Marek Pijarowski

Born in 1951 in Wrocław. While studying at the Music High School, he mastered playing several instruments, including piano (as the main), violin, oboe, and organ. He completed his conducting studies / diploma with honors / at the Wrocław Academy of Music under Tadeusz Strugała and supplemented them from 1971 to 1973 during the International Music Courses in Weimar, working under the guidance of the outstanding Latvian conductor Arvid Jansons. In 1977, he received a scholarship from the Austrian government and spent 9 months in Vienna perfecting his skills with Professor Carl Österreich at the renowned Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst. During this time, he had the opportunity to directly encounter the art of conducting and personally meet such baton masters as Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, Georg Solti, and Claudio Abbado.

He began his full-time work in 1974 as an assistant conductor of the Wrocław Philharmonic. In December of the same year, he participated in the National Conducting Competition in Katowice, where (being the youngest participant) he won the 1st prize and a special award from the Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra. This success resulted in numerous invitations, including to the National Philharmonic and WOSPR. In 1975, he received the position of 2nd conductor, and in 1980 he was appointed as the general and artistic director of the Wrocław Philharmonic, which he led until 2002. He also collaborated with the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra and the Pomeranian Philharmonic Orchestra in Bydgoszcz as the principal conductor of these ensembles. From 2002 to 2005, he was the artistic director of the A. Rubinstein Philharmonic in Łódź. Currently, since 2006, he has been serving as the 1st conductor - Head of the Symphony Orchestra of the Tadeusz Szeligowski Philharmonic in Poznań.

For over 40 years, Marek Pijarowski has continuously conducted an active conducting career, performing with all philharmonic and radio orchestras in Poland. He has also conducted concerts with outstanding Polish ensembles abroad, including the National Philharmonic (Germany), NOPSPR (Spain, Paris), Krakow Philharmonic (France), Sinfonia Varsovia (Spain), Łódź Philharmonic (Italy, Spain), and several tours with the Wrocław Philharmonic, including in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. He has made many archival recordings for Polish Radio. He was the resident conductor of the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro and the Texas Music Festival in Houston. He currently collaborates closely with the Presidential Orchestra in Ankara. His conducting art has been observed by music lovers in most European countries as well as in Egypt, Israel, Canada, China, the USA, Mexico, and South Korea.

From 1980 to 2000, he served as the artistic director of the Festival of Polish Contemporary Music in Wrocław. In 1986-1987, he was also the artistic director of the International Chopin Festival in Duszniki.

For many years, he has been associated with the K. Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław, where he conducts a conducting class and serves as the head of the Conducting Department. In November 2006, he also took the position of professor of conducting at the Fr. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, now the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. His graduates are laureates of national and international conducting competitions. He has been a reviewer in proceedings for awarding the title of doctor honoris causa to outstanding baton masters, including T. Strugała, G. Chmura, St. Skrowaczewski, H. Riling, N. Marriner, and K. Masur. He has frequently served as the chairman of the jury of the International Competition for Young Conductors named after W. Lutosławski in Białystok. He is also a juror of the International Conducting Competition named after G. Fitelberg in Katowice.

In 1997, he received the title of professor of musical art from the President of the Republic of Poland.

He has been awarded, among others, the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and the gold medal 'Gloria Artis'.