Katarzyna Budnik
She is a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, in the violin class of Professors Miroslaw Lawrynowicz, Andrzej Gebski and Janusz Wawrowski, as well as in the viola class of Professor Piotr Reichert. He is a professor in the viola class at the Warsaw University of Music. Since February 2014 he has been First Viola of the Varsovia Symphony.
In September 2013 he won 3rd prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, one of the most prestigious classical music competitions in the world. He has been successful in numerous other competitions, including the 47th Beethoven’s Hradec Music Competition (Czech Republic, 2008, 1st prize), the 15th International Johannes Brahms Competition in Pörtschach (Austria, 2008, 1st prize), the 8th Jan Rakowski National Competition for Viola in Poznań (2008, 1st prize), the International Max Rostal Competition in Berlin (Germany, 2009, 2nd prize), the International Max Reger Competition for Chamber Music in Sondershausen (Germany, 2009, 2nd prize and Special Prize for the best performance of Max Reger’s Suite for Solo Viola), and the 4th International Michał Spisak Competition in Dąbrowa Górnicza (Poland, 2010, 2nd prize and Special Prize for the best performance of the compulsory piece).
As a soloist and chamber musician she has performed in concerts in Europe and Asia. In 2010 she participated in the Chamber Music Connects the World project, organized by the Kronberg Academy, where she performed together with such renowned musicians as Gidon Kremer, Tatjana Grindenko, Yuri Bashmet, and Frans Helmerson.
In 2019, 2021 and 2023, he gave numerous chamber music concerts with renowned pianist Krystian Zimerman, violinist Maria Nowak and cellist Yuya Okamoto in Italy, Japan, Munich, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg and France.
She has performed at many prestigious festivals, including the Music Festival in Lancut, the International Chamber Music Festival “Music on the Heights” in Zakopane, and the Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus (where she was invited by Gidon Kremer). For her excellence she has received scholarships from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the “Young Poland” scholarship program.