dr hab. Jacek Mentel
Jacek Mentel born in Zabrze in 1962. He completed the primary and secondary music schools in Gliwice in the piano class. Between 1883 and 1988 he studied conducting at the Krakow Academy of Music, where his teacher was Jerzy Katlewicz. He graduated with honours.
While still a student Jacek Mentel began the cooperation with the Krakow Philharmonic. From 1987 to 1989 he was an assistant of a choirmaster of the Krakow Philharmonic Mixed Choir. Between 1989 and 2009 he held the post of a choirmaster of this choir. At this time, Jacek Mentel prepared almost 300 pieces of vocal – instrumental and a cappella music with this ensemble. Together with the Krakow Philharmonic Choir he participated in many Polish festivals including Wratislavia Cantans, Łańcut Festival, Gaude Mater in Częstochowa, Warsaw Autumn, Music in Old Krakow, The Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, and international festivals: Festival De Musique de la Chaise Dieu, Berliner Festwoche, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Festival Europaeischer Musik Berlin, Festival de Berlioz, cooperating with outstanding conductors from Poland and abroad. He also prepared the choir for numerous recordings.
In March 2015 Jacek Mentel started working with the oldest in Poland student folk group called Krakus. The members of the group are students of AGH University of Science and Technology. Jacek Mentel works with the vocal section of the ensemble and until now he has prepared the group for nearly 200 performances in Poland and abroad. He also conducted the ensemble himself over 80 times and recorded an album with the music by Andrzej Zarycki.
For four artistic seasons (2016-2020) Jacek Mentel was a choirmaster of the Krakow Opera Mixed Choir with which he prepared 14 premiere performances. With Jacek Mentel as a head of the Opera Choir, the ensemble took part in almost 300 performances and concerts, several of which were conducted by Jacek Mentel himself.
At the same time, he has worked as an assistant professor with a postdoctoral degree at the Krakow Academy of Music. Jacek Mentel conducts classes in the Department of Creativity, Interpretation and Music Education. And in this department he lectures at the following institutes:
- Institute of Composition, Conducting and Theory of Music
- Institute of Choral Music, Music Education and Rhythmics
- Institute of Church Music
In order to improve his conducting skills Jacek Mentel took part in several courses and seminars including the ones led by Helmuth Rilling, (Bachakademie Stuttgart, Internationalen Dirigentenseminar Leipzig). He was also a scholar at the Oregon Bach Festival in Eugene, USA.
In 1989 Jacek Mentel received the Krakow City Scholarship for the Young Creators of Culture.
In 2004 the President of Poland awarded Jacek Mentel a Silver Cross of Merit.
In 2006 he received a Bronze Medal Gloria Artis from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
In 2018 he got the Honoris Gratia badge for his contribution to the culture of Krakow. As a conductor of various kinds of music (symphony, opera, oratorio, choral) Jacek Mentel appears on numerous Polish and international stages including France, Germany, Norway, USA.
He is a vice president of the Polish Bach Society.