Jazz trumpeter, band leader, music producer and publisher, lecturer at the Jazz Institutes of the University of Applied Sciences in Nysa and the Katowice Academy of Music, where in 2016 he gained a doctoral degree in Music. In 2006 he won a scholarship to University of Louisville, Kentucky and early in his career (2006-2010) he won many individual awards and Grand Prix's now being one of the most important jazz figures in Poland and middle Europe.
Awards:
- Best Musician at the 2008 and 2009 Jazz nad Odrą competitions in Wrocław, Poland
- Best Musician at the 2008 1st Tarnów Jazz Contest, Tarnów, Poland
- Third place at the 2008 Zmagania Jazzowe in Szczecin, Poland
- Grand Prix at the 2010 Novum Jazz Festival in Łomża, Poland
- Best Soloist at the XXXIV Getxo Jazz Festival, Spain / 2010
- Award of the President of Gliwice for achievements in the feld of artistic creation, dissemination and protection of culture / 2012
- Occasional Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage / 2013
His band received the following accolades:
- Grand Prix at the 30th International Contest of Young Jazz Groups Jazz Juniors | Kraków 2006
- Grand Prix at the 1st Tarnów Jazz Contest | Tarnów 2008
- Grand Prix at the Krokus Jazz Festival | 2008
- Grand Prix at the 12th National Review of Young Jazz and Blues Groups | Gdynia 2009,
- Second place at the 32nd Hoeilaart Jazz Festival | Belgium 2010
- Grand Prix and Audience Award in XXXIV Getxo Jazz Festival | Spain 2010
To date, Piotr has produced and published 16 own highly acclaimed albums. Since 2011 Piotr has ranked among the best three jazz trumpeters in the annual Jazz Top poll of the Jazz Forum European magazine.
One of his latest project: Piotr Schmidt Quartet – Tribute to Tomasz Stańko is considered by Wolf Mueller (Sony Music Germany) as one of the best 10 albums from 2018 in the World.)
Two of his albums (Dark Forecast & Komeda Unknown 1967 were distributed and promoted by O-Tone Music (from Giessen, Germany), gaining many remarkable reviews.
Among Piotr's many collaborators are: Walter Smith III, Alex Hutchings, Matthew Stevens, Harish Raghavan, Ernesto Simpson, Jonathan Barber, Ed Partyka, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, Henryk Miśkiewicz, Dante Luciani, Francesco Angiuli, Wiesław Pieregorólka, Grzech Piotrowski, Wojciech Karolak, Wojciech Myrczek, Apostolis Anthimos, Maciej Sikała, Marek Napiórkowski, Krzysztof Herdzin, Dominik Wania, Paweł Kaczmarczyk and Paweł Tomaszewski. Piotr has also worked with such popularly acclaimed artists in Poland as Krystyna Prońko, Ewa Bem, Kuba Badach, Janusz Radek, Ten Typ Mes (Piotr Szmidt) and Miuosh.
As publisher and producer, Piotr Schmidt has co-created SJRecords through which, from 2011, he has published 74 albums well regarded by music fans and professionals, critics and music journalists.
