PIOTR PALECZNY

One of the most outstanding Polish pianists and professors, laureate of five international piano competitions. He completed piano studies at the Frederick Chopin Music University in Warsaw in the class of prof. Jan Ekier. The opportunity of having artistic contact with Arthur Rubinstein and Witold Lutoslawski also had a huge impact on the final development of his artistic personality.
The success achieved at the 8th Frederick Chopin International Competition opened to Paleczny the doors of many prestigious world concert halls. Receiving, in company of Garrick Ohlsson and Mitsuko Uchida, the Third Prize, the Special Prize for the best performance of a Polonaise and the Witold Małcużyński Prize initiated his successful career on all continents.
He performed as a soloist with such prominent orchestras as the Warsaw National Philharmonic, the Polish Radio National Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the American Symphony, Concertgebouw, the Royal Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon, Gewandhaus, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, RAI, Santa Cecilia, Orquestas Sinfónicas de Mexico, Argentina and España.
He gave concerts in distinguished concert halls including the Carnegie Hall, the Alice Tully Hall and the UN General Assembly Hall in New York, the Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Berliner Philharmonie, Gewandhaus, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Concertgebouw, Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Royal Festival Hall in London and Festspielhaus in Salzburg.
He has held master classes in New York, Tokyo, Sydney, Paris, Amsterdam, Hamamatsu, Montevideo, Copenhagen, Mexico City, Warsaw…
He has gained great recognition as a juror at international piano competitions in Warsaw, Leeds, Paris, Tel Aviv, London, Cleveland, Toronto, Seoul, Moscow…
In July 2007, he was the Chairman of the Cleveland International Piano Competition Jury, where he was the first Pole pianist to be invited to chair the jury of an international USA piano competition.
In 2001 Paleczny was the soloist of the extraordinary Gala Concert for the 100th Anniversary of the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra.
His and "Prima Vista" quartet’s CD, "The best of Chopin" recorded by  DUX  label was awarded with the "Frederick 99" prize by the Polish Phonographic Academy and, in 2002, with the "Platinum Disc".
Since 1993 he has been Artistic Director of the oldest existing piano festival in the world – the International Chopin Piano Festival in Duszniki Zdroj, as well as the Artistic Director of the International Paderewski Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz, both in Poland.
In 1998 the President of Poland conferred him the title of Professor. Paleczny conducts the piano class at the Frederick Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. Within just ten years of his educational work, Paleczny’s students received more than 35 prizes and awards at international and all-Poland piano competitions.
In January 2010 Paleczny inaugurated the Chopin Year with a concert at the Polish Parliament. The artist was honored with many prestige awards such as the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and the Mexican Order of the Aguila Azteca. Paleczny was also awarded the "Meritorious for Culture – Gloria Artis" Gold Medal.