70th Anniversary of Jerzy Maksymiuk's Artistic Work Filharmonia Narodowa

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70th Anniversary of Jerzy Maksymiuk's Artistic Work
Jerzy Maksymiuk, photo: Wiktor Wołkow

Special concert celebrating Jerzy Maksymiuk's 70th anniversary of artistic work
 

Jerzy Maksymiuk will conduct two ensembles that occupy a unique place in his rich artistic career. The maestro will conduct both the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Sinfonia Varsovia, with which – as he often admits – he has very strong ties. That admission takes on particular significance in the context of his impressive international career: suffice it to mention his long-standing collaboration with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra or the vibrant, energetic premieres he prepared for the English National Opera. Sinfonia Varsovia grew out of the ensemble of the Warsaw Chamber Opera, later known as the Polish Chamber Orchestra, to which the then thirty-something Maksymiuk gave new artistic impetus. The effects of their work together quickly came to international attention, and the ensemble’s first performances abroad were enthusiastically received, with Western critics full of praise, drawing attention to the orchestra’s extraordinary precision, dizzying tempos and unique sound. This success led to a contract with the prestigious EMI label – an event that Maksymiuk compared years later to receiving the Nobel Prize.
So it is hard to imagine a more beautiful form for the great maestro’s jubilee than a concert at the Warsaw Philharmonic, to which we are delighted to invite you.


Bartłomiej Gembicki

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Krzysztof Urbański

In September 2025, Krzysztof Urbański entered the second season of his tenures as Music & Artistic Director of the Warsaw Philharmonic and as Chief Conductor of the Berner Symphonieorchester. He is Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana (since 2022).

Krzysztof Urbański appeared as a guest conductor with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Berliner Philharmoniker, Staatskapelle Dresden, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Orchestre de Paris, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony, among others.

The artist served as Music Director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (2011–2021) and as Chief Conductor and Artistic Leader of the Trondheim Symfoniorkester & Opera (2010–2017); in 2017, he was appointed Honorary Guest Conductor of this orchestra. He was Principal Guest Conductor of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra (2012–2016) and of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester (2015–2021).

In 2007, Krzysztof Urbański was awarded the First Prize in the Prague Spring Conducting Competition and in 2015, he received the Leonard Bernstein Award at the Schleswig‑Holstein Musik Festival.

With the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester he recorded albums of Witold Lutosławski’s works, Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 and Richard Strauss’ works; all on Alpha Classics. His discography also includes Fryderyk Chopin’s small pieces for piano and orchestra with Jan Lisiecki and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester for Deutsche Grammophon which received an ECHO Klassik Award, and Bohuslav Martinů’s Cello Concerto No. 1 with Sol Gabetta and the Berliner Philharmoniker recorded for Sony.

 

[2025]