Maciej Kończak

guitar lute theorbo

about...

Maciej Kończak – guitarist and lutenist. He graduated with honours from the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań in the lute class of Henryk Kasperczak, DMus, and in the guitar class of Prof. Jerzy Nalepka as well as from the State Higher Vocational School in Leszno in Art Education. He has also been honing his skills at numerous masterclasses in the field of early and contemporary music performance, participating in classes conducted by the most outstanding instrumentalists, e.g. Leo Brouwer, Pepe Romero, Judicaël Perroy, Pavel Steidl, Carles Trepat, and Jakob Lindberg.As far as his artistic activities are concerned, in addition to performing solo music on period guitars and lutes, he focuses on chamber music and basso continuo. In that field, he has worked with leading early music ensembles, e.g. Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, Musicae Antiquae Collegium Varsoviense, Goldberg Baroque Ensemble, Consortium Sedinum, Capella Jenensis, Opus Baroque Ensemble, Ensemble del Passato, and with such musical personalities as Lilianna Stawarz, Paul Esswood, Bruno Cocset, or Vincenzo Capezzuto.He has taken part in programmes broadcast by Polish Radio and TVP Kultura. Since 2017, CDs with his participation have been released on a regular basis. In 2018, he made his solo debut with the album Baroque Lute Recital, which received an excellent review in Ruch Muzyczny (2/2019).Director of the only cyclical event in Poland devoted to lute music – the Najkrótsza Noc Wojciecha Długoraja [Shortest Night of Wojciech Długoraj] festival held in Gostyń since 2014. Maciej Kończak used to be a lecturer at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań and the Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music in Łódź. He promotes conscious historically informed performance and is a valued guitar teacher, awarded many times for outstanding preparation of his pupils and students for national and international guitar competitions. He runs workshops and lectures as part of both academic scientific sessions and international music courses.