Today, we’d like to introduce you to Piotr Kozłowski.
Hi Piotr, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My story began with the moment when I received a special gift, an upright piano from my family’s friends. Living outside of the small Polish town–Olsztyn created an environment of calmness and quietude. Piano became my close friend, allowed for expression, and as an only child, helped me tackle loneliness.
The early years were very successful and relatively easy. I was deemed as extremely musical, however, lacked the work ethic. I never lacked a love for music though, and I cherished the beauty of sheer sound, the timbre, and the color, I was especially sensitive to the sound texture, my obsession while working on the pieces even now.
The town I lived in created wonderful conditions for my artistic development, beautiful nature, hundreds of lakes, concerts of the orchestra, artists such as Kevin Kenner visiting the local philharmonic hall, artistic high school where theater and language classes were taught at the highest level. I, however, despite all those attributes of my school, focused on chemistry, math, and biology, preparing for a medical degree.
My scientific and artistic brains were competing and eventually, art won. After finalizing my high school education I moved to the Polish capital city, Warsaw where I began studying at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. Catching up with my friends who were professionally trained as pianists since their early years, I developed a new skill, consistency.
Practicing for hours, enjoying the artistic and alternative vibe of the city, eating vegetarian, and discussing music history, fine arts, and philosophy, I was guided by the best experts in the country such as pianists Ramiro Sanjines, Elżbieta Tarnawska, Katarzyna Jankowska and philosopher and musicologist Krzysztof Lipka.
I vividly remember attending Warsaw Autumn concerts, Krzysztof Penderecki’s birthday concerts, following the Chopin Competition in 2015, and opera and ballet performances. I spent the last year of my master’s program in Vienna studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts with one of the most inspiring artists and human beings, Avo Kouyoumdjian.
My time in Vienna was filled with making friends from across the globe and planting the seed of curiosity for the arts. I came back to Warsaw, where I pursued studies in piano chamber music, performing with a trio, and vocalists, and recording the Beeth250ven album as well as Leonard Bernstein Piano Trio featured on Interwar Retrospections album. It was a time of travels to Berlin for performances with my colleagues and a lot of engagements in Poland.
I was still looking for opportunities for further development. Having spent a summer in Denmark during the International Piano Week in Ollerup, with one the best Chopinists in the world, Kevin Kenner, I decided to apply for a doctorate program at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami. I was admitted and received a full scholarship as well as a Teaching Assistantship. So grateful for this opportunity I put my whole heart into academic activities.
The time at Frost was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my life. I came to the U.S. with no expectations and am utterly grateful for my mentors and teachers Professor Kevin Kenner and Dr. Naoko Takao who led me through the years of my DMA program and made me a better pianist and person. I experienced a bunch of extreme moments, extra hard work, true friendship, homesickness, heartbreak, and healing. Moreover, the first lecturing, and leadership roles, and communication on a professional basis.
Still improving my English and becoming gradually more extroverted, I made some of the most life-changing connections among the faculty and peers– inspiring, true artists.
The University of Miami provided me with the personal skills that I am still implementing in my career, stemming from the belief that we become what we behold. Learning a lifelong lesson, I quote after William Ernest Henley, we are “masters of our fate, captains of our soul” (engraved on the Fate Bridge at the UM campus).
After graduation, I spent a summer in Vermont working at the Yellow Barn Festival and then returned to Miami where I engaged more and more in my freelancing activity as a classical pianist. This led to chamber music and solo performances in Norfolk, VA, St. Paul, MN, State College, PA, and New York City. I became affiliated with the choirs in the Miami area and discovered a new passion in yoga practice.
I teach piano, work as a collaborative pianist for different instrumentalists during the rehearsals, recitals, and recordings, and prepare the next recital programs. I am performing in and outside of Miami, recently on March 16th at the St. John’s on the Lake, and on March 17th at the Gulf Coast Symphony in Fort Myers. Recently, I received a Collaborative Piano Fellowship at the Bowdoin Festival in Maine where I will collaborate and perform with the best instrumentalists in the country. I stay open to new adventures and new people on my way.
I am so grateful for every day and every opportunity, and I am not slowing down. Music led me to the places I had never thought I would discover. I met a great deal of inspiring people, both mentors and peers who surprise me every day and make me believe in my dreams and passion. As a strong chamber music advocate, I believe in the power of collaboration and what people in the community can do.
