Daniel Wnukowski

Daniel Wnukowski
Born July 15, 1981
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s) Pianist
Instruments Piano
Website http://www.wnukowski.com/

Daniel Wnukowski (born July 15, 1981) is a Polish Canadian pianist from Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Early years and training

At age 3 and a half, he showed strong fascination for a grand piano made completely out of glass in a music store and begged his parents to begin taking piano lessons.[1][2]

He studied piano at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, Poland, with Piotr Paleczny, at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland with Leon Fleisher[1][2] and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Ronan O'Hora and Graham Johnson. In 2006, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the International Piano Academy Lake Como.[3]

Performing and recording career

His winning numerous performance awards and prizes has enabled him to perform all over Europe, Asia, North America and South America in many prestigious concert halls including the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, Poland, the Concertgebouw Music Hall in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the Salle Pleyel in Paris, France, and the Stadt Casino in Basel, Switzerland, the Tokyo University of the Arts in Tokyo, Japan and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Italy.[1][2]

He has performed with the Polish Radio Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Windsor Symphony, Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana, Southfield Symphony, Celebrity Symphony Orchestra, Poznan Philharmonic, Tifereth Israel Orchestra, with conductors such as Jerzy Maksymiuk, Alain Trudel, David Amos, Tomasz Bugaj, Romolo Gessi and John Morris Russell. He is also very active as a chamber musician and vocal accompanist.[1][2]

In May 2010, Daniel Wnukowski performed a special recital in Tokyo, Japan to commemorate the unveiling of a new Chopin monument in that city.[4] This also led to a debut in Singapore, where he accompanied an Erhu, in the hall of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.[5] He also performed an outdoor concert for a large crowd at the Singapore Botanic Gardens in a concert program entitled "Chopin by the Lake."[6]

In 2007, he performed Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 and Mozart's Piano Concert No. 27 with the Polish Radio Orchestra under the direction of Tomasz Bugaj which was broadcast on Polish Radio stations.[7] At age 14, he performed at the Polish Embassy for government diplomats and officials in Ottawa, Ontario, becoming the youngest pianist to ever perform at the Embassy. In 1997, in remembrance of the outbreak of World War II, he performed a recital at the National Theatre in Warsaw, Poland in front of an audience of over 2,000 people, which was broadcast all over European television.[1]

Wnukowski has also performed in important piano festivals such as the Chopin and His Europe festival in Warsaw, Poland, the Spoleto Festival Dei Due Mondi in Spoleto,[8] Italy, the Duszniki Zdrój Chopin Festival in Duszniki Zdrój, Poland,[1] the Euromusica Masterconcert Series and the Uto Ughi Festival in Rome, Italy,[9] the Chopin in Autumn Colours International Festival in Antonin, Poland,[10] the Coppet Festival in Geneva, Switzerland,[11] as well as those organized by the Chopin Society in Basel, Switzerland,[12] the Chopin Society in Vienna, Austria[13] and the Chopin Society in Rome, Italy.[14]

His performances have been broadcast on radio and television stations throughout the world including CBC Radio, Polish Radio 2, Dublin City FM, Tuttoggi TV, Rai Uno, Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana and Last FM.

He recorded a CD entitled A Chopin Recital at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Ontario in 2001.[15]

He is noted for his affinity for performing the works of Frédéric Chopin. The San Diego Art's music critic wrote that "his dynamic range is phenomenal" and that he has an "ability to play things at supernatural velocity without making a single mistake."[16]

Wnukowski is currently active in promoting various charitable organizations.[17][18]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Wnukowski biography. Wnukowski.com - last updated November 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Daniel Wnukowski biography at Download.com.
  3. ↑ International Piano Academy Lake Como. List of students admitted.
  4. ↑ Concert Flyer and Program. Geidai University of Music and Fine Arts in Tokyo, Japan.
  5. ↑ Concert Bulletin.
  6. ↑ Chopin by the Lake. Concert Announcement.
  7. ↑ Polskie Radio 2007 playlist.
  8. ↑ Spoleto - Cultura e Spettacoli Concert Review
  9. ↑ Teatro Ghione Concert Series Flyer
  10. ↑ Concert Review from Polish newspaper.
  11. ↑ Bulletin Festival Michel Sogny au Château de Coppet.
  12. ↑ Chopin Gesellscaft in Basel Program 2006/2007.
  13. ↑ Connecting Culture Austria Schedule of the 32nd Chopin Festival, 2007.
  14. ↑ Press Release ZAL, il richiamo della terra.
  15. ↑ Amazon.com: Daniel Wnukowski - a Chopin Recital: Frederic Chopin, Daniel Wnukowski: Music
  16. ↑ Gregson, David von. "An Evening with Pianist Daniel Wnukowski". San Diego Arts. Feb 17, 2006.
  17. ↑ The Staniszewski Foundation Last updated May, 2008.
  18. ↑ "Piano Virtuoso." Newton, Lori. Windsor Life Magazine, Feb/Mar2008, Pages 26-27.

External links