Walentynowicz, Małgorzata
Polish pianist born in Gdańsk. She specialises in the performance of contemporary music. She is the winner of 1st Prize at the 37th Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition in Amsterdam and 1st Prize in The Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Music Competition in Buffalo. She also received an Honourable Mention at the International Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt and was nominated for the Classical Innovation Award in Rotterdam.
Equally active as a soloist and chamber musician, she continuously seeks innovative approaches to the performance and presentation of music. She is particularly interested in works exploring the relationship between music and the body, as well as between music and the visual arts. She takes part in projects combining elements of performance, theatre, video, and photography. In her multimedia projects, the sound of the traditional piano intertwines with contemporary electronics, keyboards, and synthesizers. By bringing these instruments together, she boldly explores the complex relationships between humans and technology.
She has performed at the leading festivals worldwide, including Warsaw Autumn, MaerzMusik, Ultraschall, ECLAT, Heroines of Sound, Music Current, Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik, Mixtur Festival (Barcelona), Rainy Days (Luxembourg), Klangspuren, Musica Strasbourg, Gaudeamus Muziekweek, ISCM World Music Days, SPOR, Klang, Acht Brücken, Montreal/New Musics Festival, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Sacrum Profanum, Musica Polonica Nova, Musica Electronica Nova, the Polish Festival of Premieres, and Tzlil Meudcan.
As a soloist, she has cooperated with numerous orchestras, including the Warsaw Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Polish Radio Orchestra, Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, New Music Orchestra, Illinois Modern Ensemble, and Ensemble Neofonia. Her performances have been released on numerous albums by renowned labels including Kairos, WERGO, DUX, Mek Records, Challenge Records, and GENUIN (one of which received the prestigious Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritikaward).
She graduated from the Academy of Music in Gdańsk, the High School of Music, Theatre and Media in Hanover, and the High School of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart, where she completed postgraduate studies in the interpretation of contemporary music with distinction.
She is Professor of Arts and teaches at the Academy of Music in Gdańsk and at the International Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt.
She performs with Ensemble Garage (Cologne) and the New European Ensemble (The Hague).