Janusz Wawrowski

Janusz Wawrowski stands among Poland’s foremost violinists of his generation. His charismatic approach and inventive programming have carried him far beyond Eastern Europe, while his association with Warner Classics has anchored an international recording presence. He remains deeply engaged in chamber music both on stage and as the leader of a festival. Although he has stayed with Warner Classics for most projects, he turned to Naxos in 2024 for a recording of Valentin Silvestrov’s Symphony for Violin and Orchestra (“Widmung”).

Born March 22, 1982, in the central Polish city of Konin, Wawrowski studied at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw under Mirosław Ławrynowicz and later worked with Salvatore Accardo and Yair Kless. While still enrolled, he demonstrated exceptional command by presenting Paganini’s complete 24 Caprices, Op. 1, in a single recital. That same demanding program formed the basis of his first commercial release, issued in 2007 by Polish Radio and Television and later reissued by Warner Classics after he joined the label.

With backing from Poland’s Ministry of Culture, Wawrowski converted competition successes into a sustained performing career. He captured first prize at the Stanislaw Serwaczynski National Competition of Young Violinists and earned third prizes at the Louis Spohr Competition in Freiburg and the David Oistrakh International Violin Competition in Odessa. Subsequent engagements have included appearances with the Warsaw Philharmonic, Sinfonia Varsovia, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar in Venezuela. Recital venues have ranged from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum to the Tel Aviv Opera House and numerous other halls. An active chamber musician, he maintains a longstanding partnership with pianist Robert Morawski and serves as artistic director of the Music on the Heights International Chamber Music Festival in Zakopane. Onstage he frequently performs in traditional Polish attire.

Wawrowski issued the album Aurora on EMI Classics in 2013. Warner Classics, which had signed him that same year, released the solo recital Sequenza in 2016. The following year brought Brillante, pairing music by Henryk Wieniawski and Max Bruch; Hidden Violin appeared in 2018. Phoenix, featuring the world premiere of Ludomir Rózycki’s Violin Concerto, Op. 70, arrived in 2021. In 2023 he recorded Chopin Inspirations with pianist Mischa Kozlowski. The Silvestrov symphony followed on Naxos in 2024. Wawrowski also teaches at the Chopin University of Music, his alma mater.