Piotr Szewczyk
Violinist/Composer
Biography
Violinist and composer Piotr Szewczyk was born in Poland in 1977. Currently he is a violinist in the Jacksonville Symphony in Florida under Music Director Fabio Mechetti. He has recently completed a three year fellowship at the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, under Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas where he served as a rotating concertmaster.
As a violin soloist, Piotr Szewczyk has won prizes at international competitions including: winner of the 2006 New World Symphony Concerto Competition, First Prize Winner of the 2002 Young Artist String Competition in Lima, Ohio and winner of the 1994 Interlochen Concerto Competition. Mr. Szewczyk performed as soloist with the Lima Symphony, New World Symphony, World Youth Symphony Orchestra, Queen City Virtuosi, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, CCM Philharmonia Orchestra, CCM Concert Orchestra among others. Mr. Szewczyk’s extensive orchestral experience includes positions as a rotating concertmaster of the New World Symphony, violinist in the Jacksonville Symphony, Colorado Music Festival orchestra, Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra and Opera, concertmaster of the CCM Philharmonia, Concert, Chamber and I.N.T.Y. Contemporary Orchestra among others.
Described as a “mature virtuoso”, with “stellar technique and constantly ringing tone“, “gifted violinist with remarkable facility” and as a“superb violinist” and “an excellent young violinist with a beautiful musical taste” Szewczyk has given solo and chamber recitals in the USA, Poland, Germany and Austria. Chamber music groups he’s played in include the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, FAZA String Quartet, Roggero Trio and performed as soloist and chamber musician in the Spoleto Festival Music in Time series, Santa Fe New Music Festival, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, New World Symphony Chamber Music Series, Xchange concerts and Musican’s Forum concerts, Colorado Music Festival Family Spotlight Series, henry mancini Institute in Los Angeles and others.
Mr. Szewczyk is the creator and performer of the critically-acclaimed Violin Futura Project, a recital of brand new, short, exciting and innovative solo violin pieces written and dedicated to him by renowned composers from USA, Germany, England and Japan. Mr. Szewczyk’s project was described by critics as "bold and ambitious" and "a triumph for Szewczyk."
Upcoming engagements for the Violin Futura Project include Santa Fe International Festival of New Music in New Mexico, Jacksonville Main Library Chamber Series, Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art, University of Cincinnati and a concert tour in Germany.
Mr. Szewczyk performed in numerous masterclasses with such violinists as Leila Josefowicz, Robert McDuffie, Ilya Kaler, David Kim, Andres Cardenes, Alexander Barantschik, David Halen, Peter Oundjian, Paul Kantor and performed in summer masterclasses in Germany with Ruggiero Ricci, Vienna, Austria with Sabine WIndbacher and various courses in Poland.
Mr. Szewczyk was awarded numerous scholarships and fellowships including Aspen Music Festival, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Henry Mancini Institute, Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen Arts Camp and others.
As a composer, Mr. Szewczyk’s music has been described as “exquisite”, “hautingly beautiful”, “exciting”, “dramatic” and “filled with energy, melody, and sophisticated sense of harmony that is his own” and has been performed by the New World Symphony, Members of the Jacksonville Symphony, ALIAS Ensemble, Degas Quartet, Quarteto Latinoamericano, ACCORD Quartet, INTY Contemporary Orchestra, Young Musicans’ Orchestra of Miami, CCM Philharmonia Orchestra, Queen City Virtuosi, Sybarite Chamber Players, members of the New World Symphony among others.
Mr. Szewczyk is the winner of the 2008 Jacksonville Symphony Fresh Ink Composition Competition and has won a commission to write a new piece for Jacksonville Symphony for 2009/10 season.
His music has been performed in festivals such as Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Colorado Music Festival, UPBEAT-Hvar Festival in Coratia and Music X New Music Festival in Cincinnati among others. Mr. Szewczyk’s music was performed live on the NPR radio and on the American Symphony orchestra League Conference by ALIAS Ensemble in Nashville. Mr. Szewczyk’s string quintet The Rebel was performed live on the CBS Early Show by the Sybarite Chamber Players and is featured on their every performance. The piece is currently being published.
Piotr Szewczyk received numerous composition awards including Honorable Mention on the 2007 Fauxharmonic Orchestra Adagio Composition Contest, Winner of the 2005 Vox Novus 60x60 Project, Winner of the 2004 University of Cincinnati Orchestral Composition Competition, Second Prize at the 2004 ACCENT Composition Competition at the MUSIC X New Music Festival in Cincinnati, 1st Prize Winner – 2003 Composition Competition UPBEAT-Hvar in Hvar, Croatia. Mr Szewczyk’s solo violin piece CADENZA I has been chosen as the compulsory contemporary work for the UPBEAT-Hvar violin competition.
Piotr Szewczyk studied violin and composition at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he was awarded full undergraduate and graduate scholarships and earned degrees of Bachelor of Music and Master of Music. Mr. Szewczyk also was awarded the Starling Foundation Scholarship and studied violin with prof. Kurt Sassmannshaus, Piotr Milewski and Dorothy Delay and composition with Darrel Handel, Joel Hoffman, Henry Gwiazda, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon and Michael Fiday.
Mr. Szewczyk is an active member of the following organizations: American Federation of Musicians Local 444, American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers, American Composers Forum, National Association of Composers, Society of Composers, Inc.
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Piotr's early start to music begun by singing, this is a clip from a polish TV show where Piotr's song opened the show every day on polish TV for 15 years:
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