Prof. Andrzej Ślązak (Poland)

Pianist Andrzej Ślązak (b. 1985, Lublin) began his music education at the age of six under the supervision of Piotr Stopaat the Karol Szymanowski State Music School in Zamość. He continued at the Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music in Łódź in the class of Prof. Tadeusz Chmielewski and earned the degree of Master of Arts in 2010. After completing his doctoral studies at the Łódź Music Academy and presenting his dissertation on the works of contemporary Polish composer Paweł Szymański in 2014, Andrzej Ślązak became a Doctor of Musical Arts and was appointed Associate Professor in 2021. Ślązak’s commitment to promoting Polish culture and heritage was recognized with the Culture Award of the Marshal of the Świętokrzyskie Region and the Jan Kochanowski University’s Award for scientific achievements. He is also a scholarship recipient of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2020) and Fulbright Senior Award (2023).

Ślązak’s artistic activities focus on performances of early and modern music. He refined his pianistic skills under the guidance of such artists as Nicolas Hodges and Marino Formenti (42. Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music), Rebekka Hartmann (Dresdner MeisterkurseMusik), Tomasz Tomaszewski (Universität der Künste,Berlin), Szabolcs Esztenyi, Eugene Indjic, Andrzej Jasiński, Kevin Kenner, Małgorzata Walentynowicz, and Krystian Zimerman, among others. He has frequently performed during the MUSICA MODERNA Contemporary Music Festival (Łódź, Poland) and HARMOS International Chamber Music Conference (Porto, Portugal).

One of the first pianists in Poland to perform compositions bySalvatore Sciarrino, Peter Ablinger, John Adams, John Cage, Beat Furrer, Mauricio Kagel, Cornelius Schwehr and Łukasz Woś, Ślązak has performed all over the world, including the United States, England, Germany, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Portugal, China, and Taiwan. He also actively cooperates with such contemporary composers as Peter Ablinger, Zygmunt Krauze, Jerzy Mądrawski, Dariusz Przybylski, Paweł Szymański, Artur Zagajewski, and Łukasz Woś.

Thus far in his career, Ślązak has released nine albums with works of Józef Koffler, Zygmunt Krauze, Jerzy Mądrawski, Roman Palester, Karol Rathaus, Władysław Szpilman, Paweł Szymański, and Aleksander Tansman. He had also recorded such masterpieces of keyboard literature as Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, as well as worksby Eric Satie, Lili Boulanger and Simeon ten Holt.

Since 2017, Andrzej Ślązak has been a member of the Polish Society for Contemporary Music and served as editor for seven music publications. At present, he teaches at the Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, where he has been the head of the Music Department since 2020.

Jadwiga Padjas (Austria)

Prof. Martin Oboňa (Slovakia)

Martin Oboňa studied trumpet playing at The Conservatory of Žilina. He studied at Žilina University, faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Humanities – trumpet playing and music.

He grew up many great trumpet players and interpreters during his 20 year long conservatory work. Some of his famous students are eg. Lukáš Oravec (the leader of Oravec quartet), Tibor Ďuriak (the first trumpet player in Slovak National Theatre orchestra). The most of his students play in orchestras across whole Slovakia.

Mr. Oboňa provided many trumpete masterclasses in Bratislava and Kosice. Mr. Oboňa often takes part in the jury of several international competitions, his students are recognised on Competitions in Slovakia and abroad.

He is a member of  Žilina Conservatory,  The biggest success of this orchestra is the first place and the absolute winner in International competition of Big Bands in Děčín, Czech republic,as many first prizes in many other competitions.

Prof. Miroslav Hanáček (Slovakia)

Miroslav Hanáček graduated from the Conservatory in Žilina (Slovakia), and the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica (Slovakia) and obtains his masters from the Academy of Music in Kraków (Poland).

He runs his flute studio at  the Conservatory of Music in Žilina, beside his pedagogical activities he is also an active performer, he regullary appears  as well as soloist and with different orchestras.

Mirosław is a member of the State Chamber Orchestra of Žilina, the AdHoc Orchestra, and the AdLibitum baroque music ensemble. He has performed with the Avante trio at many concerts in Slovakia, in the Czech Republic and Spain. His students are winners of several international flute competitions.

In 2021 Mirosław has got his d PhD from the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica under the guidance of the world known Czech flutist prof. Václav 

Prof. Zdzisław Łapiński (Poland)

Born in Kraków in 1956 he began playing the cello at the age of 7, gaining his diploma at the High School of Music (presently Academy of Music) in Kraków in 1979 and continued his studies at Yale University. In 2012 he finished postgraduated studies MBA Higher Education Management in Poznań.

