Head of Orchestra and The Artistic Council - Polska Orkiestra Sinfonia Iuventus

He studied the piano from the age of eight in Namysłów and Wrocław. From 1998 to 2003, he studied conducting with Professor Marek Pijarowski at the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław; he also learnt Russian in the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute in Moscow and at the University of Wrocław. In 2005, he won a competition for the post of assistant to Maestro Antoni Wit at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, where he worked from 2005 to 2007. Currently, he teaches conducting at the Academy of Music in Wrocław. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and he is the winner of the 2nd prize at the 3rd National Witold Lutosławski Competition for Young Conductors (2002). In 2011, he was awarded the Polish Theatrical Music Award in the Best Conductor category. In 2015, he was awarded the Medal of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for “Merit to Culture-Gloria Artis”.

He conducted many symphonic ensembles, including Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, Cracow Philharmonic, Wrocław Philharmonic, Polish Baltic Sea Philharmonic, Ankara Presidential Symphony Orchestra, Antalya State Symphony Orchestra, Izmir State Symphony, European Johann Strauss Orchestra, Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Camerata Bucharest, Ostrava Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. He performed with outstanding soloists, including Rafał Blechacz, Idil Biret, Gülsin Onay, Ingolf Wunder, Lukas Geniušas, Gidon Kremer, Alexandre Dubach, Alexander Markov, Konstanty A. Kulka, Krzysztof Jakowicz, Tomasz Strahl, Johannes Moser, Gautier Capuçon.

Wojciech Rodek prepared premieres for the Theatre Montansier in Versailles, the Wratislavia Cantans festival, The Grand Theatre-National Opera in Warsaw, the Grand Opera Theatre in Łódź, the Wrocław Opera. He has performed in the most prestigious concert halls across Europe, China, USA including Dresden, Hamburg, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Zürich, Beijing, Shanghai, Miami, New York. He took part in the most important classical music festivals. Mr. Rodek's recordings primarily include forgotten Polish music (”Janek” by Zelenski for Naxos), contemporary works, as well as film productions, among others with music by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek (”City Island”, “Get Low”).

Wojciech Rodek's conducting art is characterized by uncommon spontaneity. He has the ability to lead great musical forms with an extraordinary understanding of structures and details. Mr. Rodek believes in the necessity to introduce young people into the world of music. On his initiative, the Youth Orchestra of the Wieniawski Philharmonic was established, which brings together the most talented young musicians from across eastern Poland. In 2022, he conducted the Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Tour in the USA at the invitation of Columbia Artists.

He has performed in almost all the great musical centres of Europe, Asia, Australia and both Americas. In recent seasons, he has conducted La Scala Orchestra in Milan, the BBC Symphony Orchestra (London), Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra (Tokyo), Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Orquesta Nacional de España in Madrid, Berner Symphonieorchester, China Philharmonic Orchestra (Beijing), Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony (Denver), New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra at Teatro Colón, Berliner Philharmoniker, Staatskapelle Dresden, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (at the Montreux festival), as well as orchestras in Lyon, Liège, Brussels, São Paulo, Bilbao, Barcelona and Sevilla.

Recordings of his performances have been included on over 200 albums, which have won numerous awards, among them a 2013 Grammy Award and six other nominations for this prize, Diapason d’Or and Grand Prix de la Nouvelle Académie du Disque, Cannes Classical Award, Choc du Monde de la Musique, and four Fryderyk Awards from the Polish Phonographic Academy. The recordings feature music by Polish most outstanding composers, as well as works from a more international repertoire – including critically acclaimed interpretations of pieces by Smetana, Dvořák, Schumann, Brahms, Mahler and R. Strauss. Antoni Wit is one of only a few artists in the world whose albums have sold almost six million copies.

He was professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. His students were, among others, Krzysztof Urbański, Michał Dworzyński, Rafał Janiak, Maja Metelska, and Dawid Runtz. He has the title of honorary professor at the FCUM and Keimyung University (South Korea). Among his PhD students, apart from the above-mentioned graduates, there are also Łukasz Borowicz, Jakub Chrenowicz, and Wojciech Rodek.

Tomasz Strahl has performed in prestigious venues such as Schauspielhaus (Berlin), Brucknersaal (Linz), St. John’s Smith Square (London), the Art Center (Tel Aviv), Toppan Hall (Tokyo), Auditori (Barcelona), the Glinka Hall in St. Petersburg, the Grand Theatre – National Opera in Warsaw, and the National Philharmonic. He has toured extensively in Japan, Canada, and Spain. A major artistic milestone was his performance of Witold Lutosławski’s Cello Concerto in the presence of the composer, conducted by Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk (1993). In 2005, Tomasz Strahl presented the Polish premiere of Piotr Moss’s Cello Concerto No. 2 at the “Premieres” Festival with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, with which he later recorded the rediscovered Cello Concerto by Zygmunt Stojowski (2006).

He has made numerous archival recordings for Polish Radio, Polish Television, and CBC Radio in Canada. His discography includes albums released by Pony Canyon, CD Accord, Pavane Records, Gema Stereo, Polmusic, Acte Préalable, and Sony Classics. He has been nominated three times for the Fryderyk Award, receiving it in 2003.

He is a Professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and gives masterclasses in Poland, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Japan, and South America. He has also served as a jury member at numerous national and international cello competitions. Since 2012, he has been involved in promoting the National Edition of the Works of Fryderyk Chopin edited by Professor Jan Ekier, performing Chopin’s works for piano and cello in major European music centers. His collaboration with the National Edition also resulted in the recording of an album featuring Chopin’s chamber works (DUX), which received phonographic awards from the music magazines Scherzo and Pizzicato, as well as a Fryderyk nomination.

He has been honored with numerous state distinctions: in 2002 he was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit; in 2009 and 2017 he received the First Degree Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage for his artistic and pedagogical achievements; in 2010 he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta; and in 2021 he received the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture Gloria Artis. In 2019 he received the Fryderyk Award for Album of the Year – Symphonic and Concert Music, and in 2020 another Fryderyk for Album of the Year – Chamber Music. In 2021, he unveiled his star on the Festival Avenue of Stars in Busko-Zdrój.

The artist performs on a Leopold Widhalm cello, Nuremberg, 1778.

From 2012 to 2024, Tomasz Strahl served as Dean of the Instrumental Department at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music – the largest artistic faculty in Poland and one of the largest in Europe. During his three terms, the Department underwent significant transformations. New specializations were established, such as Early Music, which attracts an increasing number of students each year, as well as Jazz and World Music, which later became an independent faculty following the introduction of the Law on Higher Education and Science 2.0. Under the same reform, the Department of Harpsichord, Piano, and Organ merged with the Instrumental Department. In 2016, the Department received an outstanding evaluation from the Polish Accreditation Committee, and it now awaits the Certificate of Educational Excellence for the 2022 accreditation.

Several artistic ensembles were also established within the Department, bringing international recognition to the University, including the Chopin University Big Band, Chopin University Chamber Orchestra, and Chopin University Modern Ensemble.

Tomasz Strahl was elected Rector of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music for the 2024–2028 term by the vote of the academic community.