Biography
A graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, where she received a degree with honors in the studio of Prof. Roman Lasocki, Małgorzata Wasiucionek-Potera has also trained with Pierre Amoyal at the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg. Having begun her musical education in Jelenia Góra under the tutelage of Ludmiła Sołowiewicz, Wasiucionek-Potera now holds a Habilitated Doctor of Musical Arts degree and is an assistant professor at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. She also teaches violin performance at the Karol Szymanowski State Music Secondary School in Katowice. On an everyday basis, the artist is associated with Messages Quartet and since 2014, she has collaborated regularly with pianist Sylwia Michalik.
The violinist has participated several times in the prestigious International Academy Switzerland founded and led by conducting legend Seiji Ozawa. In 2015, she was honored by the maestro with the opportunity to take part in a festival to celebrate his 80 th birthday – the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival in Japan.
The artist has concertized as a soloist with both Polish and foreign orchestras, among others the Amadeus Polish Radio Orchestra; Sinfonia Varsovia; the Silesian, Rzeszów, Białystok, Philharmonic Orchestras; as well as the Calgary Symphony, Loh-Orchester Sondershausen and Philharmonisches Orchester des Staatstheaters Cottbus.
Wasiucionek-Potera is a laureate of national and international competitions; among other awards, she has won 2nd Prize at the Atlantic Coast Festival International Soloists’ Competition in Esposende, Portugal (2016); 2nd place and the Dmitri Shostakovich special prize at the 2nd International Chamber Music Competition in Plovdiv, Bulgaria (2015); 1st place and a special prize at the 4th Michał Spisak International Competition in Dąbrowa Górnicza (2010); 1st place and four special prizes at the 7th ‘Young Paganini’ National Violin Competition in Legnica (2009).
Małgorzata Wasiucionek-Potera received scholarships in the 7 th and 8 th editions of the Young Poland program; she has also received scholarships from the zDolny Śląsk program, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, the Minister of Science and Higher Education, the Polish Children’s Fund and the Banque Société Générale. The Rectors’ Committee of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw has awarded her the ‘Magna cum laude’ medal.
