Artyści | Festiwal TOS

Damian Aleksander is an accomplished theatre, television, and voice-over actor, director, and university lecturer. He graduated with honours from the Department of Singing and Acting at the Academy of Music in Poznań, and is also a graduate of the D. Baduszkowa State Vocal and Acting School at the Musical Theatre in Gdynia, as well as the Faculty of Education at the Higher School of Humanities in Pułtusk.

After becoming a finalist at the 19th Actors’ Song Festival in Wrocław in 1998, he made his professional stage debut in 2000 at the ROMA Musical Theatre in Warsaw. There, he starred in leading roles in a string of hit musicals, including Miss Saigon, Grease, The Five Moe Brothers, Cats, Les Misérables, and The Phantom of the Opera, earning a triple Platinum Disc for his celebrated portrayal of Erik. Since 2012, he has collaborated closely with the Podlachian Opera and Philharmonic, starring as Janusz Korczak in the institution’s premiere production of the musical Korczak by C. Williams, and appearing in their productions of The Phantom of the Opera, Fiddler on the Roof, and Doctor Zhivago. Between 2016 and 2018, he expanded his work behind the scenes, directing and performing in three major productions: the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic's New Year’s Eve Galas, and the Christmas concert of carols and pastoral songs God Is Born at St Michael the Archangel’s Cathedral in Łomża, which he also directed for television. He is the initiator and producer of the musical show Tribute to Musical LIVE (recorded on CD). In the Musical Theatre in Poznań he played main roles in musicals Jekyll & Hyde, Nine and the Addams Family.

As a soloist, he has performed in nearly 100 concerts accompanied by various Polish philharmonic orchestras under the baton of S. Chrzanowski, Director of the Zabrze Philharmonic. Beyond the stage, his television and film credits include roles in popular Polish TV series such as Zostać Miss, Kryminalni, Hotel 52, Klan, and Barwy szczęścia, as well as an appearance in M. Bilski’s feature film Toilet out of Order. He also produced the Polish adaptation of the popular science series Test Case in collaboration with the Discovery Channel.

Outside of his artistic endeavours, he is a dedicated advocate of the American Aggression Replacement Training (ART) method for working with troubled youth, and has studied psychotherapy based on A. Mindell’s therapeutic method. He has also served as a columnist for the magazines Live and Travel and Łódź U Fly?, and is the author of Lapidaria podRóżne, a collection of aphorisms and photographs documenting his travels through India and Nepal. Additionally, he co-hosted the musical-themed radio programme Z musicalem pod rękę on RMF Classic alongside M. Miśka-Jackowska for two seasons.

Adam Banaszak has served as the musical director of the Musicae Antiquae Collegium Varsoviense (MACV) – the early music orchestra of the Warsaw Chamber Opera – since 2024.
Throughout his career, he has conducted over 600 concerts and performances, and has collaborated on or served as musical director for more than 50 premieres.
The music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been a constant thread in his artistic journey;
he has conducted the premieres of Così fan tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Magic Flute, led performances of the Mozart – Da Ponte trilogy, and made his debut at the Warsaw Chamber Opera with productions of Don Giovanni. 
He consistently bases his repertoire on the interplay between music, text, and theatre. Italian music, ranging from bel canto to verismo, holds a particularly special place in his heart, encompassing works such as The Barber of Seville, L’elisir d’amore, La Traviata, Rigoletto, Nabucco, Don Carlos, Madame Butterfly, La Bohème, Tosca, Cavalleria rusticana, and Pagliacci. Additionally, he has directed numerous productions from the core operatic canon, including Eugene Onegin, Halka, Faust, and Carmen, while ballet productions like Giselle, Gluck’s Don Juan, and The Nutcracker also occupy an important place in his diverse repertoire. 
Contemporary music forms a significant part of the conductor’s work, highlighted by his world premieres of operas by Paweł Mykietyn (The Magic Mountain) and Zygmunt Krauze (Yemaya — Queen of the Seas). He also frequently turns his attention to rarer, less frequently staged works, such as Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, Poulenc’s La Voix humaine, and Britten’s Curlew River and The Burning Fiery Furnace. 
In addition to his operatic endeavours, he conducts philharmonic concerts in cities including Łódź, Poznań, and Szczecin, and has recorded with prestigious ensembles such as the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Beethoven Academy Orchestra. His performances and concerts have been widely broadcast and rebroadcast on radio and television networks, including TVP Kultura, Polish Television’s Second Channel, Polish Radio’s Second Programme, and Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg. He has also been featured at prominent festivals such as Nostalgia, Malta, Warsaw Autumn, and Sacrum Profanum.
An associate professor at the Academy of Music in Wrocław, where he holds a postdoctoral degree, his extensive leadership background includes serving as the artistic director of the Grand Theatre in Łódź and the musical director of the Wrocław Opera. Furthermore, he has directed productions at major institutions across the country, including the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk, the Kraków Opera, the Silesian Opera in Bytom, the Podlachian Opera and Philharmonic in Białystok, and Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz.

