Bartosz Witkowski

Composer, pianist, and music writer, born in Rzeszów in 1998. After graduating from the Wojciech Kilar Music School Complex No. 2 in Rzeszów in the piano class of Żanna Parchomowska, he began his composition studies with Professor Eugeniusz Knapik at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, graduating with distinction in 2022 with a composition based on the opera NAD, with his own libretto based on a drama by Mariusz Bieliński. From 2011 to 2017, he was a mentee and scholarship holder of the National Children's Fund (now the ZDOLNI Fund).

He describes his style as eclectic—combining elements of ancient tonal systems with the coloristic achievements of various twentieth-century schools. At heart, however, he remains a Romantic, often reaching for the song genre or embracing the emotional expression of his written works. He often infuses his music with a touch of irony, especially when quoting or stylizing fragments of past works. He often encloses his compositions with short mottos or encrypted titles that reveal some of his interests—contemporary literature, German-language poetry, particularly Romantic and Modernist poetry. He loves listening to old recordings of opera masters, especially those from before the war.

In 2018, his piece "Im Namen…" was selected for the third edition of the "Music of Our Times" program. In May 2022, his "Nothing to Explain" was premiered by the Kwartludium ensemble at the Musica Polonica Nova festival in Wrocław, and at the 46th Karol Szymanowski Music Festival in Zakopane, the Silesian Quartet and Tymoteusz Bies premiered his Piano Quintet "Pejzaż z Harendy" (Landscape from Harenda). This composition was released on the album "Polish Piano Quintets," which was nominated for a Fryderyk Award. His connections with Katowice are underscored by numerous premieres in Silesia, including at the Silesian Rostrum of Composers (2023) and the Silesian Days of Contemporary Music (2024). His works have also been performed abroad, including at the Skalholt Summer Concerts in Iceland (2018). In addition to instrumental music, he has several electronic projects to his credit, e.g. the sound design for Olga Kulish's installation Empathy (2021).

He is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions, including 1st prize for chop(p)-IN-g for solo piano at the 18th Tadeusz Ochlewski Composition Competition organized by Polish Music Publishing House (2021), a distinction for SHAKESPEARE-MONOLOGUES at the 63rd Tadeusz Baird Competition for Young Composers organized by the Polish Composers' Union (2022), a distinction for Study no. 1 "Mechanical resoncances" at the 2nd Karol Szymanowski International Music Competition in the composition category (piano, 2022), and a distinction for O Solitude at the 3rd HM Górecki International Composition Competition (2024).

He is also active in the field of music criticism. He participated in music criticism workshops organized by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute as part of the qualifying rounds for the 18th Chopin Competition (2021) and organized by the National Institute of Music and Dance as part of the 2nd Stanisław Moniuszko International Polish Music Competition in Rzeszów (2021). He co-wrote the blog "Na Cztery Rękay" (Four Hands). His writings regularly appear in Ruch Muzyczny. He currently teaches at his alma mater.