Wieniawski Piano Trio

The Wieniawski Piano Trio was founded in 2019 on the initiative of pianist Przemysław Witek. The ensemble consists of Przemysław Witek (piano), Tomasz Kulisiewicz (violin) and Zofia Kulisiewicz (cello). Its name refers to Józef Wieniawski, an outstanding Polish pianist and composer of the Romantic era whose music, despite its undeniable artistic value, is still heard far too rarely in the concert repertoire.

At their inaugural concert in 2019 the musicians performed Józef Wieniawski’s Piano Trio in G major, Op. 40, at the time very rarely played, drawing attention to a work that is among the most valuable, yet still insufficiently recognised, examples of 19th-century Polish chamber music. From the outset, one of the Wieniawski Piano Trio’s key artistic aims has been to promote the Polish piano trio repertoire and to present it in the broad context of the European chamber music tradition.

The ensemble is currently working on a recording project featuring works by Józef Wieniawski, Fryderyk Chopin, Władysław Żeleński and Andrzej Panufnik. Bringing together composers of different eras, aesthetics and musical languages makes it possible to sketch a multifaceted picture of the development of Polish chamber music, from Romanticism to the music of the 20th century.

The members of the Wieniawski Piano Trio have extensive solo, chamber and orchestral experience. Przemysław Witek, pianist, Doctor of Musical Arts and academic teacher, has won first prizes at international piano competitions in Rome, Val Tidone, Racconigi, Gaillard and Poznań, among others. He has performed in Europe, Asia and the United States, appearing with the Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra Amadeus and the orchestras of Polish philharmonics, among others.

Tomasz Kulisiewicz is a violinist with many years of orchestral and concertmaster experience. He has served as concertmaster of the Baltic Opera, among others, and is currently concertmaster of the Częstochowa Philharmonic and the Polish Royal Opera. He has worked with leading Polish orchestras under eminent conductors including Krzysztof Penderecki, Paul McCreesh and Jacek Kasprzyk.

Zofia Kulisiewicz, cellist and international competition prizewinner, completed the prestigious International Artist Diploma programme in Manchester. She further developed her chamber music skills under members of the Artemis Quartet in Berlin. She is currently a member of the Częstochowa Philharmonic.

The Wieniawski Piano Trio combines the experience of three distinctive artistic personalities with a shared passion for chamber music. Polish music holds a special place in the ensemble’s work: both canonical works and undeservedly forgotten pieces which, read anew, can regain their rightful place on today’s concert stages.