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*  Performer
*  Writer
*  Educator

Katarzyna Marczak was born on 23 June, 1972 in Cracow, Poland. In 1997 she graduated from the Instrumental Department of the Academy of Music in Cracow (M.Mus. in Clarinet Performance), and in 1998 she received her second M.Mus. from the Department of Composition, Conducting and Music Theory of the aforementioned institution. During the 1993/1994 academic year she received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and Art. Between 1994 and 1998, in recognition of her academic achievements, she received Study Scholarship from the Academy of Music in Cracow. In 1997 she completed an Inter-faculty Pedagogical Program, also hosted by the Academy of Music in Cracow. Currently she is studying at UBC in Vancouver, completing her D.M.A. degree with Cris Inguanti, the assistant principal of Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

While in music gymnasium she was twice a finalist/participant of the All-Polish Auditions of Woodwind Instruments in Olsztyn. She was a member of the Cracow Youth Orchestra, travelling with the group to Germany (Xanten Festival), Edinburgh (International Festival of European Culture) and the USA. From the first year of her M.Mus. program she was a member of the Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra. With that group she took part twice in the International Bach Academy led by Prof. Helmuth Rilling. Since that time she has performed on regular basis with the Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra, Capella Cracoviensis, and Tarnów Chamber Orchestra.

Ms. Marczak is a founding member and artistic director of the Ara Ensemble, a chamber group specializing in contemporary music. The ensemble has performed at many festivals, music seminars and individual concerts in Poland and abroad. In 1994 the Ensemble received a distinction at the Competition of Contemporary Music in Warsaw, and in 1999 it received a Special Prize at the 5th International Competition of Young Culture in Düsseldorf (Germany). In 2003 the group recorded its first CD, devoted to Canadian composers.

As a soloist Katarzyna Marczak has appeared at festivals and music seminars. In 1992 she performed as a pianist in the finals of the Competition of Contemporary Music in Warsaw. In 2003 she recorded a number of contemporary pieces for clarinet to be released in 2005 on CDs accompanying scores published by the Polish Music Edition (PWM).

Katarzyna Marczak is an active writer who focuses on contemporary music. She has published articles, essays and interviews in the literary-artistic journal “Studium” and others. Her article based on examples of contemporary Canadian pieces was published in proceedings of the International Conference on Creative Process, Cracow, April 2003.
 

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