Tomasz Strahl – One of the most outstanding polish cellists. He is a professor at The Frederic Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. During his career, he has conducted numerous masterclass courses in Poland, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Japan, and South America. Also has been on the jury of many international and polish cello competitions. Since 2012 he’s participating in the promotion of the new issue of The Frederic Chopin’s National Collection of Works edited by professor Jan Ekier, performing with the oeuvre of Chopin in Piano and cello concerts throughout the biggest European cities.
Education:
He graduated from the Frederic Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, cello class of Professor Kazimierz Michalik in 1989. As a holder of the scholarship of the Austrian Government he completed a one-year postgraduate course at Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna under Tobias Kühne. He also studied chamber music under an outstanding violinist Krzysztof Jakowicz with whom he has performed for many years.
Experience:
- Among the masters of the baton with whom he had an opportunity to collaborate are: Andrzej Boreyko, Jan Krenz, Henryk Czyż, Philippe Entremont, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Wojciech Michniewski, Tomasz Bugaj, Marcin Nałęcz-Niesiołowski, Krzysztof Penderecki, Jerzy Salwarowski,
- For many years he has been an active concert musician, performing with such orchestras as Polish Chamber Orchestra, Polish Radio Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra of the Polish Radio in Katowice, Sinfonietta Cracovia, SinfoniaVarsovia, Concerto Avenna, Sofia Philharmonic, Orquestra Sinfônica Municipal São Paulo (Brazil) and with almost all philharmonic orchestras in Poland, with the National Philharmonic Orchestra at the top of them.
- He has performed in various famous venues such as (among others): Schauspielhaus (Berlin), Brucknersaal (Linz), St. John’s Smith Square (London), Art Center (Tel Aviv), Toppan Hall (Tokyo), Auditori (Barcelona), Glinka Hall in Sankt Petersburg, Moniuszko Hall at the Great Theatre in Warsaw, and the National Philharmonic.
- He has made numerous archive recordings for Polish Radio and National Television and also CBC Radio in Canada.
Prizes and awards:
- I prize Academic Cello Competition in Warsaw in 1987,
- I prize International Nicanor Zabaleta Music Competition in San Sebastian, Spain 1991,
- awarded with the scholarship of the Polish and Japanese Foundation JESC, 1994,
- Awarded with the “Fryderyk” prize, 2003,
- awarded with the Silver Medal ‘For Merits to Culture’ Gloria Artis and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Rebirth of Poland.
Recordings:
- Astor Piazzolla – Tango, Sony Classics, 2003,
- Weronika Ratusińska: Chamber Music, DUX, 2007,
- Fryderyk Chopin: Transcriptions for Cello and Piano, DUX, 2017.