MAGDALENA FILIPCZAK
is considered by many to be one of the most outstanding young Polish violinists of her generation.
Winner of the 2008 IV Heino Eller International Violin Competition in Estonia, Magdalena was also awarded Special Prizes for the best interpretation of Bach and the best concerto performance in the final with the National Estonian Symphony Orchestra.
Magdalena graduated from Music Schools in Malbork and Gdańsk, (Poland). Since 2004 she has been living in London where she accomplished her violin studies (BMus Fist Class with Honours, MMus and MMP with Distinctions) at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Professor Krzysztof Smietana. In addition to playing the violin, Magdalena studied classical singing with John Evans at the Guildhall School.
Currently she holds prestigious Artist Fellowship at the Guildhall School and as a part of the Fellowship she teaches violin at the City University of London. Magdalena is a member of the Artimus Ensemble (www.artimusensemble.eu) and Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of the Devonia Concert Series. She has been a guest concertmaster of the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra.
She has been successful at numerous International and National Violin Competitions (2009 Max and Peggy Morgan Prize, London; 2008 and 2006 Gold Medals of the International Marlow Music Festival Concerto Competition in High Wycombe; 1st Prize of the 2007 International Ruislip-Northwood Concerto Competition in London; 2nd prize of the 2006 National Competition for String Instrumentalists in Krakow; 2nd Prize of the 2005 National Umińska Violin Competition in Poznań; 1st Prize of the 2003 International “Allegro-Vivo” Music Festival Competition in Horn, Austria).
During her studies in the UK she had been awarded scholarships from respected English Trusts such as Musicians Benevolent Fund, City of London Corporation, Philharmonia Orchestra/ Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, Derek Butler Trust, Craxton Memorial Trust, Wolfson Foundation, Fishmongers’ Company.
Magdalena is recipient of the 2010 “Młoda Polska” (“Young Poland”) scholarship which is given to exceptional, young creators of culture by the Polish Ministry Of Culture and National Heritage. The same year she won the Yale Charlotte Bonham-Carter Scholarship of the English Speaking Union and received the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Fellowship of the Yale University for the Norfolk Festival / the Yale Summer Music School in the US. Recently Magdalena has been awarded the 2011 Solti Foundation scholarship.
She has worked with famous musicians including Ole Akahoshi, Peter Frankl, Miriam Fried, Gary Hoffman, Marina Jaszwili, Midori, Lewis Kaplan, Keller Quartet, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, Wolfgang Marschner, Paul Roczek, Alexander Rudin, Tokyo String Quartet, Krzysztof Węgrzyn, and Wanda Wiłkomirska.
Aside from solo playing Magdalena very much enjoys chamber music. In 2009 together with the Filipczak Piano Trio she won the Ivan Sutton Prize of the City Music Society in London. She was one of the artists of the Paxos Chamber Music Festival in Greece in 2008 and 2009.
As a soloist and chamber musician she has appeared in the UK (Wigmore Hall, Great Hall of the Bishopsgate Institute, Barbican Hall) and Europe as well as South America and the US. She recorded for the BBC Radio 3 (Proms Festival), Austrian and Estonian TV and Radio.
Magdalena plays a violin which is kindly on loan to her from the Florian Leonhard Fine Violins (London), www.florianleonhard.com. She is looking to establish a syndicate to invest in this violin for her continued use.
