Ritchie Palczewski - guitar teacher

The ability to play the acoustic, electric and classical guitar, composing, arranging, gaining self-confidence, dealing with stage fright, developing teamwork in the studio and on the stage. These are all the valuable things you can learn with me. My knowledge comes from 20 years of music experience in the studio and on stage.

I have been working as a peripatetic music teacher at The British School, Warsaw since 2005. I specialize in teaching guitar to children and teenagers between the ages of 6 and 18. In 2004, I received a Master’s degree in Philosophy at the Jagellonian University and I completed additional pedagogical studies, which provided me the skills to work with children and teenagers. Besides teaching the guitar, I also teach philosophy in middle school and high school.Visit me on: www.facebook.com/ritchie.palczewskiKeep rockin‘ ;)Ritchie Palczewski

Karina Gorka - piano teacher

Karina Gorka has been playing the piano since the age of 7. She spent 12 years in ZPOSM im. G.Bacewicz no.3 in Warsaw before attending the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. Karina studied the piano under the guidance of prof. J.Romaniuk and prof.E. Wolanin.

Karina has a passion for chamber music and was a student of prof. K. Borzykowska – Jankowska. She is still an active pianist and soloist. She has played as a member of the orchestra with Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra and twice won the 1st price in IV and

V “Spotkania Kamerlne w Sochaczewie” in duo with clarnettist P.Zawadzki. Karina is also interested in playing with double bass and has preformed with the most popular polish contrabassists, D.Mizera (the 1st double bassist in Opera in Zurich),

Karina has been teaching music for several years. She has worked with a variety of age groups ranging from 5 to 30 years old. She currently works at a primary school in Warsaw. Karina recognizes that students learn differently and tailors her methods depending on the student’s needs. She also employs the use of a new method “The color notes” – which is an alternative way to learn notes, especially for the beginners.

Instrumental and Vocal Teaching Programme, staff biographies

Roberto Cura - piano teacher Roberto Cura has been playing the piano since the age of 11. As an ex-student of The British School, he passed both GCSE and IB Music.

Roberto is currently a student at Warsaw Politechnica, and although classically trained with a particular love of Chopin, Roberto is an accomplished jazz pianist. As a result he can teach in a variety of styles. Roberto is keen to pass on his love of piano playing to others.

Robert Zelazko - trombone teacher

Robert began playing the trombone at the age of 15. He studied at the Fryderic Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw and later at the Hoch-schule fur Music und Theater in Hannover (Grermany).

He won the third Prize at the National Trombone Festival Compe-tition in Warsaw (2003,2006), he was in the finale of Smith/Shires Prize Tenor Trombone Competition ITA in Las Vegas (2007) and won the first Prize of the Remington Trombone Choir Competition in Birmingham with Trombone Class of Musikhochschule Hannover (2006).

Robert loves to play jazz and Latin music and has performed with numerous bands, including El Jazz Big Band, Jazz Point Big Band, Calle Sol, School Master Big Band, Trifonidis Free Orchestra.

Currently Robert is a lecturer at the Music Academy in Łódź and does freelance work with Sinfonia Varsovia and Orchestra of National Opera in Warsaw. He also performs chamber music with the Royal Brass Quintet, Trombone Quartet and Combo Duo with trumpeter Jan Harasimowicz.

Piotr Zawadzki - clarinet teacher

Piotr has been playing the clarinet for 15 years and he is ea-ger to install the same passion for music to his students. He graduated from ZPOSM im. G.Bacewicz no.3 in Warsaw with diplomas in both clarinet and piano. He went on to study at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Univer-sity of Gothenburg (Sweden) and Music Conservatory of Nice (France). He has also worked with prominent professors from around the world during summer courses.

He now performs as a soloist, for the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra and teach at several schools. Piotr am particularly fond of playing in chamber groups (duos, trios). In private, he loves listening to jazz and contemporary classical music, learning new languages and reading shelves of books.

