Alicja Smietana
Encyclopedia
Alicja Smietana is a Polish
Violin
ist, currently based in London
.
guitarist Jarek Smietana ) she started playing the violin
at the age of 5 studying under Leszek Skrobacki and later Bogdan Wozniak. She then moved on to study at the Academy of Music in Kraków
with prof. Mieczysław Szlezer and later joined Guildhall School of Music and Drama
to study with David Takeno and later Ofer Falk.
In 2009 she joined Kronberg Academy
's Young Soloists (Further Masters), where she studied with Christian Tetzlaff
.
At the age of 19 she's been invited for the first time to play with Kremerata Baltica
- a chamber orchestra led by Gidon Kremer
which gave her opportunity to work closely with worlds finest musicians. Since then she has played with Kremerata Baltica on number of other occasions.
As a soloist she made her international debut performing a Mozart concerto
under direction of Sir
Neville Marriner
with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
She has performed as a soloist
and chamber musician together with Nigel Kennedy
, Gidon Kremer
, Yuri Bashmet
, Martha Argerich
, Ivan Monighetti, Boris Pergamenshikov and others.
Attending many international masterclasses she got artistic guidance from many musicians including Hagai Shaham
, Dorothy DeLay
, Ana Chumachenco, Tabea Zimmermann
, Michael Frischenshlager, Erich Gruenberg, Albrecht Breuninger, Zvi Zeitlin and Itzhak Perlman
.
She is a co-artistic director of Nigel Kennedy
's Orchestra of Life.
Following her successes she has played concerts and recitals in major venues all over the world including most recent appearance at the Royal Albert Hall as only the fourth polish soloist in the history of this venue.
She is currently represented by Grunau Musik Management and Artists International Management.
She currently plays a 1740 Camillus Camilli violin and a Jean Persoit bow.
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
Violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist, currently based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Education
Coming from musical family (her father is a famous jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
guitarist Jarek Smietana ) she started playing the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
at the age of 5 studying under Leszek Skrobacki and later Bogdan Wozniak. She then moved on to study at the Academy of Music in Kraków
Academy of Music in Kraków
The Academy of Music in Kraków is a conservatory located in downtown Kraków, Poland.-History:The Academy, until 1945 as a conservatory under the name Cracow Conservatory or Conservatory of the Music Society, was founded in 1888 by the eminent Polish composer Władysław Żeleński thanks to artistic...
with prof. Mieczysław Szlezer and later joined Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
to study with David Takeno and later Ofer Falk.
In 2009 she joined Kronberg Academy
Kronberg Academy
Kronberg Academy is an international cultural institution based in Kronberg im Taunus, Germany, for the education and support of highly gifted young violinists, violists and especially cellists. Studies are supported by a biennial Cello Festival and the International Pablo Casals Cello Competition...
's Young Soloists (Further Masters), where she studied with Christian Tetzlaff
Christian Tetzlaff
-Biography:Tetzlaff was born in Hamburg. He began playing the violin and piano at the age of 6, and made his concert debut at 14 years old. He studied with Uwe-Martin Haiberg at the Musikhochschule Lübeck and with Walter Levine at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.He is...
.
Career
Winner of numerous competitions and awards she was quickly recognized as one of the most important violinists of the young generation.At the age of 19 she's been invited for the first time to play with Kremerata Baltica
Kremerata Baltica
Kremerata Baltica is a chamber orchestra consisting of young musicians from Baltic countries . It was founded by Gidon Kremer in 1997.The name is a pun on camerata, the general word applying to various chamber music groups....
- a chamber orchestra led by Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer is a Latvian violinist and conductor. In 1980 he left the USSR and settled in Germany.-Biography:Kremer was born in Riga to parents of German-Jewish and Latvian-Swedish origins. He began playing the violin at the age of four, receiving instruction from his father and his grandfather,...
which gave her opportunity to work closely with worlds finest musicians. Since then she has played with Kremerata Baltica on number of other occasions.
As a soloist she made her international debut performing a Mozart concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
under direction of Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Neville Marriner
Neville Marriner
Sir Neville Marriner is an English conductor and violinist.-Biography:Marriner was born in Lincoln and studied at the Royal College of Music and the Paris Conservatoire. He played the violin in the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Martin String Quartet and London Symphony Orchestra, playing with the...
with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
She has performed as a soloist
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
and chamber musician together with Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy is a British born violinist and violist. He made his early career in the classical field, and he has performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti...
, Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer is a Latvian violinist and conductor. In 1980 he left the USSR and settled in Germany.-Biography:Kremer was born in Riga to parents of German-Jewish and Latvian-Swedish origins. He began playing the violin at the age of four, receiving instruction from his father and his grandfather,...
, Yuri Bashmet
Yuri Bashmet
Yuri Abramovich Bashmet is a Russian conductor and violist.Direct patrilineal descendant of Besht.-Biography:Yuri Bashmet was born on 24 January 1953 in Rostov-on-Don in the family of Abram Borisovich Bashmet and Maya Zinovyeva Bashmet . "Father's mother, Tsilya Efimovna, studied singing at the...
, Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich is an Argentine pianist.-Early life:Argerich was born in Buenos Aires and started playing the piano at age three...
, Ivan Monighetti, Boris Pergamenshikov and others.
Attending many international masterclasses she got artistic guidance from many musicians including Hagai Shaham
Hagai Shaham
Hagai Shaham is an acclaimed Israeli violin virtuoso. He began studying the violin at the age of six and was the last student of the late Professor Ilona Feher...
, Dorothy DeLay
Dorothy DeLay
Dorothy DeLay was an American violin instructor, primarily at the Juilliard School.She was born in Medicine Lodge, Kansas.-Career and education:...
, Ana Chumachenco, Tabea Zimmermann
Tabea Zimmermann
Tabea Zimmermann, born on October 8, 1966 in Lahr, , is a German violist.She began learning to play the viola at the age of three, and commenced piano studies at age five...
, Michael Frischenshlager, Erich Gruenberg, Albrecht Breuninger, Zvi Zeitlin and Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-born violinist, conductor, and instructor of master classes. He is regarded as one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th and early-21st centuries.-Early life:...
.
She is a co-artistic director of Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy is a British born violinist and violist. He made his early career in the classical field, and he has performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti...
's Orchestra of Life.
Following her successes she has played concerts and recitals in major venues all over the world including most recent appearance at the Royal Albert Hall as only the fourth polish soloist in the history of this venue.
She is currently represented by Grunau Musik Management and Artists International Management.
She currently plays a 1740 Camillus Camilli violin and a Jean Persoit bow.