dr Katarzyna Szydłowska

Doctoral dissertation topic: Irony and Grotesque as an Interpretive and Performative Issue in Selected Violin Sonatas by Sergei Prokofiev, Mieczysław Weinberg, and Alfred Schnittke

Supervisor: Dr. Christian Danowicz, Associate Professor

Start of doctoral studies: 2020
Mid-term evaluation: 2022 — positive
Submission of doctoral dissertation: September 2023

“The primary motivation for undertaking this topic stems from my long-standing fascination with the violin works of Sergei Prokofiev, Mieczysław Weinberg, and Alfred Schnittke. The selection of specific pieces reflects my desire to explore their complex expressive and semantic character, which suggests a strong connection to the categories of irony and grotesque.”

Artistic Achievements

A graduate of the soloist program at the Universität der Künste in Berlin in the class of Prof. Latica Honda-Rosenberg, she currently plays in the first violin section of the Staatskapelle Berlin under the direction of Daniel Barenboim.

She is the laureate of more than 30 national and international violin competitions, including:

  • Grand Prix of the Canadian International Music Competition (CIMC), Quebec, 2021

  • Grand Prix of the “Luigi Zanuccoli” International Competition in Rimini, 2016

  • First Prize at the “Les Musicales du Centre Paris” International Competition in Paris, 2018

  • First Prize at the G. Tartini International Violin Competition in Piran, 2017

  • First Prize at the Beethoven International Competition in Vienna, 2020

  • First Prize at the International Competition of Contemporary Music in Kraków, 2019

  • First Prize at the J. Zarębski International Chamber Music Competition in Warsaw, 2016

  • Second Prize at the 9th S. Serwaczyński National Violin Competition in Lublin, 2014

  • Third Prize at the A. Rubinstein International Competition in Düsseldorf, 2020

  • Third Prize at the Collegium Musicum International Competition in Lugano, 2022

  • Laureate of the “Week of Talents” Festival in Kąśna Dolna, 2017

  • Fourth Prize at the H. W. Ernst and K. Szymanowski International Violin Competition in Wrocław, 2017

Scholarships

She has been awarded numerous scholarships, including:

  • Scholarship of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage

  • Leonidas Kavakos Festival Scholarship

  • A. Rubinstein Foundation Scholarship

  • “Sapere Auso” Foundation Scholarship

  • Scholarship of the Mayor of Tarnów

  • Daniel Barenboim Academy Scholarship

  • Scholarship of the Marshal of the Małopolska Region

  • Staatskapelle Berlin Academy Scholarship

  • Rector’s Scholarship of the I.J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań

  • Two-year scholarship of the Universität der Künste in Berlin
    and several others.

Performances and Artistic Activity

As a soloist, chamber musician, and concertmaster, she has performed in Austria, China, Croatia, Finland, France, Spain, Israel, Liechtenstein, Germany, Norway, Palestine, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Hungary, and Italy.

She has honed her skills under the guidance of distinguished musicians such as Leonidas Kavakos, Daniel Barenboim, Chaim Taub, Rainer Honeck, Henning Kraggerud, Corina Belcea, as well as members of the Artemis Quartet.

Katarzyna Szydłowska currently performs on a violin crafted by the French luthier Georges Cunault in 1901.

Photo by Małgorzata Drozdowska