Antonina Golachowska - oboe teacher

Antonina Golachowska is a student at the Frederic Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. She graduated from the Gra-zyna Bacewicz Music School in 2011 and has played the oboe for eight years. She is also an

experienced piano player. Antonina currently works with several orchestras and ensembles including ‘The Witold Lu-tosławski Płock Symphony Orchestra’ and ‘The Band of the Folk Song and Dance Ensemble of Warsaw University’. Play-ing the oboe is Anotonina’s passion and she cannot imagine

life without her instrument. She hopes to encourage children to play the oboe and teach them how to create amazing music on this instrument.

Filip Rakowski - drum teacher

Filip Rakowski is a drummer, educator, composer, arrang-er and lyricist. Filip graduated from music schools with diplomas certifying his thorough education in the piano and the classical drums classes. So far Filip has recorded and published two solo albums. His debut album titled “Autorytet” (released by Bertelsmann Music Group in year 2000) containing the hit single “Przesilenie” was nominat-ed for Fryderyk 2000. His playing can be heard on over thirty albums of various Polish artists. During his artistic adventures Filip has cooperated as a session musician with major Polish artists such as Maryla Rodowicz, Kasia Kow-alska, Natalia Kukulska, Wojtek Pilichowski, Urszula Dud-ziak, Reni Jusis, Kaja Paschalska, Sidney Polak, Krzysztof

“K.A.S.A.” Kasowski, Halina Mlynkowa, Kuba & Maciek Molęda, Paweł Mykietyn or Super Girl & Romantic Boys. He has also been involved in a number of advertising campaigns for some of the

Jan Harasimowicz - trumpet teacher Jan began playing the trumpet at the age of ten. He soon decided to dedicate his life to music and trumpet. After graduating from secondary school, Jan moved to United Kingdom where he studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire. During his studies, Jan worked with numerous orchestras and ensembles from the West Midlands, such as City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Royal Shakespeare Company. After graduating in 2007 from Birmingham Conservatoire , Jan moved to Warsaw where he finished his Master Degree and began working with a number of major Polish orchestras as well as started his teaching career. In 2010 Jan became a soloist of the Sinfonia Var-sovia Orchestra. Teaching and working with

children gives him satisfaction and pleasure.

Grażyna Mażys - Jankowska - cello teacher

Grażyna is a graduate of cello at the Music Academy in Warsaw. She was on annual scholarship in France, playing and performing in the chamber orchestra Ensemble Instru-mental Andree Colson and has 35 years of professional artistic career, solo and ensemble, as well as 20- years of teaching. Grażyna has toured Europe and Asia, and made a number of recordings as a solist, chamber and orchestral musician. Currently, she is a teacher and manager of the String Instruments in ZPSM No 1 ( I and II degree Music High School) teaching students of all levels.

Grażyna always wanted to learn to play chamber music and realised this dream by playing in numerous chamber orchestras as a solist and concertmaster. She is also passionate about jazz music, as a result of which she has played for many years in the piano trio Classic Band Trio which combines jazz with classical music.

Rubén López Fernández - saxophone teacher

Rubén López Fernández was born in 1988 in Seville. He started to play the saxophone at the age of 8 and later from 2000 until 2006 he studied at the Conservatory of Music Cristobal de Morales in Seville. He has participated in many masterclasses with distinguished saxo-phone players including Jose Antonio Santos Salas, Alfonso Padilla López, Miguel Garrido, Jesús Javier Librado, Miguel Romero Morán, Antonio Torres Zamora. From 2001-2006 he was a saxophonist in Wind Orchestra The Red Cross in Seville and from 2006-2009 he

was conductor of this orchestra performing concerts in Andalusia and also Portugal.

From 2009-2012 he was a saxophonist in the distinguised Banda de Música del Maestro Tejera and played a number of concerts throughout Spain with huge repertory from classical music, march’s to popular music like pasodoble.

