Supervisor: Prof. Jacek Meira, DSc
Assistant Supervisor: Dr Jakub Olejnik

Michał Aftyka (born October 25, 1996 in Bełcząca near Radzyń Podlaski) is a Polish double bassist and jazz composer. He is a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin State Music Schools in Warsaw, where he studied jazz double bass under Adam Cegielski and Andrzej Święs (2019), as well as the Karol Szymanowski Academy
of Music in Katowice, which he completed in 2024 in the jazz double bass class of Dr Michał Barański.

He is a two-time recipient of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage scholarship (2017, 2023) and
a 2025 recipient of the “Young Poland” scholarship program. As the leader of the Michał Aftyka Quintet,
he won the Grand Prix at the “Współbrzmienia” Improvised Music Competition and the Fryderyk Award 2024 in the Jazz Debut of the Year category for the debut album Frukstrakt. The album features original compositions by Michał Aftyka, in which he combines personal experiences with reflections on the shared experiences of his generation, while exploring modern forms of musical narration.

Apart from his own projects, Michał Aftyka collaborates with groups such as Amalia Umeda Quartet, JAH Trio, superminimalism, Aleksandra Kryńska Quintet, Theos & Vincents, and Ola Błachno Quartet, with whom he has recorded over 10 albums and performed on three continents (including Canada, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Sweden, and Norway).