I am also a big fan of contemporary classical music which, as I usually put it, is a reflection of our times. I like being actual about my art, and I look for programming that not only explores historical aspects but also refers to current events. I wish my music and future performances trigger something authentic and deep in the listeners, otherwise hidden from the world. I also believe that classical music is for everybody. We, as musicians, want to reach everyone, regardless of one’s background.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are always challenges along the way, a lack of confidence, struggles, and loneliness in the pursuit of something that seems very abstract. As a freelancer, motivation plays a big role, and forcing some kind of rhythm seems necessary for staying on track.
I am still quite new at this; however, I like my rituals, yoga in the morning, practicing, working on emails, researching new opportunities, reaching out to friends, and staying proactive. I find it necessary for my general well-being to connect with friends and have a sort of balance between obsessing over music and yet having downtime.
What I learned is that every challenge is an opportunity for self-reflection and growth. The most difficult time in my life was during Covid. Living in a new country, I didn’t have proper support. Relying too much on my new friends, I found out a lot about myself and finally became more independent.
Having learned about the cultural differences and understanding much more now has been an inward and outward journey. I also discovered that communication is one of the key life skills. Relationships, affections, and struggles are just part of our lives and provide unlimited resources of artistic inspiration.
There are always challenges but that’s the beauty of life, otherwise it would be very boring. Another topic I wanted to cover more deeply is rejections. As artists, we expose our vulnerability in a variety of settings, auditions, concerts, pitch emails, and concert proposals, and unfortunately, often have to deal with rejection.
Our field is full of wonderful people, and talented and hardworking artists but the recognition falls only on the selected ones. This realization helps me personally, as I love my fellow artists, musicians, and creatives, I love to feel a part of the artistic community. I cherish the success of others and offer support as recognition and “discovery” are only a part of the process.
The effort never stops, it gets even more intense after winning an audition or receiving a prize, the pressure adds up and high-level performances are draining (yet extremely satisfying). We all have been on both sides, therefore, this communal or “chamber music” skill to create a support system for one another is crucial to stay mentally sane and artistically sustainable.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What I found unique about my approach to classical piano is my concentration on chamber and collaborative music performance. I strongly believe that collaborative musical skills are necessary in today’s polarized world, as a means of improving social, communicative, and emotional competence. Through mutual music-making, we connect with deeply embedded communal needs and experience understanding beyond words regardless of one’s background, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or race.
Performing, coaching, and advocating for chamber music is not only my current career concentration and deep passion but also a plan for future development and profession. I hope to be able to collaborate with wonderful musicians across the globe and plan to base my future activities in New York City, establishing more and more bridges between Northeast and Miami.
I am mostly proud of my ability to hear people’s sensitivity in their performances. Some musicians have this special and deep understanding of their craft and themselves and become vessels for music. The most rewarding listening experience is when there is no ego in the person. I look for those artists, admire them wholeheartedly, and strive to become one of them.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
The older I get the more risks I take, as we have only one life. We must feel worthy of things, even if they at first seem out of our reach. One of the biggest risks was moving to Miami. Coming from Poland, full of old history and European culture was the biggest change in my life.
I am grateful for every moment I have spent in Warsaw, learning about my heritage, Polish art, and music, being especially fascinated by the Interwar period in Poland when composers such as Karol Szymanowski and artists like Witkacy were the most active. Transplanting myself to Miami taught me to appreciate global culture, nature, and weather, and opened my eyes to everything that exists outside of the Western European context.
Living in Miami I learned how rich Latin American culture is, and how much we have in common. My American friends taught me how to have a positive outlook on life with all its intricacy. Spending a lot of time with my Taiwanese and Chinese friends I started looking at the world globally and with everyday curiosity as well as how to enjoy what I have at hand.
I feel like I am taking a huge risk by sharing so much in this interview, haha. I believe, however, that I am just at the beginning of my path, and I am positive that authenticity is one of the most important values in life and art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pkozlowski.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piotrplayspiano/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kozlowski.pianist/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piotr-kozłowski-612795110/
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@piotrplayspiano
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kozlowskipianist
Image Credits
João Felipe da Fraga, Antek Olesik, and Antonina Konopelska.
