Biography

Krzysztof Pawlisz

Born on 16 May 1977 in Cracow (Poland), he started playing the organ at the age of thirteen at the State Secondary School of Music in Cracow. His work under the guidance of Aleksandra Gawlik resulted in winning two awards in the national competition for students of organ in Wrocław: the 2nd place in 1994 and the 1st place in 1996. In the years of 1996-2001 he continued his organ studies at the Academy of Music in Katowice with Julian Gembalski. His encounter with the charismatic personality of this professor – both an organist and improviser – was a strong inspiration for studying the art of improvisation. At that time, Pawlisz also worked with Monika Dąbrowska (Dabrowska-Beuzelin) – assistant to J. Gembalski and Marek Toporowski – harpsichord teacher, both of whom made a major impact on the shaping of his musical sensibility.

During summer courses in St-Bertrand-de-Comminges led by Michel Chapuis, Mr Pawlisz had close contact with early French music. This work convinced him to study at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon (2001-2004) in the class of Jean Boyer. This stage of his artistic path played a decisive role in his career. After that, his master-professor’s approach to music, performance practice and musical taste became the main reference point in the disciple’s search for his own artistic ideals.

In the Lyons Conservatory, Mr Pawlisz also developed his skills under the guidance of Liesbeth Schlumberger, Louis Robilliard (organ interpretation), Loïc Mallié, Gabriel Marghieri, Franck Vaudray (organ improvisation) and Jacky Piscione (issues of early music). In autumn 2002 he took part in a four-month course at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam where he studied organ with Pieter van Dijk within the Erasmus program. In 2003-2004 he held the position of assistant organist at the Cathedral of St. John in Lyon. A meeting with Jean Jaquenod, honorary titular organist of the Ahrend cathedral organ had a significant influence on the aesthetic views of Mr Pawlisz.

In 2002 he won 2nd prize at the International Organ Competition in Magadino, Switzerland and in 2006 he won 5th prize at the International Competition in Brugge, Belgium. Since 1998, on regular basis he has been collaborating with the Chorzów-based Gregorian Schola Cantorum Minorum Chosoviensis, performing music during the liturgy and participating in different concert and recording projects. He has performed as a soloist in Poland, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Ukraine.

In 2012 he received his PhD at the Academy of Music in Cracow in the discipline of the instrumental art. His dissertation was written under the supervision of Dariusz Bąkowski-Kois. Jehan Titelouze – stylistics of work and concept of organ as inspiration for improvisation presents an original method of teaching improvisation, applying Renaissance counterpoint techniques.

Mr Pawlisz taught organ at the Cardinal Franciszek Macharski Archdiocesan School of Music in Cracow and at the Interuniversity Institute for Church Music in Cracow. Currently, since 2018, he has been teaching at the department of church music at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. He is also organist of the St Peter and Paul Church in Cracow.