Walasek String Quartet, Quartet

Biography

The Walasek String Quartet is a family affair. The father, cellist Wojciech Walasek,
received degrees from the University of St. Petersburg (Russia) and Yale (U.S.). He served as the cellist and artistic director of the
world-famous Varsovia Quartet, which for 20 years performed on all continents, and in the most prestigious concert halls in the world
-- including several times in Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. He is now a Professor
of Music at both the Chopin Academy in Warsaw and at the Keimyung University in South Korea.

Through all these years, Wojciech coached and nurtured the musical development of his three
children, while they earned their degrees from the Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw. When he was convinced that they showed
enough musical proficiency and maturity to be members of a world-class string quartet, Wojciech left the Varsovia and with his
three children founded the Walasek String Quartet.

First Violinist WojciechJr., the eldest son,in addition to his busy life with the quartet, has played for several years as soloist
and Concertmaster of the Warsaw Virtuoso Chamber Orchestra, which tours Europe every spring and autumn. Second Violinist Emilia
was First Prize Winner in the Mazowsze Region Violin Competition, and has received commendations in several others.
ViolistKamil, the youngest of the three, was First Prize Winner in the Polish National Viola Competition; at the
competition, a judge likened Kamil’s tone to “......rich, thick, delicious cream.”

The Walasek family’s musical traditions go back at least 200 years, during which the
Walasek Band toured the twin towns of Janowiec and Kazimierz on the Vistula River, in one of Poland’s most lush and beautiful
regions. The last leader of the Walasek Touring Band was Wojciech’s father, Jakub.

To meet today’s cultural challenges, Wojciech founded and organized the Janowiec Music
Festival, now in its sixth year as one of Europe’s richest cultural attractions. The Festival presents two weeks of concerts
featuring famous artists and ensembles, and holds master classes for instrumentalists and chamber groups under the tutelage of world
famous performers including each member of the Walasek Quartet. This Festival has become an event of such cultural importance that
the Ministry of Culture of the Polish Government has now become its patron and prominent supporter.

The interpretative skills of the Walasek String Quartet have been highly valuedby many
renowned Polish composers -- at least ten have dedicated compositions to the Walaseks. They now perform at several
ongoing chamber music series’ throughout Poland, as well as an annual tour of Asia.