prof. dr hab. Piotr Łykowski

In 1989, he graduated with honors from the Academy of Music in Wrocław, where he studied singing under Prof. Eugeniusz Sąsiadek. Between 1970 and 1988, he was a member of Stefan Stuligrosz's Poznań Nightingales choir. At the 3rd Ada Sari Vocal Art Competition in Nowy Sącz (1988), he won first prize and three special distinctions (including one for virtuosity). He honed his skills at numerous interpretation and master classes in Poland and abroad, studying under Paul Esswood, Richard Wistreich, and Nelli Anfuso, among others. He specializes in Renaissance and Baroque music, mainly cantatas and oratorios: his repertoire includes nearly 100 such parts.

He has collaborated and continues to collaborate with many soloists and early music ensembles, philharmonic orchestras, chamber orchestras, and opera houses (Warsaw Chamber Opera, Grand Theatre in Warsaw, Grand Theatre in Poznań, Grand Theatre in Łódź, Silesian Opera in Bytom, Wrocław Opera). He has participated in the Polish premieres of Claudio Monteverdi's operas Orfeo, Il ritorno d'Ulisse, L'incoronazione di Poppea, as well as in the Polish stage premieres of Krzysztof Penderecki's Raj utracony (Paradise Lost), Philipp Glass's Akhnaten and Igor Stravinsky's Le Fils du roi de Laos. Theatrical roles were created especially for Piotr Łykowski in Jerzy Grzegorzewski's original productions of Złowiony, Sonata epileptyczna and Jagogogo... with music by Stanisław Radwan. He has made numerous radio, television and CD recordings (including G. F. Handel's Messiah, Vocal Concertos by M. Mielczewski, Completorium by G. G. Gorczycki, Passion by J. Elsner, Euridice by J. Peri, Dichterliebe by R. Schumann). He is the first performer of Zbigniew Preisner's music for the film De Aegypto and Requiem for My Friend.

As a soloist, chamber musician (and choirmaster), he has performed throughout Europe and Canada, including at international music festivals. He has been teaching at the Academy of Music in Wrocław since 1988, where he runs a solo singing class. In January 2004, he was awarded the title of professor of art. Since 1994, he has also been a teacher (since 2002 a certified teacher) at the Secondary Music School in Wrocław. For several years, he has been presenting his papers and conducting seminars at interpretation courses. Since 2000, he has been the director of the Oratorio and Cantata Music Interpretation Course organized by the Wrocław branch of SPAM in cooperation with the Academy for 30 years. In 2000-2002, he was the head of the Vocal Department.