Zdunik, Marcin
He studied the cello with Andrzej Bauer and Juliusz Berger, as well as studying musicology at Warsaw University. He is now teaching the cello at the Gdańsk Academy of Music and holds a habilitation degree in music.
His repertoire ranges from the Renaissance to new music. He also improvises, arranges and composes. He has been a guest of prestigious festivals including the BBC Proms in London, Progetto Martha Argerich in Lugano, and Chopin and his Europe in Warsaw.
He has performed as a soloist at many major venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Cadogan Hall in London, and Rudolfinum in Prague. He has appeared with leading ensembles such as the Warsaw Philharmonic, European Union Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, and City of London Sinfonia, under outstanding conductors including Andrey Boreyko, Antoni Wit, and Andres Mustonen. An important role in his artistic life is played by his collaboration with inspiring musicians, such as Nelson Goerner, Gérard Caussé, Krzysztof Jabłoński, and Krzysztof Jakowicz. As part of the festival Chamber Music Connects the World, he performed with Gidon Kremer and Yuri Bashmet. In the 2016/17 season, he was artist in residence at the Warsaw Philharmonic.
His accolades include the 1st Prize, Grand Prix and nine other prizes in the 6th Witold Lutosławski International Cello Competition in Warsaw (2007). In 2008, he represented Poland in the International Young Performers’ Forum in Bratislava, organised by the European Broadcasting Union, winning the New Talent 2008 award. In 2009, he received the Culture Guarantee prize from TVP Kultura.
June 2009 saw the release of his first CD, recorded with the Wratislavia Chamber Orchestra and Jan Stanienda, including two cello concertos by Joseph Haydn. The recording won a Fryderyk award from the Polish record industry in 2010. He has also recorded Robert Schumann’s complete works for cello and piano (with pianist Aleksandra Świgut), Mieczysław Weinberg’s Fantasy for cello and orchestra (with Sinfonia Varsovia and Andres Mustonen), and numerous chamber works. His latest double album, Bach Stories, was recorded with pianist Aleksander Dębicz and released on Warner Classics. He has also made many recordings for Polish Radio and TV and for Slovakian Radio.