Wiesław Ochwat – accordion

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An instrumentalist actively operating in many areas of cultural life: actively performing, co-organization of artistic events and active work in the didactic and scientific sphere. In 2014, he graduated with honors from two-cycle studies at the Music Academy in Krakow in the accordion class of Professor Janusz Pater, and in 2018 he graduated also a PhD of the Academy under the supervision of Professor Paweł Paluch. Currently, he is an assistant in the Woodwinds an Accordion Department at Cracow Academy of Music.

An important point in the personal development of the accordionist was the completion in 2016 of the two-year project “Italian Accordion Accademy” – a pedagogically advanced and executive postgraduate program dedicated to accordion art, taking place in Urbino in Italy and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. These studies were conducted by an outstanding accordionist and educator Professor Claudio Jacomucci (one of the last students of Mogens Ellegard) as well as a dancer and choreographer and Alexander Technician expert – Kathleen Delaney.

The main stream of the accordionist’s interests is performing and promoting contemporary music. He has dozens of premieres of newly created works, both solo and chamber, which have often been created on his initiative. Wiesław Ochwat is a prize-winner at numerous instrumental competitions, both Polish and international ones, including IBLA Grand Prize Competition 2019 – Ragusa, Italy Castelfidardo International Accordion Prize – Castelfidardo (Italy), Accordion Competition Andrzej Krzanowski – Czechowice-Dziedzice, International Festival of National Music – Przemyśl, International Accordion Competition – Poprad (Slovakia). In addition to contemporary music, the instrumentalist’s interests include classical, improvised and entertainment music.

Wiesław Ochwat for his debut solo album Between Paths – Contemporary Accordion Music – Polish Solo Works/ (2020) / DUX 1701 received the “DIPLOM GOLD” in the category I – Phonographic Record in the 1st International Competition “Musical Eagles” in the area commonly understood as classical music for outstanding artistic, scientific and educational achievements realized in 2020.

He conducts extensive concert activities during numerous festivals both in the country and abroad , among others: the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, Canada, Lithuania, Germany, Norway, Slovakia, Ukraine, Hungary, Italy. Shaping his skills, the accordionist took part in numerous masterclasses and music workshops conducted by recognized teachers (including Alexander Dimitriev, Claudio Jacomucci, Teodoro Anzellotti, Mika Väyrynen, Bogdan Dowlasz, and Joseph Petric). He is a multiple scholarship holder of the Minister of Culture, Rector of the Academy of Music in Krakow, Mayor of Brzesko, and a laureate and scholarship holder of the Tarnów Festival “Talents’ Week”.

For several years, Wiesław Ochwat has been involved in cooperation with the Art Forum Foundation, where he is actively involved in the organization of the Krakow Accordion Festival and other cultural events.