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Krzysztof Smietana
 
  Benjamin Britten

KRZYSZTOF SMIETANA
Jury member
 
“ …a violinist with robust sound, played boldly with empathy and character…one was struck by how expressively and vividly Smietana was able to mould his sound… and to produce his tone from every fibre of his body.” The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Krzysztof Smietana was born in Poland, first studied at the Cracow Academy of Music, later moving to London to study at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where he himself now teaches. He won most of the national awards in Poland and has been a prizewinner in several major international violin competitions.

He has made many recital and concerto appearances throughout Britain as well as abroad and is regularly heard on BBC Radio3 including the highly acclaimed performances of both Szymanowski's concertos with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. His recording of the Panufnik's Violin Concerto with London Musici for Conifer became the CD of the month in CD Review magazine. He has played the concerto throughout Europe , prompting the Strad comment on his “beautifully controlled slow bowing and languorous vibrato”. He has recorded Faure's Sonatas for Meridian , the Brahms' Sonatas for ASV and Stravinsky's Violin Concerto with the Philharmonia conducted by Robert Craft for Music Masters.

Adding to his activities as a soloist and chamber musician (he is a member of a renowned London Mozart Trio), he has been appearing as a guest of several British Orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed as a soloist at the PROMS Festival with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.