Paweł Zawadzki (Chairman) - piano
Stanisław Deja - piano | Maciej Pawela - piano | Adam Piechociński - violin | Zdzisław Kowalik - viola
Grace Pinkowski - Secretary of the Jury
Marta Nowicka - Secretary of the Jury (Sydney)
Extended Jury of the first qualifying stage for the PolMusicA 2024 competition
Aleksandra Jeleńska -piano | Michał Buczkowski - violin | Mikołaj Kuńczyk - piano
Prof. Paweł Zawadzki (Wrocław, Poland) - piano , Chairman of the Jury
Paweł Zawadzki, PhD, Dsc, ProfTit - pianist and educator, laureate and juror of piano competitions. He graduated with distinctions from the Karol Lipiński Music Academy in Wrocław under the supervision of professor Grzegorz Kurzyński.
The artist has appeared on the stages of music halls around the world, performing piano concerts under the baton of renowned conductors such as Tadeusz Strugała, Marek Pijarowski, Jacek Kaspszyk, Tadeusz Wojciechowski, Szymon Makowski, Wojciech Rodek, Eugene Tzigane, Giancarlo de Lorenzo, Kai Baumann, Lee Hong-Jin, Alexiei Vasiliev, Massimiliano Caldi, Juan Cantarell. He gave concerts in Germany, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Turkey, Finland, Denmark, Scotland, Bulgaria, Russia, Belarus, South Korea and Australia. He has made multiple recordings for both the radio and the television and, in the phonographic field, he recorded albums of Frederic Chopin's and Ferenc Liszt's musical composition for the Selene recoding studio.
As a consultant of the Artistic Education Centre, he teaches numerous piano classes. Additionally, he is a lecturer of the piano master courses in Krynica-Zdrój, Opole and Łańcut. He is very active in the educational field and his students and pupils have received various awards in prominent competitions worldwide. They are scholars of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Młoda Polska scholarship programme, Prime Minister, Mayor of Wrocław and the National Children's Fund. In 2011, the pianist initiated the Lower Silesian Frederic Chopin Association and he was its chairman until 2020. His artistic and educational accomplishments were acknowledged by the President of the Artistic Education Centre in Warsaw as he was presented with an award for his significant contribution to the development of the artistic education in Poland. By the order of the President of Poland, he was decorated with the Silver Cross of Merit. In 2022, for his outstanding achievements in the pedagogical and artistic fields, he received the prestigious Annual Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in the field of Artistic Education. At present, he is the Head of the Piano Department of the Karol Lipiński Music Academy in Wrocław.
Stanisław Deja (Gdańsk, Poland) - piano
Stanisław Deja was born in Gdansk, started taking music lessons when he was 7: first on the accordion and, a year later, on the piano. His talent was noticed quite early on by his teacher Barbara Okoniewska. His remarkable talent resulted in being awarded the "Frederic Chopin Scholarship" during the whole learning process, which was continued thorough Middle School of Music in Gdansk, with Józef Sekura as his mentor. A success in the national youth music auditions qualified Stanisław Deja as one of the top pianists in Poland. This resulted in being sent to study at the N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory (Saint Petersburg). He studied under Ludmiła Umanska (a former student of Samuel Feinberg) and graduated with honors (dipłom s otlichijem). He continued his studies in West Berlin where he worked under Gerhard Puchelt, and in Munich where he graduated the master's class (Meisterklasse) under Ludwig Hofmann (a former student of Arturo Benedetti-Michelangeli).
Stanisław Deja has won several international piano competitions in Italy and Spain. He is mentioned by critics as a great interpreter of Mozart and Chopin's music and as a respected pianist, a clear-sighted educator and a sensitive accompanist in vocal ensembles. He has played regularly in Germany, the Scandinavian countries and in California, organizing a. o. aid concerts for people affected by Martial Law in Poland. In 2007, after a joint performance in Germany with the famous composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki in his piano concerto "Resurrection", Deja performed in Antonin (Poland), in the Atma Villa in Zakopane, as well as other philharmonics. Together with Andrzej Zieliński, he created a duo "Skalds for 2 pianos", whose double-CD was released in 2008 by Polish Radio. Between 2009 and 2010, with the help of Polish diplomatic posts, the pianist inaugurated the well-received the Chopin Year celebrations in Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. There, he player Mozart and Chopin, invited local performers to play duets, led Chopin contests for young people and workshops for local pianists. The cooperation will continue, which will strengthen Poland's cultural presence in Central Asia.
Stanisław Deja was awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta by Polish President for "great service in supporting democratic changes in Poland, aiding Poles during Martial Law and for social work".
Zdzisław Kowalik (Sydney) - viola/violin
Zdzisław Kowalik, Polish born violist and violinist was graduated in Chopin Academy of Music (Warsaw), where he studied under the renowned Professor Stefan Kamasa (viola) and Professor Kazimierz Wiłkomirski (chamber music). As a performer he worked in polish and other countries orchestras, taking roles as principal viola, (Płock Chamber Orchestra (Poland), Queretaro Symphony (Mexico), WIN Wollongong Symphony Orchestra (Australia), Sydney Contemporary Orchestra. He was also member of Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra, Willoughby Symphony.
Equally, to performing activities he provides his expertise to young students teaching violin and viola (presently) in Broughton Anglican College, Macathur Anglican School and St.Peter’s Primary Anglican School. In 2011 he founded L’Estero Armonico String Orchestra where he is a conductor and Artistic Director.
Adam Piechociński (Melbourne) - violin
Adam Piechociński is a violinist and violin teacher. He was born in Poland and commenced his music education at the Szymanowski School of Music at the age of 7. A year after his matriculation he completed his Diploma of Music Grade 2 and furthered his studies at the Krakow Academy of Music.
After migrating to Australia in 1989, he became a member of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and performed with conductors and soloists, including Paul Dyer, Elizabeth Wallfish, Ivonne Kenny and Andreas Scholl. He also played in ARIA award-winning recordings for ABC Classics, at the opening Concert of the City Recital Hall Angel Place in Sydney and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Adam’s interest in romantic and contemporary music led him to additional study with Warwick Adeney and John Curro at the Queensland Conservatorium where in 2007 and 2009 he was awarded Griffith Award for Academic Excellence, and graduated with Master of Music Studies in Violin Performance and Orchestra Playing.
Since June 2012 Adam has lived in Melbourne playing as freelance violinist, soloist, and concertmaster of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra. He works at Ivanhoe Grammar School as Head of Strings, teacher, chamber music and orchestra conductor, and judicator.
Jury in previous editions:
2020 - 2023
Paweł Zawadzki (Chairman), Aleksandra Jeleńska, Mikołaj Kuńczyk - piano
Michał Buczkowski, Adam Piechociński - violin; Zdzisław Kowalik - viola
2019
Stanisław Deja (Chairman) - piano
Adam Piechociński - violin
Benjamin James - representative of the Friends of Chopin Australia
2018 - PolArt Brisbane - cancelled
2004 - 2015 Ewa Malewicz Competition - Sydney
(Executive Director, co-founder of the competition : Marianna Łacek)
2015
Maciej Pawela (Chairman) - piano
Robert Sęk, Joanna Kubiak-Sęk - violin
2012
Włodzimierz Kamirski (Chairman) – conductor
Maciej Pawela – piano
Robert Sęk – violin
2010
Wanda Wiłkomirska (Chairman) - violin
Maciej Pawela – piano
Robert Sęk – violin
2008, 2006, 2004
Wanda Wiłkomirska (Chairman, co-founder of the competition ) - violin
Włodzimierz Kamirski – conductor
Maciej Pawela – piano
