Marek Szlezer (Poland)
Marek Szlezer born in Krakow, began piano lessons at the age of five. He was educated in music schools of the first and second degree under the guidance of Krystyna Adamska, Jerzy Łukowicz, and Stefan Wojtas. From 1994 to 2000, he studied at the "Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris "A. Cortot" in France in the piano class of Prof. M. Crudel, earning a "Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste" diploma. He graduated from the Academy of Music in Krakow in 2004 in the class of Prof. E. Bukojemska, with honours. In the same year, he received a royal scholarship for postgraduate studies at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elizabeth in Brussels in the class of A. Rahman El-Bacha, which he completed in June 2005 with honours, receiving the title "Master after Master". He obtained the title of professor in 2022. Currently, he is the head of the Piano Department at The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków.
As a twelve-year-old, he won the Grand Prix at the International Piano Competition in Rome in 1993, which established his international career. He is the recipient of numerous awards and has been a multiple recipient of scholarships from the Ministry of Culture the "A. Roussel" and "Amical" foundations in France, the "Talent Promotion Foundation" and the YAMAHA Foundation. He has attended master classes with, among others, D. Bashkirova, A. Ciccolini, E. Mogilevski, V. Banfield, M. Pressler, D. Merlet, J. Vanden-Eyden, and H. Czerny-Stefańska. He also took artistic advice from Fou Ts’ong and Kevin Konner. He has performed under the baton of conductors such as P. Borkowski, Ł. Borowicz, T. Bugaj, W. Czepiel, J.M. Florencio, P. Kotla, M. Nałęcz-Niesiołowski, M. Pijarowski, Z. Rychert, R. Silva, A.Wit, T. Wojciechowski.
Highly regarded for his interpretations of the works of Fryderyk Chopin. He received first place in the scholarship competition of the F. Chopin Society in Warsaw, third place in the International Chopin Competition in Mariańskie Łaźnie, a special award from the National Edition of the Complete Works of Fryderyk Chopin, as well as many other awards at renowned international piano competitions. His recital opened the 56th Chopin Festival in Duszniki Zdrój. He also had the honour of performing a recital on Chopin's original piano at the Collegium Maius Museum of the Jagiellonian University on the night of Poland's entry into the European Union in 2004. In March 2015 he performed at Carnegie Hall in New York to celebrate the 205th anniversary of the composer's birth.
He has numerous world and Polish first performances of contemporary works, including those by M. Stachowski, P. Mykietyn, and M.P. Górecki, as well as compositions dedicated to him by many composers. He has performed in prestigious concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw and Wigmore Hall and has recorded for radio stations and television stations throughout Europe. He is actively involved in promoting Polish music at home and abroad, making numerous discoveries and first performances of works by Polish composers, including Aleksander Tansman, Jadwiga Sarnecka, and Karol Szymanowski. He collaborates with The Polish Music Publishing House and, since 2013, he has been the editor of the editions of piano works by Polish composers for the Eufonium publishing house.
The artist performs and teaches at prestigious universities around the world, such as Cambridge, Columbia, Chicago, and São Paulo. His numerous recordings for Warner, DUX, and EMI have been recognized by critics and have received awards, including "La Clef de ResMusica", Gramophone Editor's Choice, 5 du Diapason, Prix de la SACD, Global Music Awards Outstanding Achievement, the title of Musicweb International's album of the month, and the "Album of the Year 2017" award from the Hi-Fi magazine. He has been nominated for the FRYDERYKI numerous times - a record with his participation received a statuette in 2025 in the Chamber Music category. He also received the Muzyczne Orły 2025 statuette and was nominated for the International Classical Music Awards.
He serves as a member of the board of the Karol Szymanowski Society and is a member of the Polish Phonographic Academy and the Ferenc Liszt Society. For his work in promoting Polish music he was awarded the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. Since 2022 Marek Szlezer has been a Steinway & Sons artist.