Employees

wykł. dr

Karina Komendera

chamber music

She was born in 1987 in Bielsko-Biała. She started her music education at the age of 5. In 2006 she graduated with honours from the General Primary and Secondary Music School in Bielsko-Biała, piano class of Professor Adam Podrez and saxophone class of Professor Tomasz Gmyrk. In 2011 she graduated with honours from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Department of Instrumental and Pedagogical Studies in Białystok, piano class of Professor Paweł Skrzypek, and in 2012 she completed Postgraduate Managerial Studies for Artists and Creators of Culture at the Department of Management, University of Warsaw.

She won special awards and distinctions at such competitions as: 7th All-Poland Piano Tournament in Żagań, 4^th Halina Czerny-Stefańska All-Poland Piano Competition, 6^th Ludwik Stefański International Piano Competition in Płock; major awards at the 4^th Beskid Piano Workshops and 9^th International Piano Workshops in Warsaw. She twice won the scholarship of Prime Minister, she was also awarded with scholarships of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Department of Culture and Art of Bielsko-Biała. In the period of 2007–2009 she won three scholarships of the American piano institute in California, i.e., “Gold Country Piano Institute”, allowing her to participate in Master Courses in Nevada City and solo concerts in the USA.

Since 2010 she has been involved in the project of the Białystok Dolls Theatre, a performance/recital entitled “Chopin – Impression”, in which she debuted as a soloist on the stage of Broadway’s La Mama Theatre (New York, USA), later on performing concerts at Tokyo Puk Theatre, Hamamatsu Concert Hall, Yaita Kodomonomori (Japan), National Philharmonic in Kurgan (Russia), Great Theatre in Poznań, Vienna Brut Theatre (Austria), and Jassi Theatre (Romania). She also performed during the Mozart Festival at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Podlasie Festival of Science and Art, and, as a soloist, with the Bielsko Festival Orchestra.

She also gives concerts as a chamber musician in Poland and abroad, e.g. on stages in St. Gallen (Switzerland), “Gaetano Zinetti Chamber Music Competition” in Verona (Italy), Polish-Norwegian Piano Duo Cultural Bridge in Trondheim  (Norway), or International Courses of Interpretation in Nowy Sącz. She three times participated in concert tours of the Bielsko-Biała Gospel Choir (e.g. in Venice, Rome, Como, Latina, Naples). Since 2007 she has collaborated with the symphony orchestra of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, performing keyboard instruments parts. She developed her piano skills under the supervision of such artists as: Graham Scott, Thomas Hecht, John Perry, Jorgen Larsen, Kevin Kenner, Anna Maklakiewicz, Andrzej Artykiewicz, Czesław Stańczyk, Andrzej Jasiński, Stefan Wojtas, or Jerzy Marchwiński.

Currently she has been a pianist at the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic – European Art Centre and a saxophonist of the OIFP-ECS Big-Band.

She works as Assistant at the Unit of Piano, Harpsichord and Organ at the FCUM’s Department of Instrumental and Educational Studies in Białystok and as a piano and chamber music teacher at the Fryderyk Chopin Complex of Music Schools in Warsaw.