Piotr Borkowski Conductor
Piotr Borkowski (born in 1963 in Warsaw) - conductor, a pupil of Prof. Boguslaw Madey, a graduate of the Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw (presently the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music) with distinction for conducting the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra in diploma concert (1989), followed by assistantship in the Department of Conducting at his Alma Mater and doctorate (Ph.D. in Conducting, 1998). In 2015 he was granted the title of Doctor Hab. of Musical Arts (post-doctoral degree) by the National Committee for Grades and Titles of the Republic of Poland.
Earlier, Piotr Borkowski made his debut as a conductor at Warsaw Autumn Festival, in 1986, and at that time his professional career began. A few years later (1993) he studied conducting with Hans Graf in Vienna under a Meisterkurse für Musik scholarship. In 1995 his studies with Myung-Whun Chung and Ilija Musin at Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena fruited with a Diploma di Merito.
In 1992 he took part in the International Conducting Competition in Besançon (France). In February 1995 he participated in the competition for the position of assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he qualified for the finals and conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In August 1995 he was awarded the Diploma di Merito at the International Conducting Competition Antonio Pedrotti in Trento (Italy).
Regularly conducts many most recognized orchestras in the country and abroad, among others National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Warsaw, and many philharmonic orchestras in Poland. Abroad, among others, he conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Symphoniker, Kammersolisten der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, United Chamber Orchestra, Sofia Symphony Orchestra, Trento Sinfonietta, Dnepropetrovsk State Philharmonic, Krasnoyarsk Chamber Orchestra, Kazakh State Philharmonic of Almaty, Orquesta do Theatro São Pedro (São Paulo), and Symphony Orchestra of India as well as many Korean orchestras such as KBS Symphony Orcestra, Seoul National Symphony, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Suwon Philharmonic, Bucheon Philharmonic. He performed in the USA, France, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Russia, Brazil, Slovakia, China, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Mexico, India, Ukraine, and Taiwan.
He has participated in numerous festivals, a. o. International Festival of Contemporary Music "Warsaw Autumn" (conductor's debut in 1986), ISCM World Music Days in Warsaw (1992), The Laboratory of Contemporary Music, Korean Orchestras Festival in Seoul, PAN International Contemporary Music Festival in Seoul, Tongyoung International Festival "Isang Yun", Busan Maru International Music Festival, Oldenburg Promenade Festival and Markgräfler Musikherbst in Germany.
As an opera conductor, he has conducted numerous performances of Mozart's operas ("Don Giovanni", "Magic Flute", "Cosi fan tutte", "Marriage of Figaro"), P. Mascagni ("Cavalleria Rusticana"), G. Donizetti ("Lucia di Lammermoor"), as well as Asian premieres of Z. Rudzinski – "Mannequins", Sukhi Kang – "Ein fest fűr Boris" and S. Rachmaninov – "Aleko".
He recorded for Polskie Nagrania, SPV GmbH, Scarbo, DUX, Polonia Records, Acte Préalable, Musica Sacra Edition, Global Sound Media, Centaur Records and NAXOS. Repeatedly nominated for the Phonographic Academy Award "Fryderyk", including three times – in 2006, 2008 and 2024 – awarded with a statuette in the categories "Album of the Year – Contemporary Music", "Most Outstanding Recordings of Polish Music", and "Album of the Year - Orchestral Music". The album recorded with the winner of the H. Wieniawski International Violin Competition – Soyoung Yoon, and published by DUX, was nominated for the prestigious International Classical Music Award 2013.
From 1991 to 1994 he was chief and artistic director, and then, from 1994 to 1997, the artistic director of the State Philharmonic “F. Nowowiejski” in Olsztyn, Poland. In 1994, he was invited as a guest professor of conducting to Keimuyng University in Daegu (South Korea). From 1996 to 2001 professor of conducting at the Hyosung Catholic University in Teagu and director of the university orchestra. From 2001 until 2011 he was a professor of conducting and orchestra music director at the University of Suwon in South Korea.
In 2006 Piotr Borkowski was appointed the conductor of the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra in South Korea. In the years 2008-2011, he established and was the chief conductor of the Gyeonggi Festival Orchestra in South Korea.
In 2010, he became artistic director and conductor of the newly formed Gorzow Philharmonic – Centre for Art Education (Poland), where he collaborated with his orchestra until November 2012, enjoying many spectacular artistic successes.
From April 2015 to December 2016, he was conductor-resident of the Symphony Orchestra of India in Mumbai,
Since 2012 to present, he is music director of the United Chamber Orchestra, and is the first guest conductor of the Kammersolisten der Deutschen Oper Berlin, with which he performed in the legendary hall of the Berlin Philharmonic. Since November 2014, he has been working closely with Ensemble OPUS in South Korea, and since January 2017 he has been a guest conductor at the Wroclaw Opera (Poland).
Since September 2018, Piotr Borkowski has been an associate professor at the Academy of Arts in Szczecin, where he teaches conducting classes and runs the post-graduate conducting program for foreign students.
In 1996 he was awarded the Silver Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland. Since 2011, he has been a member of the International L. van Beethoven Association in Berlin. Since 2021 he is an artistic adviser of the vanB KOREA Artistic Association and artistic director of the Pyeongtaek Chamber Orchestra.