dr hab. Barbara Łypik-Sobaniec, prof. AMKP – Head of Division
She was born in Cracow. After she graduated with distincion from the Academy of Music in Cracow in the cello class of prof. Witold Herman, she joined the staff members of the same Academy. She played her diploma program – First Cello Concert by Grażyna Bacewicz with Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra.
During her study she was the member the Academy String Quartet. She mastered her cello skills also at a great many of master courses among them: The International Pommersfelden Academy, where she made recordings for Bayerishe Rundfunk. In 1993 she received The International Mozart Foundation scholarship, which gave her opportunity to work with many eminent musicians as: A. Moravec, D.Zsigmondy, S.Vegh, A. Chumachenko, Z. Ruzickova, A.Mounier, R.Fillippini, A.Staar. She played also with B. Pergamenschikow and Ch. Rosen. Among her achievements there are the first performance of (recently found) I.J.Paderewski’s String Quartet (1991), Z.Bujarski’s Easter Quartet (1994), both recorded by Polish Radio, A. Walacinski’s Intermezzo (2004) and Canzona (2013, version for cello and percussion).
She won the 2nd Prize in the 11th Interntional Chamber Music Competition in Łódź (1992). She was awarded the 2nd Prize in Solo Category in the 4th Krzysztof Penderecki International Competition of Contemporary Chamber Music (Cracow 2000). For 20 years she was a member of Reiner Trio, which she formed together with outstanding Cracow musicians – Roman Reiner (violin) and Sławomir Cierpik (piano). They are in an active concert and record label. With Reiner Trio she recorded CD „Remembrances from Cracow Kazimierz”.
In 2010 she received a degree of PhD in Art and the position of Assistant in Chamber Music Department at the Academy of Music in Cracow. She performed chamber music recitals in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Japan, Brasil, Belarus and Ukraine. She is also the founder and president of the Association Małopolska Manufaktura Sztuki.