Donemus Webshop — Polaczyk, Jakub

Jakub Polaczyk (born in 1983 in Poland) is a Polish-American composer, pianist, and pedagogue interested in surreal and synthetic art. He graduated from the Penderecki Music Academy, Jagiellonian University and Carnegie Mellon University. He studied with: Krzysztof Penderecki, Marcel Chyrzyński, Marek Chołoniewski, Reza Vali, Jan van Landeghem. He resides in New York City and is an advocate for contemporary music. As the director of the International Chopin and Friends Festival (2018-2023), Polaczyk has launched a new music composition competition. As a radio broadcaster, he presents contemporary and classical music side by side to audiences in New York City and Chicago (2021-2024). As a member of the faculty at the New York Conservatory of Music, he teaches composition, music theory and piano performance.
Polaczyk's works have won numerous top awards: Clouzine Magazine best Chamber Album (2024) , Top composition prizes on the WOMC International Competition (2023), Third Prize at the Wolfgang Amadeus International Composition Award in Vienna (September 2023), Golden Diploma on the Musical Eagles Award in Poland (2023), Silver Medal on the Global Music Awards in USA (2023), winning: commission by Composers Guild of New Jersey (2022), American Prize in Composition (2020), SIMC International Compositional Competition for Harpsichord in Milan (2019), the Iron Composer First Prize in Cleveland, Ohio (2013) and Orion Orchestral Composition Competition in London (2010).
In 2024 he was the Runner-up for the John Easton Composition Competition organized by the New York Composers Circle. His compositions have been performed and broadcasted around the world. In the United States, Polaczyk's works have been performed at composer conferences and music festivals in most states and have been premiered at: the Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kaufman Center in NYC and Musikverein in Vienna.
Additionally, his works have been performed in most Europeans countries.
A few of the ensembles that performed his music include: Avanti, Slee Sinfonietta, NeoQuartet, Argus Quartet, Cracow Duo, NED Milano, Blow Up Percussion Rome, Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble Belfast, Cracow Golden Woodwind Quintet, Four Corners, Avanti Ensemble, Bulgaria National Orchestra, Hanoi Philharmonics National Orchestra, Connecticut Virtuosi Orchestra, Brazil National Orchestra, Janacek Symphony Orchestra, Tacoma Wind Ensemble, Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, Coro Volante and the Carnegie Contemporary Ensemble.
Jakub Polaczyk is a Steinway & Sons partner and his music was released by: Albany Records and Ablaze Records. He also lectured at: Escola De Música de Brasilia(2019), Wheaton College in Chicago (2020), Iowa Community College in Des Moines (2020), Gonzaga University (2021), University of Nevada Las Vegas (2022), University of Washington in Seattle (2023), University of Louisville (2024), Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. As a pianist he collaborated with many international artists: Christine Walevska, Pein Wen, Nadia Rodriguez, Kofi Hayford. Documentary about life of Jakub Polaczyk directed by Dennis Woytek "Conversation With Jakub Polaczyk” won bronze on the 43rd Telly Awards in New York (2023). The artist was awarded multiple scholarships in Poland and abroad. In 2023 in NYC artist was awarded the highest decoration by the Minister of Culture of Poland: The Gloria Artis Bronze Medal for Merit to Culture of Poland. In 2024 in Poland was also awarded decoration by the Mayor of the city of Stary Sacz and also received “Great-Local-Global: Cultural Passport”. In 2024 the President of Poland awarded him the Gold Medal of Merit.