dr hab. Piotr Różański, prof. AMKP
Polish pianist Piotr Różański has built an international career as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator, with a particular commitment to rediscovering and promoting overlooked piano repertoire. He is Professor of Piano at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, where he also serves as Vice-Rector for Teaching and International Cooperation for the 2024–2028 term.
A prizewinner of national and international piano and chamber music competitions, Różański has performed extensively throughout Europe, as well as in the United States, Australia, and Israel. As a recitalist, he has appeared at some of Poland’s most prestigious international music festivals, including the Chopin and His Europe Festival, the International Chopin Piano Festival in Duszniki-Zdrój, and the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival. His chamber music partners have included distinguished artists such as Kaja Danczowska, Jakub Jakowicz, Marcin Zdunik, Rafał Kwiatkowski, Robert Kabara, and Maria Sławek.
Since 2013, Różański has performed with pianist Grzegorz Mania as the Zarębski Piano Duo. Rediscovering and promoting Polish repertoire for piano four hands has become an important part of the ensemble’s artistic identity, alongside twentieth- and twenty-first-century music. Its album Poland for 4 Hands features works by Juliusz Zarębski, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and Władysław Żeleński. The duo has also given world premieres of contemporary works for piano four hands by composers including Michał Pawełek, Anna Rocławska-Musiałczyk, Anna Dobrucka, Emil Bernard Wojtacki, and Ewa Trębacz. The ensemble has also developed a substantial repertoire of works by women composers, presenting this music internationally in Europe, the United States, and Australia.
Exploring lesser-known music is central to Różański’s wider work as a performer, researcher, and editor. His discography includes the critically acclaimed album Mieczysław Weinberg: Sonatas for Violin and Piano, recorded with violinist Maria Sławek and released by CD Accord. His particular interests include twentieth- and twenty-first-century piano music, repertoire for the left hand, forgotten Polish music, and works by women composers. He has explored these areas through recitals, lecture-recitals, lectures, publications, and presentations at international conferences and festivals. His scholarly work includes editing the multi-author volume Piano Music in the Works of Women Composers, published by the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków. In collaboration with PWM Edition, he has also contributed to bringing neglected repertoire back into circulation through his editorial work on the first edition of Roman Ryterband’s Piano Sonata No. 1, the anthology Piano Works for the Left Hand (Vol. 1), and publications devoted to Polish piano duet repertoire featuring works by Moritz Moszkowski, Franciszek Lessel, and Eugeniusz Morawski.
Alongside his performing and scholarly activities, Różański is deeply committed to piano education. He has given masterclasses and lectures at universities, conservatories, and music institutions across Europe, the United States, and Asia, including the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Conservatorio di Musica Benedetto Marcello in Venice, the University of Gothenburg, the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, Kansas State University, Colorado State University, and leading music institutions in China. He is also regularly invited to serve as a juror at piano competitions.
Różański studied piano with Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń and Ewa Bukojemska and chamber music with Janina Romańska-Werner at the Academy of Music in Kraków. His artistic development was further shaped through masterclasses with distinguished pianists and pedagogues including Paul Badura-Skoda, Eugen Indjic, Dina Yoffe, Aleksey Orlovetsky, Joaquín Soriano, Tamás Ungár, and Eleanor Wong. He received his Doctor of Arts degree in 2014 and completed his habilitation in 2019.