Katarzyna Dondalska ranks among the most outstanding virtuosos of coloratura soprano technique in contemporary vocal music. After hearing the Polish artist perform at the Cardiff Singer of the World Festival, the legendary opera singer Barbara Bonney famously called her the “Eighth Wonder of the World” during an interview with the BBC. Such enthusiasm is entirely justified; anyone who hears her beautiful, sensual voice, phenomenal technique, and effortless navigation of the stratospheric heights of the soprano register, instantly confirms the truth of this statement and the genuine admiration behind it. 

Through her artistry, Dondalska carries on the elite tradition of vocal agility established by legendary coloratura sopranos of the past, foremost among whom are Erna Sack, Mado Robin, and the captivating Bogna Sokorska. 

Her musical education began at the age of five when, continuing a family tradition, she first learned to play the violin. Her passion for singing developed over time, eventually leading her to study under the guidance of Halina Mickiewiczówna – the primary pupil of the great Ada Sari – at the Gdańsk Academy of Music. After a year of concurrent study at the Instrumental and Vocal and Acting Departments in Gdańsk, she continued her education in Germany at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Würzburg, where she graduated with a diploma in violin performance and a vocal diploma with distinction from a prestigious masterclass. Her exceptional talent has earned her recognition as a finalist and prize-winner at renowned international vocal competitions, including the Internationaler Musikwettbewerb der ARD, the Cardiff Singer of the World Festival, and the Sylvia Geszty Koloratur-Gesangswettbewerb in Luxembourg. In 2011, she was awarded a PhD in musical arts, specialising in vocal performance, by the Faculty Council of the Vocal and Acting Department at the Academy of Music in Gdańsk. 

Her most notable roles include the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, Constanze in The Abduction from the Seraglio, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, and the title role in The Nightingale by Igor Stravinsky or the same character in the opera by Walter Braunfels. She has brought these iconic characters to life on major opera and concert stages around the world, including Houston Grand Opera, Welsh National Opera in Cardiff, Korean National Opera in Seoul, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Nationaltheater Mannheim, and the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Warsaw. 

She has graced the stages of world’s most renowned concert halls, such as: New York Avery Fisher Concert Hall, Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles, Washington John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Chicago Music Hall, John Bassett Theatre Toronto, Philadelphia Verizon Hall/The Kimmel Center, Copley Symphony Hall/San Diego, Paramount Theater/Seattle, Orpheum Theater/Vancouver, Royal Theater/Victoria, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier/Montreal, National Arts Centre/Ottawa, Winspear Centre Edmonton, Jack Singer Concert Hall Calgary, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Fruchthalle Kaiserslautern, Friedrichstadtpalast Berlin, Schloss Benrath Düsseldorf, Konzerthaus Stockholm, DR Koncerthuset Kopenhagen, Königin-Elisabeth-Saal/Antwerpia, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Kölner Philharmonie, Philharmonie Berlin, Carl-Orff-Saal am Gasteig München and Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt Berlin. She has cooperated with eminent orchestras, including: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Liverpool, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln, NDR Rundfunksinfonieorchester Hannover, Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg, BBC Orchestra London, Bruckner-Symphonieorchester Linz. Throughout her concert career, she has performed under the baton of distinguished conductors including, Wasilij Petrenko, Dennis Russell Davies, Roberto Abbado, Carlo Rizzi, Peter Falk, Michael Jurowski, Theodor Guschlbauer, Peter Guth, Klaus Arp, Philip Ellis, Richard Armstrong, Ira Levin, Hans Graf, Howard Griffiths, Marko Letonja, Gabriele Ferro, Grzegorz Nowak, Michał Dworzyński, Marek Pijarowski, Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk, Antony Hermus, Victor Pablo Pérez, Modestas Pitrénas, Szymon Makowski. 

