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Tomasz Bińkowski

horn

Tomasz Bińkowski was born in Łódź, he started his music education in a violin class at the Primary Music School in Łódź. At the age of 13 he took his first steps in playing the French horn under the supervision of  Professor Czesława Szczukowska who is particularly respected by him as, thanks to her personality, she shaped him as a future hornist, teaching him basic skills and  kindling his love for the instrument. While at secondary school, he debuted as a musician engaged additionally by the orchestra of the Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic and the Łódź Radio Orchestra.  After graduating from the Henryk Wieniawski Secondary Music School in Łódź he continued his education at the Fryderyk Academy of Music in Warsaw, class of Professor Jan Jeżewski. In that period he cooperated with numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles, such as: Polish Chamber Musicians’ Ensemble “Camerata Vistula”, Warsaw Chamber Opera, Polish Radio Orchestra, Menuhin Festival Orchestra under the baton of  Sir Yehudi Menuhin, and also Penderecki Festival Orchestra under the baton of Krzysztof Penderecki. In the period of 1992–1998 he was the third hornist  in the orchestra Sinfonia Varsovia.

He has made many recordings with symphonic, film and chamber music with the mentioned orchestras. From 2008 for two concert seasons he was the first hornist of the international orchestra “Philharmonie der  Nationen” under the baton of Justus Franz. After the expiration of his contract he became the first hornist and soloist at the Great Theatre – National Opera in Warsaw, where he still works.

He cooperates on a permanent basis with numerous Polish symphony and chamber orchestras, such as: Cracow Orchestra “Sinfonietta Cracovia”, Ignacy Jan Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic in  Bydgoszcz, Tadeusz Szeligowski Philharmonic in Poznań, Artur Malawski Subcarpathian Philharmonic in Rzeszów, Podlasie Philharmonic in Białystok, Henryk Wieniawski Philharmonic in Lublin, Toruń Symphony Orchestra, Wrocław Chamber Orchestra “Leopoldinum”, Chamber Orchestra “Concerto Avenna”, Chamber Orchestra “Feel Harmony”, and Beethoven Academy Orchestra in Cracow.

Working at the Great Theatre and cooperating with the above mentioned symphony orchestras he never abandoned his favourite music genre, i.e., chamber music. He has performed with such ensembles as: Wilanów Quartet, Silesian Quartet, Paderewski Quartet, “Prima Vista” Quartet and Wieniawski Quartet.

He is the founder of the Brass Instruments Quintet “Chamber Brass” with which, apart from performing many concerts, he recorded the album entitled “Blacha” [Brass] being the first album by a brass quintet using the audiophiliac technology “Hi-End” in Poland. With Tytus Wojnowicz as artistic manager he co-created the group “Ensemble de Narol” performing Baroque and early Classical music on contemporary instruments; in 2004 the it was transformed into a bigger chamber formation existing to this day under the name “Essentia Musica”.

Together with a group of musician friends he is one of the co-founders of “Gruppo di Tempera”.  It is an ensemble of a very interesting instrument juxtaposition, i.e., piano plus classical wind quintet. The combination of these instruments gives a diversity of line-ups and chamber music forms, and also unlimited repertoire possibilities.

Since 2004 Tomasz Bińkowski has taught a horn class at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.