English
Tomasz Kamieniak is a pianist and composer who enjoys playing the
music of Franz Liszt and Charles Valentin Alkan as well as less known
composers.
Tomasz graduated from the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice in the piano class of Professor Joanna Domańska. He further developed his playing under Professor Rolf-Dieter Arens at the University of Music in Weimar, Konstantin Scherbakov (Piano Master Classes), Professor Zbigniew Raubo (postgraduate studies in Katowice), and Leslie Howard in London.
Kamieniak was awarded the special prize at the 4th International FRANZ LISZT Piano Competition in Weimar. He recorded piano works by Józef Wieniawski as the winner of the Grand Prix at the 4th Competition for a Recording Project “Forgotten Polish Music” organised by the Acte Préalable publishing house. A scholarship recipient, both from the Marshall’s Office in Katowice and the Wagner Society in Bayreuth, Kamieniak also received a prize presented by the Mayor of Tarnowskie Góry in recognition of his cultural achievements.
Highlights of Kamieniak’s solo performances include: the Alkan Concerto for Solo Piano at the Indian Summer in Levoca Music Festival, the Piano Extravaganza Festival in Sofia and during recitals given in Kiev, Weimar, London, Bayreuth and Świętokrzyska Philharmonic in Kielce, and the Alkan Symphony for Solo Piano in the Academy of Music in Katowice, as well as in Bielsko-Biała and Zakopane.
Tomasz gave recitals in Bayreuth and Venice organised by the Wagner Society. In 2008, during a three-part recital at the Steingraeber Haus in Bayreuth, he performed all Wagnerian transcriptions of Liszt on his piano from 1876. Tomasz also performed Liszt's two-piano arrangement of the Faust Symphony with Leslie Howard in London. In 2021, he performed at the American Liszt Society Festival via recorded videos and in 2022 for the London Alkan Society’s Annual Meeting.
With orchestra, Kamieniak debuted at the Polish Youth Symphony Orchestra under Andrzej Affeltowicz with the Liszt Second Piano Concerto; played the Wieniawski Piano Concerto with the Koszalin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Monika Wolinska during the Polish Music Festival “Swego nie Znacie” and with Swietokrzyska Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Alexander Walker during the Swietokrzyskie Days of Music Festival; Górecki Concerto and Glass Tirol Concerto with the Nomos String Orchestra conducted by Mieczysław Unger during the New Music Festival in Bytom; Kilar Second Piano Concerto and Górecki Concerto with Maciej Tomasiewicz conducting Archetti String Orchestra in Jaworzno.
Tomasz Kamieniak is also a composer and his considerable opus earned recognition among performers as well as the audience. Kamieniak is the author of piano and harpsichord music, chamber music, vocal music and film music, as well as piano transcriptions of works by Kilar, Górecki, Glass, Korngold, Prokofiev etc. His works are performed by artists such as Anna Górecka, Gabriela Szendzielorz-Jungiewicz, Aleksandra Gajecka-Antosiewicz, Anna Krzysztofik-Buczyńska among others.
In 2022 Kamieniak's Concerto for Harpsichord and String Orchestra op.78 premiered at the Podlasie Philharmonic in Białystok and subsequently at the Witold Lutosławski Polish Radio Concert Hall with Sinfonia Iuventus, conducted by Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk with harpsichordist Anna Krzysztofik-Buczyńska.
His discography consists of an album with works by Józef Wieniawski (Acte Préalable), two albums of his own piano compositions (Acte Préalable), an album with works by Valentin Silvestrov (Brilliant Classics), and the first volume of a Liszt Polonicum collection (DUX)
Tomasz Kamieniak makes his home in Berlin