“Lipiński Quartet” is a string quartet affiliated with the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław, named after Karol Lipiński, an outstanding Polish violinist, composer, and chamber musician active in the 19th century. The members of Lipiński Quartet share a passion for chamber music, as well as extensive solo and teaching careers. They are prizewinners of renowned competitions and regularly participate in major international festivals, including the Edinburgh International Festival, Warsaw Autumn, La Folle Journée, Vevey Spring Classic, the Feliks Mendelssohn Chamber Music Festival in Duszniki, and Wratislavia Cantans.
The musicians are also members of the renowned NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, based at one of Europe’s most important musical venues, the National Forum of Music in Wrocław.
Karolina Podorska – soloist and concertmaster of the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, and winner of the 1st International Karol Lipiński Violin Competition in Wrocław. She graduated with distinction from the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław, where she studied with Prof. Jarosław Pietrzak, and from the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden, where she studied with Prof. Ivan Ženatý. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree and teaches at the Academy of Music in Wrocław.
She has received numerous awards, including First Prize at the 29th FLAME International Violin Competition in Paris; First Prize at the B. Warchal – Talents for Europe International Competition in Dolný Kubín, Slovakia; Second Prize at the 4th National Eugenia Umińska Violin Competition in Kraków; Third Prize at the Stanisław Serwaczyński National Violin Competition in Lublin; and Fourth Prize at the Zdzisław Jahnke National Violin Competition. She is also a recipient of the Young Poland scholarship programme.
As part of masterclasses in Poland and abroad, she has developed her skills under the guidance of such artists as Daniel Hope, Vivian Hagner, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Edward Zienkowski, Christian Danowicz, Bartosz Bryła, and Evgenia Ebstein. As first violinist of a string quartet and as a duo partner of pianist Mateusz Słowikowski, she performs actively and has received awards at numerous music competitions. Among her most important achievements are First Prizes at the Schloss Zell an der Pram International Chamber Music Competition in Wrocław, the 20th Juliusz Zarębski International Music Competition in Łomianki, the 7th Interuniversity Competition for Instrumental and Vocal Duos in Wrocław, and the Swiss International Music Competition in Switzerland.
Magdalena Ziarkowska-Kołacka is an associate professor of violin and chamber music at the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław. She obtained her doctoral degree in musical arts in 2020 and is also deputy concertmaster of the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra. From 2016 to 2019, she served as concertmaster of the Częstochowa Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2017, she graduated with distinction from the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, where she studied violin with Prof. Jarosław Żołnierczyk.
In 2021, she co-organised the first edition of the International Karol Lipiński Violin Competition in Wrocław, which was a great success and attracted participants from around the world. As a soloist, she performs with Polish symphony and chamber orchestras. She is also a guest lecturer at the National Forum of Music’s Orchestra Academy and regularly conducts workshops at first- and second-level music schools throughout Poland.
She is currently dedicated to promoting the legacy of Bronisław Huberman, the subject of her doctoral dissertation. The works discussed in her dissertation were recorded on the album Bronisław Huberman – In Tribute to the Genius of the Violin, released by the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław in cooperation with the Częstochowa Philharmonic.
In October 2020, Divine Art released the album 20th Century Polish Music, recorded with Barbara Karaśkiewicz and Sergei Rysanov (Huberman Duo and Huberman Piano Trio), featuring works by Grażyna Bacewicz, Karol Szymanowski, and Andrzej Panufnik. The album received critical acclaim in Poland and abroad and was nominated for the prestigious Fryderyk Award in two categories.
Magdalena Ziarkowska-Kołacka has the privilege of playing an Italian violin made by Riccardo Antoniazzi, which once belonged to Bronisław Huberman.
Agnieszka Żyniewicz, violist, is an active chamber and orchestral musician in the United Kingdom and across Europe. After graduating with distinction from the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław, where she also won First Prize at the 16th Juliusz Zarębski International Music Competition in Łomianki and First Prize at the 2nd Schloss Zell an der Pram International Chamber Music Competition in Wrocław, she continued her education in the United Kingdom, graduating with distinction from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
In 2019, she became a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, the Gustav Mahler Academy, and the London Symphony Orchestra String Experience. She has performed under the direction of such prestigious conductors as Sir Simon Rattle, Herbert Blomstedt, Sir Mark Elder, François-Xavier Roth, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Marin Alsop, Lorenzo Viotti, and Joseph Swensen in major concert halls around the world.
As a chamber musician, she also performs regularly with Aglica Trio, which she founded together with flautist Carys Gittins and harpist Lise Venderssmisen. In Germany, she collaborates with C/O Chamber Orchestra, based in Berlin, and regularly performs in Cologne as part of the chamber music series organised by Klangraum Konzerte. In 2024, Aglica Trio won First Prize in the Supernova Chamber Music Competition, resulting in a tour of Belgium. That same year, Agnieszka joined the Leopoldinum Chamber Orchestra in Wrocław.
Marcin Misiak graduated from the Academy of Music in Wrocław, where he studied cello with Prof. Stanisław Firlej. In 2016, he obtained his postdoctoral degree (habilitation) and continues to teach cello at the academy.
In 2002, he received an invitation for a one-year research scholarship to study with Prof. Eleonore Schoenfeld at the Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California. During his stay in the United States, he performed two recitals at the United University Church and collaborated with ensembles including the USC Thornton Chamber and Symphony Orchestra and the Debut Symphony Orchestra. He also participated in masterclasses in chamber music with his piano trio, led by Menahem Pressler.
He regularly collaborates with numerous orchestras throughout Poland as both a soloist and chamber musician. He has also conducted masterclasses at music academies in Ostrava, Ghent, and Luxembourg. He is currently a permanent member of the NFM Leopoldinum Chamber Orchestra, where he leads the cello section.
In 2009, together with Christian Danowicz and Michał Micker, he founded the NFM Leopoldinum String Trio. Three years later, in 2012, the ensemble received a one-year scholarship to the prestigious Queen Sofía College of Music in Madrid, where they studied with Prof. Günter Pichler, first violinist of the renowned Alban Berg Quartet.
Marcin Misiak has recorded numerous works released on CD. In 2015, JB Records released the album Inspirations Parisiennes, which includes, among other works, Claude Debussy’s Cello Sonata in D minor performed by the artist.