She has shared the stage and billing with such world-class artists as Edita Gruberowa, Wiesław Ochman, Francisco Araiza, Elmar Gunsch, Günter Wewel, Gunter Emmerlich, Barbara Bonney, Pete York, Paul Esswood, Lanze Ryan, Stefan Pop, Desiree Rancatore, Dmitry Korchak, Anna Maria Kaufmann, Katherine Merling, Hanno Müller-Brachmann, Anna Goryachov, Sebastian Reinthaller, Tom Allen, Markus Werba, Diana Damrau, Maciej Pikulski, Madeleine Wehle, Brigitte Mira, Ingrid Surgenor, Ingrid Kreuder, Stefan Johannes Walter, Daniele Abbado, Bogusław Kaczyński, Alexander Petrov, Lesley Garrett, Ute Lemper, Till Brönner, Klaus Hoffmann, Joja Wendt, Gregory Peck and Chris de Burgh. She was the first to record arias by Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf and religious songs by Otto Mieczysław Żukowski. 
In recognition of her outstanding artistic achievements both at home and abroad, she was honoured with the “Icons of Warmia and Mazury 2018” award by the Mayor of Olsztyn, Piotr Grzymowicz, and the Marshal of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Gustaw Marek Brzezin. 

Her discography includes participating in the recording of 17 albums released by the Acte Préalable label.

In 2015, she was awarded a postdoctoral degree in musical arts, which led to her appointment as an associate professor at the Academy of Art in Szczecin in October of that year. Her academic and artistic contributions culminated in February 2021, when the President of Poland awarded her the title of Professor of Musical Arts. 

Later that year, in December 2021, she was presented with the Gold Honorary Badge of the West Pomeranian Griffin by Olgierd Geblewicz, Marshal of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, and on June 27, 2022, she was honoured with the prestigious West Pomeranian Nobel Prize. 

In October 2025, she performed at the Berlin Philharmonic at the invitation of Lieutenant Colonel Reinhard Kiauka, head of the German Armed Forces Staff Band, and Wilhelm von Boddien, founder of the Association for the Support of the Berlin Palace. The invitation was for a charity concert in aid of the reconstruction of the Berlin Palace, entitled On Top – “aber bitte mit Sahne”. 

In December 2025, her international concert engagements took her to Japan, where she performed at Theater X in Tokyo and the Iwaki Performing Arts Center. She also achieved great success with a concert alongside the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Grzegorz Nowak. 

On December 25, 2025, she returned to the Berlin Philharmonic for an Opera Gala with the Sinfonie Orchester Berlin, under the baton of Bulgarian-German conductor Svetoslav Borisov, the current Artistic Director of the theatres in Dessau and Magdeburg. At the turn of the year, she delighted Canadian audiences during the Salute to Vienna concert series, delivering sold-out performances at the Grand Théâtre de Québec and, on January 1, 2026, at the Place des Arts in Montreal.

Krzysztof Herdzin, a Professor of Musical Arts, was born in Bydgoszcz in 1970, where he graduated from the Academy of Music in 1993 in the piano class of Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń. He is arguably the only artist in Poland to seamlessly combine intensive activity across classical, jazz, and pop music – excelling in multifaceted roles that demand entirely distinct skill sets and expertise. He operates successfully as a contemporary music composer, film music orchestrator, arranger, symphony conductor, jazz pianist, chamber musician, songwriter, record producer, and academic lecturer.

As a classical pianist and conductor, he has performed with numerous orchestras, and has given chamber music concerts alongside clarinettist Wojtek Mrozek, world-renowned violinists Vadim Brodsky and Mariusz Patyra, saxophonist Paweł Gusnar, and outstanding Polish flautists Jadwiga Kotnowska and Agata Igras. In the pop and jazz spheres, Herdzin has collaborated with virtually all of Poland’s biggest stars. During the 1990s, he played in Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski’s quartet, spent six years as the pianist for Zbigniew Namysłowski’s quartet, performed in a duo with Edyta Geppert from 2002 to 2012, and led Anna Maria Jopek’s band between 2011 and 2021. His prolific career includes a discography of over 200 CDs – including 25 of his own auteur albums – and his extensive work as an arranger has been recognized with 19 Gold and 4 Platinum Discs.

