Pianists of the Competition

Alicja Tarczykowska Ph.D.

Pianist, chamber musician, opera coach.

She graduated with honors from the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, where she studied piano under Wiesława Ronowska (2006). She later honed her skills under Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń, completing a postgraduate course in Instrumental Studies at the Bydgoszcz Academy of Music (2008). She also completed the Postgraduate Song Studies course at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw (2012) and participated in the Young Talents Training Programme – Opera Academy at the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Warsaw (2015-2019).

Since 2006, she has worked as a pianist and tutor at the Faculty of Vocal Music and Drama and the Faculty of Instrumental Music at the Bydgoszcz Academy of Music, where she is currently an assistant professor. From 2011 to 2021, she was a lecturer at the Vocal and Acting Department / Institute of Vocal Studies at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań. She collaborates with singers in concerts, recordings, competitions, and masterclasses.

Her achievements include serving as an official competition pianist at the 9th, 10th and 11th International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competitions in Warsaw (2016, 2019) and the 1st, the 2nd and the 3rd Bogdan Paprocki Competitions for Young Polish Singers at Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz (2019, 2021). She has received special recognition at the Imrich Godin International Vocal Competition Iuventus Canti in Vrable, Slovakia (2014, 2019), as well as at national competitions in Mława (2015, 2021), Drezdenko (2018), Bydgoszcz (Ignacy J. Paderewski Vocal Competition, 2018), Busko-Zdrój (Krystyna Jamroz National Vocal Competition, 2019), and Bydgoszcz (Bogdan Paprocki National Vocal Competition, 2019).

In recognition of her contributions to Polish culture, she was awarded the honorary Medal of Merit (2017). She holds a doctoral degree in musical arts, conferred by the Senate of the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań (2020).

Robert Marat Prof.Tit.

Pianist, chamber pianist and vocal coach.

Since October 2017, Professor Robert Marat has been teaching a piano class at the Academy of Music in Łódź, Poland. Previously, he worked for 29 years at the Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland. In 2012 he was awarded the title of Professor of Musical Arts (ProfTit). He headed the piano class at the Department of Instrumental and Pedagogical Studies of the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music (2002-2007).

Between 1997 and 2009 he collaborated with the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria.

He gives numerous courses, consultations, lectures and sits on the Jury of competitions. He is a laureate of many piano and chamber music competitions (including the Karol Szymanowski Competition in Lodz, Poland in 1987). He is active as a solo pianist and chamber musician. He also performs as a soloist with symphony orchestras.

Over the years he has worked with many outstanding singers. He has made many recordings for Polish Radio and Television and on CD. For the Selene label he recorded, for the first time in the history of phonography, works by Raul Koczalski and Aleksander Michałowski, which appeared in the series 'Great Polish Chopin Tradition'.

His artistic work is inspired by his close contact with nature; he is an active mountaineer and sailor.