Employees

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Mateusz Kowalski

Department: Department of Instrumental Studies

Mateusz Kowalski was born in 1995 in Koszalin, Poland. He began learning to play the guitar at the age of 7 and studied for the next 12 years under the guidance of Dariusz Schmidt at the Grażyna Bacewicz State Music School Complex in Koszalin. He later graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw in the class of Ryszard Bałauszko, receiving the Magna cum Laude medal.

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Mateusz Kowalski

guitar

Grammy-nominated guitarist, is one of the most outstanding guitarists, touted by Classical Guitar Magazine as a "spectacular" musician who performs a vast repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary works with remarkable expertise, stylistic sensitivity, and great musical culture. He has performed in the world's most important concert halls across the globe.

Kowalski gained international recognition for the world's first-ever live performance of Fryderyk Chopin's Piano Concerto in F minor, arranged for guitar and orchestra.

He is the winner of prestigious competitions, including the 1st Bach Guitar Award in Darmstadt – one of the most prestigious guitar competitions in the world, dedicated to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach – and the 2nd EuroStrings International Competition in London – a contest open exclusively to the winners of the most significant European guitar competitions.

Kowalski has released several albums, both as a soloist and chamber musician. His most significant release is "Slavic Sessions" – nominated for the GRAMMY® Award 2026 in the category of Best Chamber Orchestra/Small Ensemble Performance. Another highlight of his discography is "Polish Romantic Guitar", recorded for the Fryderyk Chopin Institute (NIFC) and premiered in 2021. This project made a major contribution to popularizing the works of Bobrowicz, Horecki, Szczepanowski, and Sokołowski, of whom Kowalski is a passionate advocate.

The artist collaborates with many distinguished musicians, including Martyna Pastuszka, David Garrett, Marek Pasieczny, and Mak Grgic.

He graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw in the class of Ryszard Bałauszko, receiving the Magna cum Laude medal. He has honed his skills through numerous masterclasses under the guidance of outstanding musicians such as Sergio Assad, Oscar Ghiglia, and Alvaro Pierri. Among the most significant was the Konzertexamen in Darmstadt with Tilman Hoppstock.

Since October 2019, he has been a lecturer at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.
In 2025, he obtained a Doctor of Musical Arts degree.