Notably, he served as the orchestrator and arranger for Jan A.P. Kaczmarek’s score for the film Finding Neverland, which won an Academy Award in 2005. He has orchestrated more than a dozen film scores for other prominent Polish composers and has served as the musical director for numerous productions at musical theatres and opera houses in Warsaw, Poznań, Łódź, Kraków, and Bydgoszcz. His conducting credits span over 50 orchestras worldwide, including the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the National Orchestra of Belgium, the Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, the Polish Radio Orchestra, Sinfonia Iuventus, and the Beethoven Academy Orchestra. Notably, he made history as the first Polish composer to record an auteur album at London's famous Abbey Road Studios, conducting the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

His compositional output includes several dozen contemporary classical works written for various instrumental ensembles, and he is a regular participant in the commissioning programme of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

A ten-time Fryderyk Award nominee, he won the prestigious statuette in 2012, and he is a thirteen-time winner of the Jazz Top poll in the Arranger of the Year category. In November 2025, his monumental contributions to Polish music were officially recognized when he was awarded the Gloria Artis Gold Medal for Merit to Culture.
 

https://kaunosimfoninis.lt/en/home/

Katarzyna Lassak is an outstanding violinist and a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music (2020), where she studied under the guidance of Professor Janusz Wawrowski. Under his supervision, she successfully defended her doctoral thesis with distinction in 2022. She also honed her artistry under the tutelage of Professor Agata Szymczewska. In 2025, she released the critically acclaimed album Roots and Inspirations through Chopin University Press. The album features the world-premiere recording of Jan Adam Maklakiewicz’s Violin Concerto No. 2 “Góralski”, which Lassak recorded as a soloist alongside the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Warsaw under the baton of Paweł Kapuła. The album pairs this symphonic work with its original folk sources – traditional Podhale “tunes” performed by Lassak as lead violinist alongside her family's highlander ensemble, the Lassak Family Band "Helios" from Zakopane. The recording also incorporates precious archival tracks of her great-grandfather and grandfather. For this groundbreaking project, Katarzyna Lassak was nominated for the prestigious 2026 Fryderyk Award in the category of Phonographic Debut of the Year – Classical Music.

She has performed as a soloist with numerous distinguished symphony orchestras, including the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin, the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic in Bydgoszcz, the Oskar Kolberg Świętokrzyska Philharmonic in Kielce, the Tadeusz Baird Philharmonic in Gorzów, the Wojciech Kilar “Sinfonia Baltica” Polish Philharmonic in Słupsk, and the Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw.  She also performed alongside the Warsaw Players chamber orchestra, the Tatra Climate Orchestra, and the Atom String Quartet. Over the course of her concert career, she has worked under the baton of acclaimed conductors such as Łukasz Borowicz, Michał Klauza, Paweł Kapuła, Przemysław Fiugajski, Agnieszka Kreiner, Michał Krężlewski, and Norbert Twórczyński.

Lassak uniquely and successfully bridges the worlds of a classical virtuoso and a traditional folk ensemble leader. On the stages of Poland’s major philharmonic halls, she presents a distinctive concert programme featuring three iconic 20th-century violin concertos deeply rooted in highlander lore: Jan Adam Maklakiewicz’s Violin Concerto No. 2 “Góralski”, Grażyna Bacewicz’s Violin Concerto No. 3, and Karol Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 61. In these performances, she brilliantly contextualises the classical repertoire by preceding the symphonic works with live, traditional highlander “tunes” – the original sources of inspiration for the composers – performed alongside the Lassak Family’s “Helios” ensemble.

She has performed at prestigious international music festivals, including the “Masters of Polish Violin Artistry” String Festival, “Emanacje”, “Gaude Mater”, “Muzyczne Przestrzenie”, "Ogrody Muzyczne", the Piotr Janowski Festival, and the Wojciech Kilar Festival. She has performed in prominent venues such as the ROMA Musical Theatre, the Karol Szymanowski Museum at the Villa “Atma” in Zakopane, and the Presidential Palace in Warsaw.

