Joanna Kurkowicz

Praised in GRAMOPHONE Magazine for “disciplined virtuosity” violinist Joanna Kurkowicz enjoys an active and versatile career as an award-winning soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and concertmistress. She has performed on many of the great concert stages of the world, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, Boston and the Grosse Saal, Salzburg, and has appeared as a soloist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra, the Jefferson Symphony, the San Luis Obispo Symphony, the New England String Ensemble, the Berkshire Symphony, the Poznan Philharmonic, the Polish National Radio Orchestra in Katowice and others. She has received awards from the Samuel Chester, Presser, Saint Botolph, Kosciuszko, and Olevsky Foundations, the Harvard Musical Association, the Irving McKlein International Competition, the Carmel and Coleman Chamber Music Competitions, and in Poland, the Henryk Wieniawski and Tadeusz Wronski International Competitions.

Ms. Kurkowicz currently serves as concertmistress of the Boston Philharmonic and the Berkshire Symphony  Orchestra.

 Her previous positions as concertmistress include the Boston Modern Orchestra Project  (1999–2004) and the Vermont Symphony (1999–2001). She was a member of the acclaimed Metamorphosen and Orpheus Chamber Orchestras (1997–2003). Since fall 2002, she holds the position of “Artist in Residence” at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and recently joined the faculty

at Tufts University. An avid and sought-after chamber musician, she has collaborated with such eminent artists as Jaime Laredo, Charles Treger, Laurence Lesser and James Buswell. She is a founding member and Artistic Advisor of the Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston and the Plymouth Chamber Music Festival. As a guest artist, she has participated in the Mozarteum Festival in Salzburg, the Ravinia Festival, Barge Concert Series (NY), the Asia Pacific Festival in Wellington, New Zealand,, the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, the EuroSilesia International Music Festival and the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society.

Ms. Kurkowicz is a strong advocate of contemporary music; she has premiered works by G. Schuller, R. Shapey, P. Ruders, D. Kechley and G. Bacewicz. Her most recent world premiere of S. Korde Violin Concerto with the Polish National Radio Symphony

Orchestra in Poland met with enthusiastic response. Ms. Kurkowicz’s performance of this concerto with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra (US Premiere) is scheduled for October 2007.

 Her recent solo CD featuring music of Grazyna Bacewicz released on CHANDOS RECORDS has been praised in FANFARE  Magazine as “spectacular release” and in INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW for “...passion, authority and sheer élan...” and received fantastic reviews in numerous magazines including STRAD, AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE and MUZYKA21. Her BRIDGE RECORDS release featuring music of Alfred Schnittke has been noted in the STRAD Magazine for “strong impact… her playing holds one enthralled, demonstrating strong personality and assured technique.” The CD was chosen by Boston Herald as “Best of Year 2001.” Ms. Kurkowicz can also be heard on the Centaur, CRI, Capstone, Albany, New World Records, Neuma and Archetype labels. Her Boston premiere of sonatas by Rebecca Clarke was listed in the Boston Globe “Best Concerts of 2000.”

A native of Lublin, Poland, Joanna Kurkowicz earned a Master of Music Degree with distinction from the Paderewski Conservatory of Music in Poznan, Poland, in the studio of Jadwiga Kaliszewska. She came to the United States in 1992 to complete a second Master of Music degree as a student and teaching assistant of Charles Treger at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Ms. Kurkowicz  completed the prestigious Artist Diploma Program at the New England Conservatory of Music where she studied with Masuko Ushioda. Joanna Kurkowicz plays on a Petrus Guarnerius violin dated from 1699.

www.joannakurkowicz.com