BIO
Andrzej Karałow is a composer and pianist whose work covers a wide range of artistic activities – from contemporary music to improvisation and actions at the meeting point of the arts. A graduate of the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, where he studied composition with Prof. Stanisław Moryto and piano under Prof. Bronisława Kawalla. In 2019, he obtained the title of Doctor of Arts, and in 2025 – of Habilitated Doctor of Musical Arts. Since 2016, Andrzej has been associated with his alma mater as a lecturer, and since 2020 – as an assistant professor.
Mr. Karałow’s oeuvre gained international acclaim thanks to his participation in the LPO Young Composers Programme (2018/19), which culminated in the world premiere of one of his pieces by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir James MacMillan at the Southbank Centre. His compositions have been performed at festivals and concerts in Europe, Asia, both Americas, and Australia. In 2023, he ran a compositional course as part of the Takefu International Music Festival in Japan; he has also been invited as a guest lecturer by higher education facilities in Seville, Sofia, and Frosinone. A prizewinner of numerous international and national composers’ competitions.
At the same time, he is an active pianist, awarded in competitions in Poland and abroad (including in Paris, Athens, and Warsaw). As a pianist and composer he has collaborated with the most prominent orchestras, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Silesian Philharmonic, Sinfonia Varsovia, and with such conductors as Sir James MacMillan, Szymon Bywalec, Bassem Akiki, Michał Klauza, José Maria Florêncio, and Ewa Strusińska.
Improvisation occupies an equally important place in his activities, opening up space for experiments with classical piano, electronics, and various forms of collective music making. In his artistic explorations, he combines music with other media, especially visual arts. The relationship between sound and image has become one of the focal points of his creative work, supplemented by his activities as a photographer.
Recordings of his works and several performances as a pianist were released on over 30 CD albums by Chopin University Press, Bocian Records, Bôłt Records, Ablaze Records, DUX Recordings Producers, Requiem Records, Chronicles of Warsaw and others.
He has recorded over a dozen monographic, chamber music, and improvised albums, including: Songlines (Fundacja Ensemblage / Chopin University Press), There are some nebulae no eye can dispel (Chopin University Press), meta-opera De invitatione mortis (Chopin University Press, libretto by Maciej Papierski), Cascadas (CHUP, duo with Agnieszka Podłucka) and Life & Beyond (DUX, duo with Małgorzata Wasiucionek-Potera) – all nominated for a Fryderyk Award. His music has also been released by Ablaze Records, DUX, Requiem Records, Chopin University Press, and the Warsaw Autumn Sound Chronicles. In 2025, his discography expanded with another monographic album, Songlines (Ensemblage Foundation, Chopin University Press), and the release of cascadas (Chopin University Press) in duo with Agnieszka Podłucka, featuring world premiere recordings of viola sonatas by A. Czajkowski, P. Szymański, and his own composition.
His work also includes albums released in improvised duos: Flint (Fundacja Ensemblage) with french bassist Joëlle Léandre, or L’ivresse Transfigurée (Ośrodek Rozdroża) with electroacoustic musician Jérôme Noetinger.
He is a two-time scholarship holder of the “Young Poland” programme, as well as a prizewinner of the Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and of scholarships of the Minister of Science and Higher Education and the Pro Polonia Association. He was awarded the “Meritorious for Polish Culture” distinction as well as the Creative Award, granted for achievements in the field of artistic creation as well as for the promotion and protection of culture.
As a professor, Mr. Karałow educates young artists at the Chopin University of Music and at master classes in Poland and abroad. He has been honing his skills at many renowned courses in Oxford, Montreal, Graz, Barcelona, Valencia, Radziejowice under the supervision of such masters as Beat Furrer, Joëlle Léandre, Dieter Ammann, Stefano Gervasoni, Zygmunt Krauze, Arie Vardi, Boris Petrushansky, Pavel Gililov, or Gary Graffman.
Andrzej Karałow is a co-founder and member of Ensemblage Foundation which promotes new music and performers. He is also a member of ZAiKS polish association of authors and member of Youth Circle Polish Composers Association in Warsaw.
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