Lassak is a prize-winner at numerous competitions; notably, at just 18 years old, she won the acclaimed “Let’s Remember Osiecka” Vocal Competition. Her recent achievements include earning 10 first prizes in national and international competitions, highlighted by the prestigious “Sabałowe Gęśle” Grand Prix for best instrumentalist at the International Mountain Folklore Festival and the “Dziadońcyn Smycek” Honorary Award. A recipient of the scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, her profound contributions to preserving regional culture were officially celebrated in 2023 when she was awarded the honorary highlander title of Wierchowa Orlica.
 

www.katarzynalassak.com 

Aram Khachaturian, Mykola Diadiura, Juozas Domarkas, Kazimierz Kord, Jan Krenz, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Leopold Stokowski, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Eugene Tzigane – the Pomeranian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra has collaborated with these and many other legendary conductors. This internationally acclaimed ensemble has been performing regular concerts since 1946, building a reputation both at home and abroad.

Artistic directors of the Symphony Orchestra:

Roman Mackiewicz (1952–1954)
Robert Satanowski (1954–1958)
Zbigniew Chwedczuk (1958–1972)
Witold Krzemieński (1973–1974)
Antoni Wit (1974–1977)
Renard Czajkowski (1978–1980)
Tomasz Bugaj (1980–1984)
Artistic directors and conductors:
Mieczysław Nowakowski (1984–1988)
Jerzy Salwarowski (1988–1991)

The first guest conductors and heads of the Symphony Orchestra:

Michael Zilm (1990–1991)
Marek Pijarowski (1992–1994)
Simca Heled (1995–1996)
Roman Kofman (1997–2000)
Tadeusz Wojciechowski (2002–2014)
Eugene Tzigane (2009–2013)
Kai Bumann (2015–2020)
Paweł Kapuła (2021–)
Mykoła Diadiura (2022–2025)
Raoul Grüneis (2026-)

Conductors who have worked with the Orchestra:

Ernest Ansermet, Roberto Benzi, Łukasz Borowicz, Benjamin Britten, Aram Chaczaturian, Riccardo Chailly, Jakub Chrenowicz, Sławomir Chrzanowski, Mykoła Diadiura, Juozas Domarkas, José Maria Florêncio, Rosen Gergov, Krzysztof Herdzin, Jacek Kaspszyk, Jerzy Katlewicz, Michał Klauza, Kazimierz Kord, Jan Krenz, Witold Lutosławski, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Krzysztof Penderecki, Kurt Redel, Witold Rowicki, Jerzy Semkow, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Mariusz Smolij, Saulius Sondeckis, Leopold Stokowski, Tadeusz Strugała, Antoni Wit, Carlo Zecchi and others.

Pomeranian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra concerts

The orchestra has toured extensively, performing in Cyprus, Denmark, France, Spain, South Korea, Germany, Russia, Scotland, Switzerland, and Italy, among other countries. It has also appeared on numerous occasions at major music festivals globally, including: Wratislavia Cantans, Warsaw Autumn, Berliner Festwochen, International Summer Festival Ljubljana, Schweriner Musiktage, Frankfurter Festtage der Musik.

Milestones and Key Events:

2000: Performed at the Primate’s Archcathedral in Gniezno to mark the 1,000th anniversary of the Congress of Gniezno, a historic event attended by the presidents of seven European nations
2001: Headlined nationwide musical celebrations honouring the Year of Ignacy Jan Paderewski

2002: Featured at the prestigious Festival of Polish Philharmonic Orchestras, organized by the Warsaw National Philharmonic to commemorate its centenary
2005: Embarked on a successful concert tour of South Korea and performed at the famous Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen, collaborating with the world-renowned New York City Ballet
2007: Celebrated the 30th anniversary of the orchestra's collaboration with the Berliner Cappella choir through joint jubilee concerts at the Bydgoszcz Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic
2008: Performed a special commemorative concert marking Poland's May 3rd Constitution Day at the Palace of Arts in Budapest
2008: Inaugurated the 1st Amber Baltic International Music Festival in Międzyzdroje
2009: Represented Poland at the Polish Spring – Scottish Tides Festival in Perth, Scotland
2010: Inaugurated the official Chopin Year in Hungary with a grand concert in Budapest, which was broadcast globally by DUNA TV and aired on MR3-Bartók Rádió
2011: Partnered with the Berliner Cappella and Singakademie Frankfurt (Oder) choirs for a series of high-profile concerts at the Musikfesttage an der Oder Festival in Frankfurt (Oder), the Konzerthaus Berlin, and in Brussels to mark the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union
2013: Delivered a performance in the world-renowned Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna

2015: Commemorated the 40th anniversary of the fruitful collaboration between the Pomeranian Philharmonic and the Berliner Cappella choir with a concert at the Berlin Philharmonic

