Jury Młodych
For the first time in the history of the competition, the violinists will be judged by a Youth Jury. This committee will be composed of selected students and graduates from music schools in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region.
The Youth Jury will be chaired by Robert Łaguniak, winner of the Second Prize at the 5th International Karol Lipiński Violin Competition in Toruń. Łaguniak regularly performs recitals in Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy. He has collaborated with numerous Polish orchestras and has participated in nearly 100 international violin competitions.
The Youth Jury will deliberate during Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the competition, ultimately awarding a €1,500 prize to the selected violinist.
In addition, young music enthusiasts will have the chance to participate in a violin masterclass led by Robert Łaguniak, where they can further refine their playing skills.
Youth Jury:
Robert Łaguniak - Chairman of the Jury
Marta Balcerek (Torun)
Filip Chetwynd (Bydgoszcz)
Michalina Bartczak (Inowrocław)
Oliwia Stawarz (Torun)
Łukasz Szymański (Włocławek)
Julia Zielińska (Torun)
Łaguniak is an active soloist and chamber musician, with performances across Poland, Ukraine, Germany, France, China, Italy, and the United States.
He has graced numerous distinguished concert halls, including the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice, and the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Additionally, he has performed at most of Poland’s major philharmonics, including the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, the Sudecka Philharmonic, the Podkarpacka Philharmonic, the Świętokrzyska Philharmonic, as well as those in Poznań, Kraków, Łódź, and Lublin.
His performances have been broadcast on TVP Kultura, TVP Polonia, and Polish Radio’s Second Channel.
From an early age, Robert has garnered top prizes at both international and national competitions, excelling as a soloist and chamber musician. Throughout his career, he has received over 100 awards. Notably, he was the youngest Polish participant in the XV International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Poznań, where he received a special prize from the jury chairman, Maxim Vengerov.
Among his major solo achievements are a Gold Medal with Highest Distinction at the Berliner International Music Competition, 1st place at the International Georg Philipp Telemann Violin Competition in Poznań, Grand Prix at the National Auditions of Students of Music Schools of the CEA, 2nd prize with 5 special prizes at the International Karol Lipiński Violin Competition in Toruń.
Since 2014, Robert has performed with Marta Gidaszewska as part of the Polish Violin Duo. The duo has toured extensively across Europe, North America, and Asia. In 2021, they released their debut album featuring duets by Joachim Kaczkowski. Their second album, released in 2022, showcased 20th-century Polish composers such as Bacewicz, Spisak, Paciorkiewicz, and Weinberg. This album earned a nomination for the prestigious “Fryderyk” award in the Chamber Duo category in 2024.
The Polish Violin Duo has achieved remarkable success, winning top prizes at over 30 international competitions in countries including in the United States, Japan, Canada, Russia, Greece, Belgium, France, Estonia, Serbia, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Poland. In 2020, they were nominated for the “Coryphaeus of Polish Music” award in the “Discovery of the Year” category.
Seven musical pieces have been specially composed for the Polish Violin Duo by Polish, Hungarian, and American composers.
