Biography

Artur Paciorkiewicz was born in 1945 in Ursus city near Warsaw. He studied violin in Irena Dubiska class and viola at Stefan Kamasa at Frederick Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw. He also took supplementary course in chamber music at Siena, where he received diploma with distinction.

He also attended master classes lead by Pal Lukacs (Weimar), Ulrich Koch (Freiburg, RFN) and Raphael Hillyer (New Heaven, USA). Between 1969 and 1989 he worked at Frederick Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw as an Associate Professor teaching viola playing and as a Chairman of Chamber Music Faculty. Until 1971 he had played in Chamber Orchestra of National Filharmony directed by Karol Teutsch. From 1970 to 1976 he was a member of Wilanowski String Quartet and in 1976 co-founded Varsovia String Quartet in which he played until 1989 when it was dissolved. Since then he has been a member and soloist of orchestra Sinfonia Varsovia.

Artur Paciorkiewicz has won many international music competitions.

As a soloist:

  • Yehudi Menuhin’s letter of recomendation in London (1968),
  • Bronze Medal at International Music Competition in Geneva (1972).

As a chamber musician:

  • “Orpheus” – Critics’ Prize at the International Festival of Contemporary Music “Warsaw Autumn” (1965),
  • the Honorary Diploma of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena,
  • the 2nd Award in Viena (1970),
  • the Silver Medal in Bordeaux (1972),
  • the 3rd Award in Munich (1973),
  • Yale’s University Honorary Diploma (1977),
  • the 1st Award at the Radio String Quartets’ Competition in Warsaw (1977),
  • the 4th Award at the Radio String Quartets’ Competition in Helsinki (1978),
  • “Polihymnia” Medal at the Festival of Contemporary Polish Music in Poznan (1979),
  • the 2nd Award and the Special Prize of the International Jury of Critics in Evian (1979).

As a soloist and chamber musician Artur plays rich repertoire covering both classic and contemporary music for viola and viola d’amore. He made numerous recordings for radio, TV and such record labels as Chant du Monde, DUX, EMI, Olympia, Pavane, RCA, Polskie Nagrania.