Magdalena Baczewska
Biography
Pianist and harpsichordist Magdalena Baczewska (pronounced BaCHEVska) has been praised for her “world-class playing” by the American Record Guide. Combining profound musicianship, passion for educating and a gift of public speaking, Baczewska is increasingly known for her innovative recital programming ideas and making her audiences think. "Baczewska enlightens" writes the Palm Beach Arts Paper. Her performances, hailed as “eloquent and technically flawless” (The Washington Post), have been broadcast on radio stations across America, including WQXR, NPR, Voice of America, and on European Radio and Television. Magdalena was recently appointed Director of the Music Performance Program at Columbia University in the City of New York.
Magdalena is a laureate of international piano competitions, including the International Chopin Competition at the Kosciuszko Foundation, the Mieczyslaw Munz Competition, and the Dorothy MacKenzie Recognition Award, Prix du piano at the École Américaine in Fountainebleau, France. She is a recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Polish Minister of Culture, and a laureate of the Award for Outstanding Polish Citizen Abroad.
Baczewska's album, “A Tribute to Glenn Gould” was hailed by the American Record Guide as “an uncommonly good recording,” and the Gramophone described it as “beautiful and intimately scaled.” Her subsequent three albums, “Music for Dreams,” were released in collaboration with BlueSleep®, a medical team specialized in research and treatment of sleep disorders. Magdalena continues to create music for health and wellness as Artistic Director at BlueSleep® Music (www.bluesleepmusic.com).
She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music (having studied with Constance Keene), and a Bachelor and Master’s Degree from the Mannes College of Music, New School University (in the studio of Jerome Rose). Her doctoral dissertation, In Search for Bach's Cantabile: The Role and Aspects of Oratory and Singing in Keyboard Interpretation, was published by LAP Lambert Academic Publishing. Magdalena’s fascination with early music and performance practice led her to a study of the harpsichord and exploration of a wide range of early (pre-Baroque) keyboard repertoire. She has received instruction from Arthur Haas, Jacques Ogg, Pierre Hantaï, and Bruno Procopio. She performs on the harpsichord as a soloist, as well as with members of the Dorian Baroque in New York City.
Magdalena Baczewska is a full-time faculty member and Director of the Music Performance Program at Columbia University. She has taught at the Mannes College New School for Music, John J. Cali School of Music, Montclair State University, and Manhattan School of Music, International Keyboard Institute, and the New York Piano Festival.
She has conducted piano master classes using Yamaha Disklavier and the Remote Lesson technology. She recently taught a first-of-its-kind master class, connecting three Disklaviers in three cities across the United Stated. She has also taught Remote Lessons at Philadelphia's Microsoft School of the Future. Magdalena is a Yamaha Artist.
