Dr. Dariusz Bator
Bassoonist
and Contrabassoonist
Members of the
ContraPianoDuet are:
Bassoonist and Contrabassoonist – Dr. Dariusz Bator (Soloist of the
Wroclaw Opera Orchestra, Poland) and Pianist – Dr. Gracjan
Szymczak. Both artists are Lecturers at the Karol Lipinski Academy of
Music in Wroclaw. The ensemble was formed in 2020 by Dr. Dariusz Bator, and its inspiration was promotion
of chamber music, with particular emphasis on those performed on a rare
instrument
in a solo role – Contrabassoon. Apart from contemporary music, the
ContraPianoDuet
repertoire includes various eras pieces.
Dr. Dariusz Bator - Bassoon and Contrabassoon
Dr. Gracjan Szymczak - Piano
He was born in 1986 in Wroclaw (Poland).
He graduated from the Karol Lipinski Academy of Music in Wroclaw in the
following classes: Professor Grzegorz Kurzynski (Piano), Professor Lidia
Grzanka-Urbaniak (Cello) and Professor Marek Pijarowski (Conducting)
receiving a diploma with distinction in each specialty. In 2012, he
obtained a Doctoral degree, and in 2019 a postdoctoral degree in musical
arts.
He is a laureate of over 40 national and international Piano
competitions. He received, among others: the Special Award "for a
pianist distinguished by his musicality" at the 15th Fryderyk Chopin International Competition in Warsaw (2005); Grand Prix at the 13th International Piano Competition M. Magina (Paris 2009) and III Prize at
the International Chopin Competition (Canberra, Australia 2011).
He is also a laureate of several dozen national music festivals. He has
received numerous scholarships from the Minister of Culture and National
Heritage, the President of Wroclaw Scholarship and the Piotr Kler
Foundation Scholarship. He recorded for Polish Radio and Television. He
has six solo CDs in his artistic output. He conducts lively concert
activities – he has performed in Poland, Austria, Czech Republic,
France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Turkey, China and
Australia.
In 2012, he started working at Wroclaw Academy of Music. As a teacher,
he is often invited to conduct Piano courses, as well as to sit on the
jury in Piano competitions.
In 2019, he was awarded the Bronze Cross of
Merit. From 2020, he is the Deputy Dean
of the Instrumental Department at the Karol Lipinski Academy of Music in
Wroclaw.
...................... download information about ensemble (.pdf) ......................