Employees

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Andrzej Karałow

composition

Andrzej Karałow, b. 1991 is a young Polish pianist, composer and improviser. He is currently an assistant professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. Doctor of musical arts.

In 2019 he completed his doctoral studies (PhD with distinction) in Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw in composition specialisation. In 2015 he completed his Master Degree with First-Class Honours at the same university with specialisation in piano in class of prof. Bronisława Kawalla. In 2016 he completed, also with First-Class Honours at his home university in composition class of prof. Stanisław Moryto. At this year he also finished artistic apprentisenship in piano class of prof. Kawalla. He studied chamber music with ad. Iwona Mironiuk and electronic music in class of dr Barbara Okoń-Makowska and mgr Wojciech Błażejczyk. In 2017 he received a Magna Cum Laude honours at his university.

For 2018/19 season he was selected to work with London Philharmonic Orchestra during LPO Young Composers mentoring program, which resulted in premiere performance of his orchestral work “Veins” in Southbank Centre in London. Andrzej Karałow is a laureate of many national and international piano competitions, e.g. Milosz Magin Competition in Paris, Konzerteum in Athens, or Frederic Chopin National Competition in Warsaw. Equally successful as a composer, he is a prize winner of, among others, the 2nd Karol Szymanowski International Composition Competition in Katowice, “Opus 966” Composition Competition in Poznań, Opera Compostion Competition in Miskolc, Hungary, where he was praised for his professionalism, imagination and artistic sensibility.

He performed in prestigious concert halls in the country and abroad, also with accompaniment of renowned orchestras as Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra (debut in Warsaw Philharmony), Sinfonia Varsovia, Polish Radio Orchestra under the baton of Ewa Strusińska, Maciej Niesiołowski and Jakub Chrenowicz.

His works are performed in country and abroad during concerts and festivals in USA, Australia, Canada, Spain, Germany, France, Russia, Italy, Estonia and Hungary. Recordings of his works and several performances as a pianist were released on 10 CD albums by Ablaze Records (USA), DUX Records, Requiem Records, Chronicles of Warsaw Autumn - Festival of Contemporary Music and others.

In 2020 he released his “De invitatione mortis” (Chopin University Press)– a 2-CD album with his chamber mystery/metaopera which was nominated to the Fryderyk Award 2021 in Album of the Year: Oratorio and Opera Music Category. In 2019 was released his first monographic album with chamber works – “Through” by prestigious polish label DUX Recording Producers. In 2018 Andrzej released his debut album “Wir” (The Vortex) with electroacoustic free-improvised works in collaboration with Jerzy Przeździecki (the whole album was recorded as a one-take without any editing). The continuation of this project was released as a live recording from the Ambient Festival Gorlice (2019) on LP/digital and was published by Bocian Records in 2020. In 2019 he released a CD album “After All” (Requiem Records) with music of XX and XXI centuries with saxophonist Pablo Sanchez-Escariche Gasch. 

He is a laureate of several scholarships, including prestigious “Young Poland” Scholarship (2015), Prize of Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2014), Ministry of Science and Higher Education Scholarship, two times Pro Polonia Society Scholarship as well as several university scholarships: Rector’s scholarship (2011-15, 2016-17), Scholarship for Young Researcher (2018, 2019).

He took part in composition masterclasses during Contemporary Music Lab in Montreal (2018), VIPA Festival in Valencia (2017), Synthetis course in Radziejowice (2014, 2016), Impuls Festival in Graz (2015), Summer Music Academy in Nice (2013) and in Warsaw in classes of: of B. Furrer, Chen Yi, S. Gervasoni, Z. Krauze, M. Wagner, J.M. Sanchez-Verdu, D. Ammann, P. Patterson and others.

He trained interpretive skills on piano masterclasses, among others, in Bergen (Holland Music Sessions, 2015), Imola (Summer Piano Academy & Festival, 2015), Leipzig (International Felix Mendelssohn Academy, 2014), Nice (Summer Academy of Music w Nicei, 2013), Duszniki-Zdrój (Pianistic courses during 66. and 68. International Chopin Festival in 2011, 2013), Oxfrod (Oxford Philomusica Festival, 2008-10) under the direction of professors such as A. Vardi, G. Graffman, M. Vosskresensky, B. Petrushansky, P. Gililov and others.

Andrzej Karałow is a co-founder and member of Ensemblage Foundation which promotes new music and performers. He is also a member of ZAiKS polish association of authors and member of Youth Circle Polish Composers Association in Warsaw. He is also a co-founder of internet magazine Spektrum focused on new art.

Although classical music is the main field of his activity, he is also open to experiments in electronic and alternative genre, combining techniques and inspirations from various fields of art into his own, unique musical language.

www.andrzejkaralow.pl
www.soundcloud.com/akaralow
www.youtube.com/AKmusic91

fot. Zuza Gąsiorowska / Kuba Zawadzki