Biography

Grzegorz Nowak is the Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. He began his international conducting career by winning the first prize at the Ernest Ansermet Conducting Competition in Geneva. He also won the Grand Prix Patek Philippe, Rolex Prize, Swiss Prize, American Patronage Prize and the Europäische Förderpreis für Musik as the European Musician of the Year. He was honoured with the “Distinguished Teacher Award” during his tenure as Professor at the BGSU University in Ohio, and the University of Alberta bestowed the title of “Honorary Professor” upon him.

After studying conducting, composition and violin at the Music Academy in Poznan, Grzegorz Nowak was awarded a doctorate fellowship at the renowned Eastman School of Music, where he studied with David Effron and David Zinman. He honed his skills at Tanglewood on a Serge Koussevitzky Fellowship with such masters as Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, Erich Leinsdorf and Igor Markevitch, before assisting Kurt Masur with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

Since then, he has conducted the world’s finest orchestras. In Europe Grzegorz Nowak has worked with such prestigious ensembles as the: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Lamoureaux in Paris, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, RAI orchestras in Milan, Rome and Turin, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva, Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich, Berliner Symphoniker, Belgian National Orchestra, Luxemburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, National Orchestra of Spain and the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon. He has also conducted many times in Scandinavia, performing with the Philharmonic and Radio orchestras of Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki and Copenhagen.

In North America, Nowak has conducted many of the leading orchestras, including the Montréal Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, San Diego Symphony and Buffalo Philharmonic orchestras. He has also earned critical acclaim for his performances with the Philharmonic and Yomiuri Orchestras in Tokyo, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Taipei Philharmonic in Taiwan, and with the Jerusalem and Haifa Symphony Orchestras.

Grzegorz Nowak had held the position of Music Director for orchestras and opera companies in USA, Switzerland, Canada, Poland and Germany, including the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Polish National Opera in Warsaw, SWR Radio Orchestra in Germany, Sinfonia Helvetica and the Musique & Amitié Festival in Switzerland.

He has conducted operatic productions in Italy, Monte Carlo, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, the UK, Sweden, the USA and Canada, including works by Mozart (The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Il Seraglio, Così fan tutte, The Magic Flute), Rossini (The Barber of Seville, Semiramide), Beethoven (Fidelio), Bizet (Carmen), Borodin (Prince Igor), Moniuszko (Halka, Haunted Manor), Verdi (Otello, Don Carlos and the Polish première of Simon Boccanegra) and Puccini (Madam Butterfly, La Bohème, Turandot and Tosca – including a tour with Welsh National Opera). His production of Debussy’s Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien was broadcast live from Rome on the Eurovision television network. He received rave reviews at the 2006 Maifestspiele festival in Wiesbaden for conducting Giordano’s Andrea Chénier, directed and staged by Mariusz Trelinski for a co-production of the Warsaw National Opera with Plácido Domingo and the National Opera in Washington.

Grzegorz Nowak has performed alongside many of the most widely respected soloists of our time, including: Krystian Zimerman, Mstislav Rostropovich, Martha Argerich, Henryk Szeryng, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Pinchas Zukerman, Midori, Nigel Kennedy, Garrick Ohlsson, André Watts, Gil Shaham, Yefim Bronfman, Shlomo Mintz, and has worked with such singers as Marilyn Horne, Kathleen Battle, Gwyneth Jones, Anja Silja, Janet Baker, Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Ewa Podles, Malgorzata Walewska, Wieslaw Ochman and Ben Heppner.

His recordings have been highly acclaimed by the press and public alike, winning many awards. Diapason in Paris praised his KOS CD with Martha Argerich and Sinfonia Varsovia as ‘indispensable … a must-have’, and the second edition of this recording won the Fryderyk Award. The Polish Symphonic Music of the XIX Century recording with Sinfonia Varsovia won the CD of the Year Award, a nomination for the Fryderyk Award and the Bronze Bell Award in Singapore. The American Record Guide praised Grzegorz Nowak’s Gallo label CD of Frank Martin with the Biel Symphony as ‘by far the best’.

Grzegorz Nowak’s recording of Chopin piano concerti with Janusz Olejniczak and Sinfonia Varsovia won the Fryderyk and CD of the Year awards, and his CD with Stanislaw Drzewiecki and Sinfonia Varsovia was also nominated for the Fryderyk Award. His hänssler CLASSIC disc with Anja Silja won two Classical Internet Awards, and his recording of Czerny Symphonies No. 2 and 6 (world premiere recording) received critical acclaim around the world. His CBC record with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Amanda Forsyth won the Juno Award, the CD-Accord disc with Joanna Kozlowska and the Poznan Philharmonic was hailed as ‘superb’ and Gramophone Magazine praised his ASV recording with the London Symphony Orchestra as ‘outstanding’.

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‘Outstanding… in every way this matches and even outshines the superb account which Sir Georg Solti recorded with the Chicago Orchestra on Decca.’ Gramophone Magazine, London

‘Blond, young and fabulous, are the words to describe the conductor Grzegorz Nowak.’ Il Tempo, Rome

‘It would be difficult to imagine a more compelling presentation … inspired.’ The Gazette, Montréal

‘stylish and luminous… exquisitely poised… idiomatic and brilliant.’   The Financial Times, London

‘This is the finest recording of The Seven Deadly Sins currently available… simply marvellous… it would be difficult to imagine a snappier, more alert performance.’ Classics Today

‘Grzegorz Nowak is certainly one of the most remarkable conductors … the galvanized orchestra [Montreal Symphony] gave a prodigious performance.’ La Presse, Montréal