Magdalena Lapinska - flute teacher

Magdalena Lapinska is a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. She has participated in numerous masterclases led by eminent flutists including Prof.P-LGraf, Prof.B Garner, S.Louvion and Dr.M Nastasi. Magdalena is the laureate of a number of nationwide and regional contests including the Nationwide Flute Festival in Sochaczew, Woodwinds Musical Meetings in Warsaw and the Nationwide Young Instru-mentalists Contest in Jaslo. She appears regularly as a soloist and chamber musician in Poland and abroad and she regularly collaborates with the Polish

Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Rachel Wood- - violin teacher

Rachel has been playing the violin since the age of 5, as a child she was a member of the National Children’s Orchestra and the National School for Chamber Music. During this time she was chosen to lead a quartet at The Royal Academy of Music’s Duke’s Hall, representing the North of England in a chamber music ensemble. More recently, whilst working towards her Bachelor of Music degree at the Royal Northern College of Music, she have been a member of the RNCM Symphony, Opera, Chamber, and Brand New orchestras and in 2010 was invited to play a Brahms violin sonata in a masterclass with Leland Chen for the

RNCM’s virtuoso violin weekend.

Alternatively to this Rachel has experience in the popular music industry, she has had the opportunity to play in venues such as Ronnie Scott’s in London. The most recent achievements were writing and record-ing two songs with famous violinist Nigel Kennedy on his new album ‘The Four Elements’, and perform-ing with Polish band ‘Zakopower’ on their UK tour in 2012. Rachel has experience teaching children of all ages in both inner city and rural schools.

Paula Lis - French horn teacher

Paula Lis is currently studying at the Music Academy in Krakow with professor Will Sanders and Tadeusz Tomaszwski’s horn class. She has participated in multiple horn master classes led by; Jacek Muzyk, Radek Baborak, Feliks Gmi-truk, Tadeusz Tomaszewski, Markus Maskunity, Christian-Friedrich Dallmann and Will Sanders.

She has performed in numerous classical and pop concerts, with such artists as; Dorota Miśkiewicz, Henryk Miśkiewicz, Dudu Carmel, EPaula is a long term scholar in the Młoda Polska Filharmonia and has been recently accepted by the Akademia Symfonia Varsovia.

ILINA SAWICKA - harp teacher

Ilina Sawicka is a graduate in Music Education and Harp from the Fry-deryk Chopin Music University of Warsaw. Whilst at University she tutored in voice production, choir conducting, ensamble conducting, harp, orchestral and chamber music, harp ensemble and solo repertoire. She has travelled extensively giving concerts, recitals and participated in many masterclasses. She has performed in numerous recitals including chamber music, harp ensemble and solo spots in Łańcut Palace and Teatr Wielki in Warsaw.

Ilina has made many appearances with student, amateur, semi-pro-fessional and professional orchestras nationwide, including choral and operatic orchestral experience e.g with: Sinfonia Iuventus, Filharmonia Podlaska, Filharmonia Warmińsko-Mazurska, Unplugged Orchestra (con-temporary music, Poland), Zahir (contemporary music, Spain), Keim-yung Symphonic Band (South Korea), Polish-Russian Youth Orchestra, Chamber vocal ensemble of Seville (Spain) and a wide range of functional musical engagements, including background music, weddings, parties

and corporate events.

Ilina’s teaching experience includes being a harp teacher at various private schools in Warsaw, private tuition on short-term basis for a range of abilities in harp, singing, piano, music theory and aural training and vocal ensembles for children and choir for adults in the Community Project in Nieporęt.

If you would like to enrol your child in our Instrumental and Vocal Teaching Programme, please contact our Head of Music, Mrs Alison Porter aporter@thebritishscool.pl

Anna Kowalik - piano teacher

Ms. Anna Kowalik is a piano and harpsichord player. She graduat-ed from the F. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw and went on to study at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy. She was also awarded the Fondation des Treilles scholarship, in France and has re-ceived awardes at Festival of Polish Piano Music in Słupsk.

Ms. Kowalik is an experienced and competent piano teacher. She has completed post-graduate studies in piano pedagogy at the F. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw. She says: “My work at the British School

began in 1999. With my students I put emphasis on mastering good piano technique and developing mu-sical imagination and sensitivity. I successfully employ the Oxford Piano Method for beginners. I prepare my students for the ABRSM examinations (more than 20 diplomas have been obtained under my guid-ance).”

Ms. Kowalik is a certified music teacher. She works at the Warsaw Ballet School and at a primary music school. Her great passion is early music and Renaissance and Baroque dances.