Agata Szymczewska, described by The Times (London) as “playing with a seriousness, composure and musical maturity far beyond her years, at times sounding like a fiery young Ida Haendel,” belongs to a select group of the most outstanding Polish violinists recognised worldwide. Since winning First Prize, the Gold Medal and the Audience Prize at the 13th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Poznań, she has performed regularly on prestigious stages across Europe, Asia and the Americas, earning acclaim from international critics, renowned conductors, orchestras and festivals.
Agata Szymczewska has appeared in many of the world’s most celebrated concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Hall, Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Concertgebouw, Palau de la Música Catalana, the Berlin Philharmonie, Sala São Paulo, and the Seoul Arts Center, as well as in China, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, Chile, Colombia and Israel. She has performed under the baton of distinguished conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Neville Marriner, Riccardo Muti, Andrey Boreyko, Maxim Vengerov, Krzysztof Penderecki, John Axelrod, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Jacek Kaspszyk, Krzysztof Urbański, Michał Nesterowicz, Antoni Wit and Jan Krenz. She has also performed at the Royal Festival Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Osmo Vänskä.
Agata Szymczewska regularly performs alongside Anne-Sophie Mutter and tours with the Mutter’s Virtuosi ensemble in the world’s most prestigious concert halls and festivals across four continents. Alongside her solo career, chamber music plays an important role in her artistic activity. She has collaborated with eminent artists such as Krystian Zimerman, Martha Argerich, Igor Levit, Gidon Kremer, Mischa Maisky and Yuri Bashmet. Since 2014, she has been the first violinist of the Karol Szymanowski Quartet, one of the leading string quartets on the international stage.
She is also a laureate of the London Music Masters Award (2009). In recent years, she has received the Paszport Polityki, the TVP Kultura Award in the category of classical music, and four Fryderyk Awards. Her discography includes numerous CD and DVD recordings released by labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Music, Decca Records, Hyperion Records, SWR Music, Universal Music and CD Accord.
Agata Szymczewska graduated from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover, where she studied under Prof. Krzysztof Węgrzyn, as well as from the Academy of Music in Poznań in the class of Prof. Bartosz Bryła. Since 2016, she has been a faculty member at the Chopin University of Music.
She performs on a Niccolò Gagliano violin (1755), kindly loaned by Anne-Sophie Mutter.