Featured Composer: Andrzej Karałow
Andrzej Karałow was born in 1991 in Łódź. In 2010 he graduated from the Karol Szymanowski School of Music in Warsaw, where he studied under the guidance of prof. Bronisława Kawalla and Joanna Świtlik. He completed his Master Degree with First-Class Honours in Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw with specialisation in piano. He is currently studying composition at his home university in class of prof. Stanisław Moryto. He studied chamber music with ad. Iwona Mironiuk (2011-2014) and electronic music in class of dr Barbara Okoń-Makowska (2013-14) and mgr Wojciech Błażejczyk (2014-15).
He has won many national and international piano competitions: in Paris (Miłosz Magin Competition – 1st prize), Athens (Konzerteum – 2nd prize), Warsaw (Karol Szymanowski Competition – 3rd prize – and Fryderyk Chopin National Piano Competition – 5th prize), Toruń (Piano Duo Competition – 2nd prize).
He is also the winner of the 2nd Karol Szymanowski International Composition Competition in Katowice (honorable mention for “Multicolour Horizon” for orchestra) fourth Zygmunt Mycielski Composition Competition organized by the Circle of Young Polish Composers’ Union (the piece “Anthem” for piano solo was performed at the party accompanying this year’s “Warsaw Autumn 2013″), the National Composers’ Competition “Opus 966” in Poznań, his opera “Kepler” for two voices and chamber orchestra written to libretto by Maciej Papierski won the “Proficiency Prize” in “Key to the Future” Opera Composition Competition during Bartók+ Opera Festival (Miskolc, Hungary). In Autumn 2014 his electroacoustic piece was selected from call for recordings competition and released on CD of USA-Australian label (Ablaze Records – Electronic Masters vol. 3).
His works are performed in country and abroad during concerts and festivals in Germany, France, Russia, Italy and Hungary. Recordings of his works were also released on debut CD by Dziołak/Stankiewicz Duo and Warsaw Autumn Festival’s chronicles (2013, 2014). Soon his works will be released also on CD’s by choir Varsoviae Regii Cantores and by Duo Karolina Mikołajczyk&Iwo Jedynecki (for Requiem Records).
As a pianist, he performed in prestigious concert halls in the country and abroad, with accompaniment of renowned symphony orchestras (under the baton of Maciej Niesiołowski and Jakub Chrenowicz). He performed with great musicians, such as Krzysztof Jakowicz, Paweł Gusnar. He made his debut in Warsaw Philharmony performing Karol Szymanowski’s IV Symfony Concertante with Warsaw Philharmony Orchestra under direction of Grzegorz Mańkowski. On June 2016 he will take part in Festiwal Trzy-Czte-Ry and he will perform Witold Lutosławski’s Piano Concerto with Sinfonia Varsovia under direction of Ewa Strusińska.
He trained interpretive skills on piano masterclasses, among others, in Oxford (Oxford Philomusica), Leipzig (International Felix Mendelssohn Academy), Nice (Summer Academy), Duszniki-Zdrój (piano courses during 66. and 68. International Chopin Festival) under the direction of professors such as A. Vardi, G. Graffman, M. Vosskresensky, B. Petrushansky, P. Gililov, Ch. M. Kang, A. Bonatta, J. Jiracek von Arnim, C. Ortiz, O. Mustonen, M. Papadopoulos, T. Nicholsson, P. Bithell, N. Immelman.
He took part in composition masterclasses in Graz (Impuls Festival), Nice, Warsaw, Radziejowice (Synthetis course) in classes of B. Furrer, Z. Krauze, D. Ammann, D. Moreira, P. Patterson, L. Liebermann, Chen Yi, R. Guillard.
He is a scholar of Young Poland 2015 funded by Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Ministry of Science and Higher Education (2014), Association of Pro Polonia (2013, 2014) and Rector’s scholarship at his Alma Mater (2011-2014). He received also a Prize of Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2014).
Since 2013, he has been a member of the Circle of Young Polish Composers’ Union. He is also a co-founder of Ensemblage Foundation, which promotes new music and performers.