2018: Performed at the Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw on the 77th anniversary of the death of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, serving as a centrepiece for the national celebrations marking 100 Years of Polish Independence 2019: Presented the prestigious world premiere of Krzysztof Herdzin’s Requiem
2019: Partnered with the Singakademie Frankfurt (Oder) choir for a series of moving commemorative concerts marking the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, held across Potsdam, Bydgoszcz, and Toruń.
2020: Concert dedicated to the memory of Giya Kancheli at the Berlin Philharmonic.
In response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in March 2020, which forced the closure of concert halls worldwide, the orchestra pivoted to new artistic formats.     The ensemble embraced digital outreach, recording numerous filmed concert productions that were broadcast to global audiences via the Pomeranian Philharmonic’s YouTube channel.
2023: Launched a major series of events celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Pomeranian Philharmonic alongside the official Andrzej Szwalbe Year in Bydgoszcz.
2024: A concert tour spanning Rzeszów, Frankfurt, and Bydgoszcz, which culminated in another performance at the Berlin Philharmonic.

Dainius Pavilionis, born in 1977 in Mariampol, Lithuania, into a family with a rich musical tradition, has established himself as a prominent conductor and educator. He began his musical journey as a pianist earning laureate titles in various competitions. In 1992, he pursued studies in choral conducting at the Juozas Gruodis Conservatory in Kaunas. In 1996, his passion for conducting led him to the Lithuanian Academy of Music, where he studied under the guidance of Prof. Povilas Gylys and in 2002 he joined the Department of Symphony and Opera Conducting under the mentorship of Professor Juozas Domarkas, whom he regards as his musical father. After earning his diploma in 2006, Pavilionis became a lecturer at his alma mater and, in 2017, he assumed the role of head of the conducting department. Since 2006, he has also served as the conductor of the Representative Orchestra of the Lithuanian Army.
The international music community quickly recognized Dainius Pavilionis as an outstanding conductor, leading to his frequent collaborations with leading ensembles, including the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra and the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra in Vilnius. Between 2010 and 2015, he served as the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor at the State Musical Theatre in Klaipėda. During his tenure, he successfully helmed numerous high-profile premieres, including Otto Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, Giacomo Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Emmerich Kálmán’s Countess Maritza, Igor Morozov’s Doctor Aybolit, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades.
Pavilionis’ career has been marked by numerous accolades, including victories at the 4th Witold Lutosławski International Competition for Young Conductors in Bialystok (2006) and at the 8th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors in Katowice (2007). Pavilionis is frequently invited to conduct symphony orchestras across Europe. As of September 1, 2020, he serves as the deputy artistic director of the Toruń Symphony Orchestra, continuing to make significant contributions to the world of classical music.

The primary mission of Sinfonia Iuventus is to provide young musicians with a platform for their orchestral debuts while preparing them for long-term careers in professional ensembles. The orchestra comprises Poland’s most talented music academy graduates under the age of 30.

Artistic Development and Responsibility

We are deeply convinced that collaborating with world-class artists inspires talented musicians and drives their artistic growth. By cultivating personal artistic responsibility in each individual, we foster a collective commitment to the unique character, discipline, and uncompromising quality of the entire orchestra.

An Inspiring Artistic Community

We believe that the Jerzy Semkow Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra is more than an institution; it is a vibrant community bound by shared goals. Through their tenure here, we expect these young performers to experience extraordinary milestones, achieve profound artistic success, and thrive within a warm musical community that is deeply appreciated by its audience.

Academic Synergy and Global Promotion

We count on the active support of higher education institutions across Poland to encourage their graduates to audition for the orchestra. Our ultimate goal is for these young musicians to champion Polish culture globally, ensuring that their enthusiasm, precision, and the pure joy of creation serve as a cultural showcase for Poland on the international stage.
https://sinfoniaiuventus.pl/o-nas/misja

Ken-Wassim Ubukata was born in France. He began learning to play the cello at the age of six and earned both his master’s degree at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Lyon in 2014. He subsequently studied for three years at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen under the guidance of cellist Francis Gouton.

Even during his studies, Ubukata gained experience in professional orchestras and specialized ensembles dedicated to a repertoire ranging from early to contemporary music. Since 2018, he has been a member of the Slovak Philharmonic as deputy concertmaster of the cello section. 

