dr hab. Milena Kędra, prof. AMKP
Dr. hab. Milena Kędra, Professor at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, is a pianist, chamber musician, and pedagogue whose artistic path has been shaped by outstanding pianists and teachers such as Andrzej Pikul, Piotr Paleczny, Halina Czerny-Stefańska, Jan Ekier, Maria Szmyd-Dormus, Kevin Kenner, Jean Paul Sevilla, and Karl Heinz Kammerling.
During her studies, she completed an assistantship under Professor Adam Kaczyński—founder of the Department of Contemporary Music at the Academy of Music in Kraków and creator of the legendary MW2 ensemble specializing in contemporary music performance.
A recipient of scholarships from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Prof. T. Żmudziński Foundation, she has won over 30 prizes in piano and chamber music competitions. She has made archival recordings for Radio Opole, Radio Kraków, Radio Cluj-Napoca (Romania), as well as for Kraków Television, BBC, and NHK.
She performs extensively in Poland and internationally, appearing in countries including the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Moldova, Italy, Brazil, Slovenia, and Portugal. Together with Michał Dziad, she forms the Cracow Piano Duo and has premiered numerous works by contemporary Polish composers.
As a professor at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, she mentors successive generations of pianists, encouraging artistic independence and continuous development. She also serves as Head of the Keyboard Section at the Frédéric Chopin Secondary Music School in Kraków.Her students and graduates have won over 130 prizes at national and international competitions and continue to build successful artistic, academic, and pedagogical careers. Among them, Michał Basista was a participant in the 19th edition of the International Chopin Piano Competition (2025).
Alongside her artistic and pedagogical work, she is a highly active cultural organizer. She is the creator and artistic director of numerous initiatives, including the Kraków Festival of Young Pianists, the National Piano Duo Competition Quattro Mani, and the National Irena Rolanowska Piano Competition . She is also the founder and organizer of the Summer Art Manufactory project, which for six years supported young talents and promoted culture in Niepołomice. For a decade, she served as President of the Małopolska Art Manufactory Association, co-creating projects such as the chamber music festival Music in Old Balice and the interdisciplinary Hebdów Meetings with Art.
In particular, she is the originator and leading organizer of the interdisciplinary contemporary music festival MOSTY (“Bridges”)—a unique artistic platform combining music with other art forms and fostering dialogue between disciplines and audiences.
Her contribution to Polish culture and music education has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the Artistic Education Center Award, the Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, the “Meritorious for Polish Culture” distinction, the Honoris Gratia Decoration awarded by the Mayor of the City of Kraków for distinguished service to the city, and the Medal of the National Education Commission.