Magdalena Lisak (Poland)

Born in Katowice, the pianist Magdalena Lisak is carrying on a family musical tradition. Since a very early age, she has been winning top prizes in national and international competitions. In 1994, she graduated with distinction from the piano class of Professor Andrzej Jasiński at the Karol Szymanowski Music Academy in Katowice. In that same year, after reaching the semi-final of the Géza Anda Competition in Zurich, she was awarded a private grant to continue her studies at the Zurich Conservatory under Homero Francesch. One of her most valuable experiences was a course  at the Basle Music Academy, from 1996 to 1998, under Krystian Zimerman. She has also honed her skills in masterclasses given by Victor Merzhanov and Leon Fleisher, an in chamber music with members of Amadeus Quartet.

Sixth Prize in the Thirteenth International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1995 opened the door for Magdalena Lisak to such prestigious concert halls as Hitomi Memorial Hall in Tokyo, Stadt-Casino in Basle, Rudolfinum in Prague and National Philharmonic in Warsaw. She has also taken part in Chopin festivals in Duszniki, Nohant- La Châtre, Mariánské Láznê, Ghent, Geneva and Warsaw [“Chopin And His Europe”]. Her interpretations have been recorded for Deutsche Rundfunk, Radio Suisse Romande, Polish Radio and Telewizja Polska, and also on CD for DUX, Polskie Radio S.A., Polskie Radio Katowice and CD Accord.

She regularly gives recitals, as well as concerts with orchestra and chamber ensembles in Poland, other parts of Europe, the USA, Canada, Japan, China and Brasil. She is fascinated by the variety of music trends in the 20th century. In 2000, she performed György Ligeti’s  Etudes for the composer, who rated her interpretation highly. She has given premiere performances in a number of festivals: the Silesian Days of Contemporary Music in Katowice, the International Cracow Composers’ Festival, International Festival Laboratory of Contemporary Music in Warsaw and Bialystok, and the Warsaw Autumn. She has performed as a soloist with such conductors as Kazimierz Kord, Tadeusz Strugała, Tomasz Bugaj, Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk, Jerzy Salwarowski, Massimiliano Caldi, Agnieszka Duczmal, Jacques Mercier and Reinbert de Leeuw. Invited by National Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw she has performed and recorded the works of F. Chopin on historical instrument Erard, among others the solo works in the CD series “The Real Chopin”

She pursues various artistic projects under the ægis of the Silesian Music Society, of which she is founder and chair. Currently she is Professor at Karol Szymanowski Music Academy in Katowice and the Head of the Piano Department. Her teaching work includes masterclasses at the Showa Academia Musicae in Tokyo, University in Ostrava (Czech Republic), National Music Academy „Pancho Vladigerov” in Sofia (Bulgaria) as well as lectures at Japanese institutions of higher artistic education and a DVD recording of works for children and youngsters as part of the series of didactic releases: The piano. General Method. In addition, she has sat on the jury of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Asia [2010, 2011, 2012, 2016], the Qualification Committee of the Fifteenth International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw and 54. Beethovenův Hradec International Music Competition and Music Festival (2016) in Hradec nad Moravici (Czech Republic).