Ubukata is also active as a conductor; he initially taught himself, later studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Simeon Pironkov (2017–2019), and is currently studying at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava in the class of Marián Lejava. In the summer of 2020, he made his conducting debut in a series of performances of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in Slovenia, and he also conducted a production of Bohuslav Martinů’s Kitchen Revue with Božidara Turzonová as narrator in a chamber online concert by the Slovak Philharmonic during the 2021 pandemic. He also gained valuable advice from conducting masters such as Daniel Raiskin, Emmanuel Villaume, and George Pehlivanian. 

As a chamber musician, Ken-Wassim Ubukata has performed in Europe and Asia, but primarily in Slovakia with various ensembles and orchestras, both as a cellist and as a conductor—the Slovak National Theater Orchestra, the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Pressburg Piano Trio, Collegium Wartberg, the Hilaris Chamber Orchestra, Capella Istropolitana, the Bratislava Metropolitan Orchestra, and others.

Paweł Wakarecy graduated with distinction from the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, where he studied in the piano class of the distinguished Professor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń. He laid the foundations of his musical education at the Karol Szymanowski General Primary and Secondary Music School in Toruń, spending nine formative years under the tutelage of Ewa Skarżewska.
From an early age, Wakarecy earned top prizes and honours at numerous national and international piano competitions for children and youth.
As his career progressed, he went on to claim special awards at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski International Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz (2007) and reached the finals of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Darmstadt (2009).
His definitive breakthrough came in 2010 at the 16th Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, where he received an Honourable Mention and was awarded the prestigious Special Prize for the Best Polish Competitor.
Wakarecy has performed extensively on major stages across Poland and around the globe. His domestic highlights include dual appearances at the International Chopin Piano Festival in Duszniki-Zdrój, as well as performances at the renowned “Chopin and His Europe” Festival in Warsaw and the Polish Piano Festival in Słupsk. Internationally, his concert career has taken him to Germany, Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, France, Switzerland, England, Belgium, Norway, Italy, China, Japan, and Chile.
In 2012, he embarked on a high-profile concert tour of Ukraine alongside the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio, followed by a celebrated solo recital in Moscow.
Later, in 2013, he made his formal debut at the prestigious Konzerthaus in Vienna. That same year, he gave evocative recitals at the historic Charterhouse in Valldemossa (Majorca), the Polish Library in Paris, and Nohant.
In 2015, Paweł Wakarecy featured in the high-profile premiere of Edward Elgar’s Piano Quintet, performed in a unique arrangement for piano and chamber orchestra by Agnieszka Duczmal. 
Wakarecy’s international presence spans some of the world's most revered concert stages, including Cadogan Hall and Westminster Cathedral Hall in London, Salle Cortot in Paris, Oji Hall in Tokyo, and the Grand Hall of the Kyiv Conservatory.
He maintains a deep, regular artistic relationship as a soloist with the Toruń Symphony Orchestra. His extensive orchestral portfolio also features collaborations with Poland's premier ensembles and prestigious international groups, including: The Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, The Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) in Katowice, The Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio, The Elbląg Chamber Orchestra and the Multikamerata ensemble. The symphony orchestras of the Pomeranian, Łódź, Warmia-Masuria, Subcarpathian, Lublin, Szczecin, Świętokrzyskie, and Sinfonia Baltica Philharmonics, The Jerzy Semkow Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra, The St. Petersburg Russian Chamber Orchestra and the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra.
Throughout his career, he has performed under the baton of many of the classical world's most distinguished conductors, including Antoni Wit, Agnieszka Duczmal, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Marek Moś, Zygmunt Rychert, Jerzy Salwarowski, Łukasz Borowicz, Tadeusz Wojciechowski, Wojciech Rodek, Piotr Sułkowski, Bohdan Jarmołowicz, and Daniel Smith.
Wakarecy is equally active as a dedicated chamber musician. Together with his wife, Aleksandra Soboń-Wakarecy, he forms the Wakarecy Piano Duo. The acclaimed ensemble has performed live on Polish Radio and earned prominent accolades on the international stage, including prizes at the 6th International Piano Duo Competition in Białystok (2015) and the 25th International Roma Piano Competition in Italy (2015). Beyond his duo work, he collaborates frequently with the renowned cellist Marcin Zdunik.
His artistry has been captured on two highly regarded CD releases:
 
2010: A debut album published by The Fryderyk Chopin Institute, featuring his live, standout performances recorded during the 16th International Chopin Piano Competition.

