dr Piotr Kowal
Piotr Kowal, born in 1991 in Wrocław and graduated from the Primary and Secondary Karol Szymanowski School of Music under the direction of Marianna Nykiel-Krakowczyk. In 2015, he graduated with distinction from the Academy of Music in Krakow in the piano class of prof. dr hab. Andrzej Pikul, and in July 2018 he received a doctoral degree in art, also becoming an assistant at the Piano Department at his home university. The doctoral dissertation concerned the interpretation of Ludwig van Beethoven’s sonatas and contained a recording of the sonatas Op. 81a, op. 106 Hammerklavier and op. 111. In 2014, the pianist also developed his skills in the piano class of prof. Konstanze Eickhorst while studying at the Musikhochschule in Lübeck. From September 2019 he also holds the position of head of the Piano Department at the Bronisław Rutkowski Primary and Secondary School of Music in Krakow.
He has performed at several international festivals, such as Wawel o Zmierzchu (2017) Sierpień Talentów in Katowice (2014), Piano Festival of the Royal City of Krakow (2013) Polish Music Festival in Iwonicz Zdrój (2012, 2013), Liszt Festival (Krakow, 2011). He gave a recital as part of cyclical Chopin concerts in Warsaw at the Ostrogski Palace. He also represented the University during an exchange concert at the Kunstuniversität in Graz (2013).
In addition to solo playing, an important part of his musical interests is playing in various chamber ensembles. Among other things, as a member of the piano trio he performed at the Krakow Philharmonic (2013) and as part of the International Music Festival in Old Krakow (2013).
The pianist develops his skills at numerous solo master classes with professors such as Paul Badura-Skoda, Aquiles delle Vigne, Dmitri Bashkirov, Emanuel Krasovsky, Dina Yoffe, Anna Malikova, Elza Kolodin, Konstanze Eickhorst, Evgeni Koroliov, Bruno Canino, Gyorgy Nador, and Tamas Ungar. In the field of chamber music, he also participates in numerous courses and workshops conducted by, among others Peter Buck, Jeroen Reuling, Roberto Trainini, Alexander Gebert, and Mikhail Kopelman.
He is a laureate and finalist of international piano competitions, among others 1st prize at the Tadeusz Żmudziński (2012), II prize J. Bistritzky during the International Tel-Hai Master Courses in Israel (2016), finalist of the International Competition Hansa Buelow in Meiningen (2012) and the International Piano Competition “Performance without limit” in Łódź (2013).
He also performed with the Częstochowa Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and the Riszon le-Cijjon Symphony Orchestra performing Franz Liszt’s Concerto in E flat major.