He was a prize-winner of several national and international cello and chamber music competitions – in Evian, Florence, Poznań, Łódź.

He gave concerts as a soloist and performer of chamber music in France, Italy, Switzerland,

Yugoslavia, USA, Brazil, Germany and Malta among the others.

In 1979 he joined „Capella Cracoviensis” Chamber Orchestra. In 1981 he was appointed Principal Cellist of Krakow Radio&TV Orchestra and from 1989 to 2012 he hold the same position at National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice.

In 1992 he founded Cello Ensemble „ CANTABILE ” and hold position of Artistic Director.

99749. 1997 he was also Artistic Director of Chamber Ensemble „ Primo Allegro ”.

Since 1981 until present days he teaches cello in Academy of Music in Kraków where he held position of Head of Cello&Double Bass Department. Besides giving masterclasses all over the world he also judges many international competitions and was appointed as a Visiting Professor of Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

In 2008-2012 he was the Vice Rector for International Cooperation and in 2012-2016 he hold position of Rector of Academy of Music in Cracow.

In 2012-2016 he was the Vice President of the Association of Baltic Academies of Music – ABAM.

From 2016 he is a member of Council of AEC – Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musiques et Musikhochschulen,

Patricia Shih (Canada)

Patricia Shih is recognized as one of Canada’s preeminent musicians as soloist, educator, and first violinist of the Borealis String Quartet. At 14, her mentor Josef Gingold described her as "one of the greatest talents that I have ever taught. Her great technique, inborn musicality, sense of style and virtuosity are unequalled." Since her Carnegie Hall debut in New York, Patricia has appeared as soloist with all the major orchestras in Canada and with leading orchestras worldwide such as the Royal Philharmonic, Halle Orchestra, Mexico National Orchestra, Singapore and Seattle Symphonies, Munich Chamber Orchestra, and the Polish National Radio. She has performed as soloist in some of the world’s great venues such as the Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, Wigmore Hall in London, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Liszt Akademy Hall in Budapest, amongst many others, and has received rave reviews for her magnificent performances often comparing her to some of the great violinists of the past. On the Biography Channel, a half hour documentary on Patricia's career was televised across North America. Patricia made her first public debut at the age of 4 and has won numerous awards from an early age. She won the Grand Prize at both the CIBC National Music Competition and the Seattle Young Artists Competition in the USA.

As an educator, Patricia has been on faculty and as Artist in Residence at the University of British Columbia and at Kwantlen Polytechnic University for over a decade. Patricia was recently honored as a “Distinguished Fellow of BC” for the applauded presentations and lectures given as a Visiting Scholar at Green College@ UBC. Patricia is also on faculty at the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Italy and has given innumerable masterclasses at internationally known institutions, most recently at the Szymanowski Academy in Poland and the Hochschule of Mainz in Germany.

Patricia has sat on the jury panel of many competitions and festivals including the Ekhardt-Grammate National Competition and on the Canada Council for the Arts. As a philanthropist, Patricia and the Borealis have devoted their time and art by playing hundreds of performances as part of the Health Arts Society and Concerts in Care. The Borealis also raises the awareness of young composers in the annual Jean Coulthard Quartet Readings by promoting works especially written for the event. She also performs charity concerts for many causes including Children in Need, the Red Cross and Tsunami Relief amongst others.

Since 2019, Patricia became an Associate Professor of Violin at Baylor University in Waco, Texas and was honored as guest soloist with the Baylor Symphony Orchestra at the TMEA in San Antonio, Texas. While she is not practicing the violin, Patricia can be found practicing her cooking skills, biking and hiking in the mountains of BC and more recently, in the nature parks of Waco, Texas.

Pianist and teacher, recognised as ‘’the Artist of Austria’'.

Artistic director of the International Gloria Artis Festival , President of the International Music Association Gloria Artis in Vienna. 

Member of the board of the Polish Diaspora Forum in Austria.

Mrs Padjas graduated from the Academy of Music in Krakow studied with 

prof. Irina Sijalowa - Vogel.

From over than 30 years Mrs Padjas lives in Vienna where she pursues lively pedagogical activities, having her own music school in Vienna she teaches and promotes talented students and pianists especially form Poland .

Her students are top prize winners on international competitions in Austria ,Italy, Russia, Poland .

Having her International Music Association Gloria Artis Mrs Padjas helped many pianits having their artsitc carrer begin , baiscally promoting their talentes in Austria. Mrs Padjas serves as jury member in many International Piano Competitions such as International Chopin Piano Competition in Vienna, International Piano Competition Chopin plus in Kraków and International Piano Competition in Moscow , Trzciana , Kielce and many others.

 In September 2009 She received the prize ‘’ Meritorious for Polish culture’’ for her musical and educational contributions.