2013: A solo recital album released by CD Accord, featuring an expressive, carefully curated selection of works by Fryderyk Chopin, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and Juliusz Zarębski.
Alongside his active performance schedule, Wakarecy currently serves as an assistant professor in the Piano Department at his alma mater, the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz.
 

Andrzej Wierciński began developing his pianistic skills under the guidance of Professor Anna Jastrzębska-Quinn at the prestigious Zenon Brzewski General Music School in Warsaw (2010–2014). He then pursued his higher education at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, graduating with distinction in 2019 from the piano class of Professor Wojciech Świtała. In 2020 he completed postgraduate studies at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg under the tutelage of Professor Pavel Gililov. Then, in 2024, he graduated with distinction from the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied as a scholarship recipient under the celebrated pianist Norma Fisher.

Wierciński earned international recognition as a standout semi-finalist at the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. Critics widely praised his performances, describing him as “...a mature artist with a distinctive personality, characterized by superb technical skill and a fluid command of sound.” In 2019, he received the Third Prize at the Hong Kong International Piano Competition, while in 2022, the Third Prize at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski American International Piano Competition in Los Angeles and the Grand Prix at the Red Maple Music Competition in Toronto.

Wierciński’s impressive competitive track record spans numerous other prestigious national and international stages, having secured first prizes at the “Golden Ring” International Chopin Competition in Slovenia, the International Chopin Competition in Budapest, and the “Masters Neapolitan Piano Competition” in Naples. Additionally, he secured third prize at the “Halina Czerny-Stefańska In Memoriam” International Competition in Poznań and fifth prize at the International Competition in Tbilisi, where he was also honoured with the special prize for the best performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Classical Sonata in E-flat major, No. 4. These accolades have brought the pianist many other significant opportunities, such as a contract with a record label in China, a series of solo recitals spanning Denmark, China, and Italy, and high-profile concerts with prominent orchestras, including the Rome Symphony Orchestra.

Andrzej Wierciński’s extensive list of laurels is rounded off by the Gold Medal at the First International Music Competition in Vienna, and the first prize at the International Piano Competition in Saint-Priest, France, which came along with a number of special prizes, including a recording contract with KNS Classical and a concert tour of European countries. Furthermore, his achievements include the Silver Medal at the Berlin International Music Competition and the Honorary Prize at the Paris International Music Competition.

He has taken part in international masterclasses led by distinguished teachers, including Michel Beroff, Dmitri Alexeev, Carlo Palese, Akiko Ebi, Rafał Blechacz, Lee Kum Sing, Anna Malikova, Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń, Andrzej Jasiński, Dang Thai Son, Tomas Ungar, and Janusz Olejniczak. He also participated in the month-long Morningside Music Bridge piano course in Calgary, where his achievements earned him masterclasses with André Laplante and Krzysztof Jabłoński, and he further studied with the renowned Daniil Trifonov during masterclasses in Katowice.

Andrzej Wierciński is the recipient of several prestigious accolades, including the Krystian Zimerman Scholarship, the YAMAHA Foundation Artistic Scholarship, a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and the Franciszek Wybrańczyk Artistic Scholarship from the Sinfonia Varsovia Foundation.

He regularly gives recitals in most European countries and across the globe, including the United Arab Emirates, where he represented Poland at the Dubai World Expo and performed at prominent venues in the capital, such as the Theatre of Digital Art (TODA). Additionally, he has given concerts in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, China, and Japan, with his close collaboration with KAWAI and Japan Arts leading to numerous successful tours across Asia. A significant milestone in his career was his performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37, conducted by Maestro Maciej Tworek at the National Philharmonic during the 24th edition of the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, at the special invitation of Elżbieta Penderecka. Furthermore, the artist has collaborated with an array of distinguished conductors, including Alexander Liebreich, Josep Caballé Domenech, Jacek Kasprzyk, Mirosław Błaszczyk, and Marek Moś. In 2015, during the official visit of the President of the Republic of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski, to Japan, he gave a notable Chopin recital in Tokyo before a distinguished audience that included Princess Masako Owada of Japan.

He has also collaborated with many prestigious orchestras, including the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck Orchestra, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Warsaw National Symphony Orchestra.

His achievements also include a 2015 album released under the auspices of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw, which features an expressive selection of solo piano works by Fryderyk Chopin, Domenico Scarlatti, and Robert Schumann.