Wojciech Czepiel is currently one of the most interesting personalities among Polish conductors; he is an artist of enormous musicality, knowledge and charisma which catches both performing musicians and listeners Anna Woźniakowska – „Dziennik Polski”
Conductor Czepiel is a very serious, efficient and credible personality with excellent professional musical abilities... is punctual and fully aware of his profession Dr Walid Gholmieh Prezydent Narodowej Filharmonii Libańskiej
I have seen Mr. Czepiel conducting various orchestras on numerous occasions, and I think he has very good prospects of successful career thanks to his supreme education and talent Prof. Krzysztof Penderecki
... before the music-stand stood Wojciech Czepiel, who carried the interpretation of his own composition “Sequenza”. This modern overture, which glitters of many extraordinary sounds or colorful and dynamic instrumental interaction, turned out to be an extremely neat and energetic work Tomasz Jakub Handzlik – „Gazeta Wyborcza”
Wojciech Czepiel
conductor, composer, violinist
He began learning the violin at the age of five with his father, Stanisław. At 15, he was a violinist of the All Antico orchestra of Cracow Secondary School of Music. With this orchestra, in 1974, he won first prize in the Herbert von Karajan International Young Orchestras Forum in West Berlin, where he also had the opportunity to play under the baton of the competition’s patron.
In 1976, as a pupil of Antoni Cofalik, he got fourth place in the Zdzisław Jahnke All-Poland Violin Competition in Poznań, and a year later he took part in the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition, competing in two rounds.
He combined violin studies with Kaja Danczowska with conducting studies with Krzysztof Missona, composition and orchestration classes with Tadeusz Machl, and composition techniques with Bogusław Schaeffer. In 1984 he graduated in Conducting from Cracow Academy of Music (diploma with distinction).
As a conductor, he made his debut in 1981, leading the Cracow Academy of Music’s chamber orchestra. From 1982 to 1984 he was the Assistant Director and Concertmaster of the Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra. Between 1984 and 1986 he worked as the Artistic Director of the Baltic Philharmonic in Gdańsk, and then, from 1986 to 1990, as the conductor of the Warsaw Chamber Opera. In 1990 and 1991 he was the second conductor of the Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic in Łódź, then from 1991 to 1994 he worked as the Deputy Director and conductor of the Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw. Between 1997 and 2006 he led the Symphony Orchestra of Cracow Academy of Music, considerably raising the ensemble’s artistic standards. For thirteen years (2000–2013) he has been the Artistic Director and conductor of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra.
Wojciech Czepiel has worked as a guest conductor with multiple orchestras and operas throughout the world, such as: Philharmonic Orchestras in Quatar, Hanoi, Cho Chi Minh City, Kosovo, Ploesti, Craiova, Goerlitz, Damascus, Cracow, Wrocław, Łódź, Poznań, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Wałbrzych, Rzeszów, Olsztyn, Białystok, Opole, Koszalin, Kalisz; Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra from Moscow (during the Abu Dhabi Festival); Radio Orchestras of Katowice, Cracow and Warsaw; Opéra de Saint-Etienne, and Polish National Opera in Warsaw. He also collaborated with chamber ensembles such as National Chamber Orchestra in Žilina, Chamber Orchestra Lviv Virtuosos, Leopoldinum Orchestra, Sinfonietta Cracovia, and Polish Chamber Philharmonic (concerts in Gdańsk and tours in Germany and the Netherlands). He performed at prestigious festivals such as Dresdner Festspiele, Beethoven Festspiele, Warszawska Jesień, Karintische Sommer, and festivals in Bratysława, Palermo, Abu Dhabi, and Cannes.
An important place in Czepiel’s conducting work is held by recordings. He made numerous archive recordings for Polish Radio and many CD recordings for labels such as Denon, Polskie Nagrania, DUX, Europa Musica, Arts, Polmusic, Pro Musica Camerata, Deutsche Welle, as well as for his own label Warsaw Music Foundation.
In May 2012 he was decorated by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in Poland with the Gloria Artis medal for cultural achievements.
Among his compositions you will find String Quartet, Violin Sonata, cadenzas for Mozart’s Third Violin Concerto, 24 Violin Duets (published by PWM Edition), 3 Mazurkas for piano, Piano Sonata, Songs for voice and piano, and Partita for 18 instruments. His works for orchestra include Sequenza I, Sequenza II, Noveletta, and Studium Pieniny 2016.
Selected recordings
