About
Paweł Rydel, a Gdańsk-based pianist, was educated in his hometown under the tutelage of Professor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń and Professor Waldemar Wojtal. He is a professor at the Gdańsk Academy of Music named after Stanisław Moniuszko. He honed his skills through numerous solo and chamber music courses, working under the guidance of such professors as Andrzej Jasiński, Kevin Kenner, Jean-Paul Sevilla, Andrzej Tatarski (and also Jadwiga Kaliszewska, Mark Lubotsky, Henry Meyer, Marek Moś, and Maria Szwajger-Kułakowska) in the field of chamber music. He has won the highest awards in piano and chamber music competitions, including the 1st Stanisław Liszt Scholarship Competition in Wrocław (1991), the 3rd International Piano Competition named after I.J. Paderewski in Bydgoszcz (1994), the 1st Chamber Music Competition in Zakopane in 1998 (with violinist Andrzej Kacprzak), and the Jury Prize at the Bremen (Germany) Piano Competition in 1999. He maintains a regular concert schedule as a soloist and chamber musician, performing in many locations throughout Poland and other European countries (including Russia, Germany, Norway, Ukraine, and Italy). He is a tireless advocate for Polish music, and one of the few pianists who includes works such as Felix Nowowiejski's "Concert for Piano in d minor, Op. 60" and Wawrzyn Żuławski's "Partita, Mazurka, Sonatina, and Etude" in his repertoire. He has recorded several albums of Polish music, including the first recordings of Witold Friemann and Stefan Kisielewski's "Sonatas for Clarinet and Piano" and transcriptions of works by F. Chopin, J. Zarębski, I.J. Paderewski, K. Szymanowski, and A. Zarzycki for clarinet and piano with clarinetist Karol Respond. He is currently working on a recording of works by Raul Koczalski for the Acte Préalable label. From 2016 to 2023, he served as the head of the Piano Department at the Gdańsk Academy of Music, and from 2002 to 2005, he served as the president and later a member of the board of the Gdańsk Association of Music Lovers, which organizes chamber music festivals and concerts. He has been honored with the "Merit for Polish Culture" badge, the Bronze Medal of Merit, and the Medal of the National Education Commission and the Silver Medal for Long Service. The "Cała Polska Gra Chopina" project was initiated by the PZU Foundation, with the belief that access to high culture should not depend on one's place of residence. Therefore, the music of Fryderyk Chopin will once again resonate not only in the largest cultural centers, but also in smaller towns and villages where residents have less opportunity to attend professional classical music concerts. Following the success of the first edition, which featured approximately 50 concerts in 8 voivodeships, the project has been significantly expanded. In 2026, there will be 78 concerts in 13 voivodeships, organized in collaboration with regional cultural institutions. Each region has prepared its own
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