Wojciech Herzyk
About me
Biography || Artistic achievements
"An enormous talent! ...he is more than just a percussionist, but a true musician,
...an enthusiastic young advocate for the marimba and any contemporary
chamber music involving percussion, ...making significant contributions
to our art form..." - B. Bacanu / E. Beach
WOJCIECH HERZYK performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician
on important European and American stages, emphasized by extraordinary
musicality and superb technique. He has recently joined the Orkiestra Muzyki
Nowej (New Music Orchestra) as first percussionist, and joined the faculty
of the prestigious Karol Szymanowski Music Academy as a lecturer in his
hometown Katowice, Poland.
In 2007, Mr. Herzyk was invited to join the class of Prof. Robert van Sice
at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where he received
his Graduate Performance Diploma on a full scholarship. Mr. Herzyk also holds
degrees from the Karol Szymanowski Music Academy of Katowice (MM/BM '07
with medal: Primus Inter Pares). In addition to Robert van Sice, his mentors include Keiko Abe, Stanislaw Proksa,
Svet Stoyanov and Tom Freer. He is a prizewinner of major percussion competitions in Europe (including Linz AU,
Plovdiv BG, St. Fermo IT, Warsaw, Wroclaw,
and Katowice PL) as a soloist and as part
of a percussion duo.
In addition to his heavy performing and teaching
schedule in Katowice, Mr. Herzyk gives
masterclasses regularly in his native Polish,
and English.
Wojciech Herzyk is representing Adams Musical
Instruments, Pro-Mark Drumsticks and Mallets
Company and A.A.Instruments. Wojciech plays on
ADAMS Artist Classic Custom Marimba.
Biography || Artistic achievements
- 3rd place in the All-Poland Percussion Audition for Chamber Orchestras (Warsaw, 2000)
- Final in the Ist M. Stasiniewicz All-Poland Marimba Competition (Warsaw, 2000)
- 2nd place in the All-Poland Audition for IInd degree Students in Percussion Class, (Warsaw, 2001)
- 2nd place in the All-Poland Percussion Audition for Chamber Orchestras, (Wroclaw, 2002)
- 3rd place in the Scale and Etude Competition, (Katowice, 2004)
- 1st place in the Provincial Audition for IInd degree Students in Percussion Class, (Katowice, 1998-2002)
- Semi-Final in the Ist International Marimba Competition, LINZ, (Austria, 2006)
- 2nd place in the International Marimba Competition in St. Fermo, (Italy, 2006)
- 3rd place in the International Percussion Duo Competition in Plovdiv, (Bulgaria, 2007)
- Participation in the IInd M. Stasiniewicz International Percussion Competition, (Warsaw, 2004)
- Participation in the International Marimba Competition, Belgium, 2004 (St. Truiden)
- 2nd place in the Provincial History Competition on Knowledge on Katowice (2001)
- in 2002, Wojciech was awarded with the prize by Katowice-Town President "for the exceptionally gifted pupils in artistic schools"
- in 2002, Wojciech was awarded with the prize by the Marshal of Silesia Province of "Silesia Province Scholarship for exceptionally gifted Pupils and Students"
- in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, Wojciech was awarded with prizes from Culture and Sport Department in Katowice in "PROMOTION OF YOUNG CULTURE ARTISTS"
- scholarship endowed by Professor Bogdan Bacanu to go to the INTERNATIONAL MARIMBA FESTIVAL LINZ 2004
- The Music Academy Student Grant won for very good grades and results in the academic years; 2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006
- scholarship won as a part of student's exchange from UNIVERSITY of LOUISVILLE (Kentucky, USA 2005),
- scholarship granted by Academie Musicale de Villecroze (France) as a part of Masters' Courses with Keiko Abe, 2005
- scholarship granted by Minister of Culture and National Heritage for the academic year 2006/07
- medal awarded in the PRIMUS INTER PARES Competition; Primus Inter Pares in the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice in 2007
