Alongside her artistic career, she is actively engaged in research and artistic organisation. In 2024, she was awarded a prestigious National Science Centre grant (Sonata Bis) for a project devoted to the Kraków Violin School.

She is also a dedicated pedagogue and jury member at international competitions, regularly giving masterclasses in Poland and abroad.

Her artistic approach is rooted in the belief that performance is a conscious and responsible dialogue with the musical work—grounded in knowledge and leading to artistic freedom. Critics praise the beauty of her tone, the richness of her sound palette, impeccable intonation, and the natural flow of her phrasing, which together form a distinctive and coherent interpretative voice.

She performs on an instrument by Sebastian Lang (1788).

More information: www.orianamasternak.com

photo by Anita Wąsik - Płocińska

Pianista, pedagog, członek Stowarzyszenia Małopolska Manufaktura Sztuki. Absolwent z wyróżnieniem Akademii Muzycznej w Krakowie w klasie fortepianu prof. Tadeusza Żmudzińskiego oraz w klasie kameralistyki prof. Marii Szmyd-Dormus (1992). Obecnie pracuje na stanowisku profesora Akademii Muzycznej w Krakowie, w Katedrze Kameralistyki w stopniu doktora habilitowanego. Po studiach doskonalił swoje umiejętności na kursach muzycznych m.in. u prof. Ryszarda Baksta oraz Wiener Schubert Trio. Jest laureatem nagród i wyróżnień, m.in. II nagrody na X I Konkursie Muzyki Kameralnej w Łodzi (1992), II miejsca na konkursie poświęconym twórczości kameralnej W.A. Mozarta w Krakowie (1991) oraz nagrody dla najlepszego zespołu Kursu Muzyki Kameralnej w Weikersheim (1992) w Niemczech. Brał udział w Koncercie Roku w Warszawie (1992) organizowanym przez Ministerstwo Kultury i Sztuki dla wyróżniających się studentów uczelni artystycznych. Jest laureatem złotej odznaki w konkursie Primus inter Pares ufundowanej przez Prezydenta Miasta Krakowa. Ma na swoim koncie liczne prawykonania utworów, także pisanych dla niego. Jego dorobek koncertowy obejmuje dwadzieścia lat współpracy w ramach trio fortepianowego Reiner Trio. Prowadzi warsztaty pianistyczne dla dzieci i młodzieży. Ma w swym dorobku nagrania telewizyjne, radiowe i płytowe. Obecnie związany jest z triem fortepianowym Malawski Trio. Współpracuje z najwybitniejszymi polskimi solistami. Koncertuje w kraju i zagranicą.

Foto Konaszewska-Pyla

Dr. Dawid Mzyk, a native of Poland, is Assistant Professor of Trombone and Low Brass at New Mexico State University and second trombonist of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, he has won several prestigious competitions, including the National Solo Competition at the American Trombone Workshop (Washington, D.C.), the New York Golden Classical Music Solo Competition, and the National Chamber Music Competition (Warsaw, Poland). He has appeared as a soloist with multiple orchestras, performed at numerous festivals and conferences across the U.S., and made his solo debut at Carnegie Hall in New York.

As an educator, Dr. Mzyk presents masterclasses nationally and internationally, adjudicates music competitions, including the International Trombone Association Solo Competition, and serves on the board of The College Music Society Southwest Chapter. He previously taught at Southern Utah University and was a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Dr. Mzyk holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, an Artist Diploma from Columbus State University, and a Doctorate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His principal teachers include Zdzislaw Stolarczyk, Nathan Tanouye, Joseph Alessi (New York Philharmonic), and Bradley Palmer.

Dr. Mzyk’s orchestral career spans Europe, Asia, and the U.S., performing with orchestras such as the Krakow Philharmonic, Krakow Opera, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Reno Philharmonic, Roswell Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven Academy Orchestra, Cavatina Philharmonic Orchestra, Baltic Opera, and Pan-European Philharmonia. His collaborations include work with renowned artists such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Hans Zimmer, Tan Dun, José Cura, and Alexandre Desplat.

Dr. Mzyk contributed to recording projects with Joseph Alessi, Christian Lindberg, John Patitucci, Eric Marienthal, and the Boston Brass. He can be heard on soundtracks, broadcast concerts, and several jazz albums.

Abigail Silverberg completed her Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano and Piano Performance/Pedagogy from the University of Idaho. Passionate about working with other musicians, she has been extremely active as a collaborative pianist, playing for instrumental and vocal recitals, university and church choirs, and working as a rehearsal pianist and coach for The Pirates of Penzance, Die Zauberflöte, and various minor Mozart operas. Abigail has spent time in Salzburg, Austria where she served as a faculty intern and coach at the Austrian American Mozart Academy, a branch of FAVA Opera. She has had the immense privilege of studying at the Collaborative Piano Institute for two summers and working with renowned collaborative piano pedagogues Rita Sloan, Anne Epperson, Warren Jones, and Martin Katz.

In addition to collaborating, Abigail has a great love for teaching music and has worked as a teacher of private piano lessons for several years within her own studio, Denver Musical Arts music studio, and the University of Idaho Preparatory Music Program. She served as an assistant piano instructor at the Southern Colorado Music Adventure Camp for several years. She has taught Class Piano as a teaching assistant at the University of Idaho and is now Lecturer of Music and coordinator of the functional piano sequence at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Abigail joined the Music Teachers National Association as an undergraduate student founding the collegiate chapter at CSU-Pueblo and has remained an active member ever since, presenting at state and national conferences on a variety of topics including mental practice, etude curriculum, and underrepresented composers Margaret Bonds and Florence Price. She is a nationally certified teacher of music, and volunteers in various positions within MTNA at the national, state, and local levels. She also maintains an active membership with the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society.

Szymon Madej - a drummer, composer, producer and educator.

He graduated with honors from the Jazz Department at Karol Szymanowski Music University in Katowice.

Szymon has been performing all around Europe and beyond, participating in the most prestigious jazz festivals like "Mallorca Alternatilla Jazz Festival "In Spain," Ankara International Jazz Festival "in Turkey, "Athens Technopolis Jazz Festival" in Greece, "6th Delhi International Jazz Festival 2016" in India, "34. Leverkusener Jazztage” in Germany, Edinburgh Jazz&Blues Festival in UK and many others.

He has collaborated and shared the stage with such artists as: Adam Sztaba, Leszek Możdżer, Aga Derlak Trio, Joachim Mencel Quintet, Bartosz Dworak Quartet, Rafał Sarnecki, Dorota Miśkiewicz, Mietek Szcześniak, Sabina Meck Sextet, Maciej Kitajewski Trio and many others. As a session drummer and producer, he has recorded over 30 albums in various genres.

Szymon is the winner of numerous scholarships and competitions.

• winner of the Fryderyk 2024 award for the album "Parallel" recorded with the Aga Derlak Septet
• the scholarship of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for outstanding artistic achievements.
• Grand Prix at the "Jazz Juniors" festival with the Bartosz Dworak Quartet (2013)
• Individual Award at the "XII Krokus Jazz Festival" (2013)

Photo by Maria Jarzyna