dr hab. Katarzyna Zdybel-Nam

One of the most accomplished bassoonists of the younger generation, she began learning to play the instrument in 1998 at the State Music School of the 1st and 2nd degree in Zamość under the guidance of Jerzy Lisak. Between 2002 and 2007, under the guidance of Zbigniew Płużek, she studied at the Academy of Music (now the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music) in Warsaw, and three years later she completed her postgraduate studies (Solistenklasse) with honors at the Hochschule für Musik in Stuttgart in Marek Engelhardt's class. She continued her studies at the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław in the class of Czesław Klonowski, obtaining her doctorate in 2015, and in 2019 she obtained her postdoctoral degree.

The artist is a laureate of many international competitions. In 2012, she won three important awards: in July, she won first prize at the IDRS Ferdinand Gillet-Hugo Fox International Competition in Oxford, Ohio (USA), and in September, she won second prize and a special prize at the 6th Michał Spisak International Competition in Dąbrowa Górnicza. Two years earlier, she triumphed in Italy, winning the main prizes – first at the Gioacchino Rossini International Bassoon Competition in Pesaro, and then at the International Competition for Young Performers in Chieri. In 2009, she won second prize (first prize was not awarded) and the prize for the best performance of a competition piece at the International Competition for Wind and Percussion Instruments in Moscow. In 2016, the artist received the main prize at the 1st Matthew Ruggiero International Wind Instrument Competition in Boston. In 2019, she was a finalist in the Kaleidoscope competition in Los Angeles.

She performs as a soloist and chamber musician. As a soloist, she has performed with many outstanding ensembles: the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Orchestra Filarmonica di Torino, Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana, Polish Radio Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Wrocław Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum, Wrocław Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Polish Chamber Philharmonic in Sopot, AUKSO Chamber Orchestra of the City of Tychy, Sudeten Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Karol Namysłowski Symphony Orchestra in Zamość, Moscow Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, and Zielona Góra Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. As an orchestral musician, she has performed with many renowned orchestras, including the Orchestre Chambre de Lausanne (Switzerland), the Royal Danish Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (Sweden), the Gothenburg Opera, and the Malmö Symphony Orchestra (Sweden). Since 2007, she has been a soloist with the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic.

Katarzyna Zdybel-Nam is also extensively involved in teaching. In 2018, she took over the bassoon class at the Wind Instrument Interpretation Courses in Duszniki-Zdrój. To date, she has conducted masterclasses and consultations at many schools and music academies throughout Poland. In 2017, she was invited as a special guest to lead a course and perform a recital as part of Double Reed Day in Boston. She has also been invited to lead masterclasses at American universities such as Berklee, Boston University, and the New England Conservatory.

In 2014, she released her first album, Portrait (CD Accord), and the album Poezja dźwięków (TV Zamość). In 2019, together with pianist Katarzyna Kluczewska, she released the album Romantic works (Orphee Classics).

As a concert soloist, Katarzyna Zdybel-Nam contributes to the popularization of the bassoon as a solo instrument and, consequently, to the creation of new works for the bassoon. Contemporary composers, including Dariusz Przybylski, Marcin Markowicz, Gerard Drozd, and Piotr Radko, dedicate their works for bassoon to her.

Katarzyna Zdybel-Nam is the originator of the idea to create a catalog of bassoon works written by 20th-century Polish composers: The undiscovered potential of the greatest individualist in the orchestra, or a study of Polish bassoon works in the 20th century. Directions, styles, and performance issues: a musicological sketch. This project was carried out in collaboration with Dr. Ramona Słobodzian as part of the White Spots – Music and Dance program of the Institute of Music and Dance.