Z
uzanna Sosnowska is one of the most promising and talented Polish cellists of her generation. She is the winner of the X International W. Lutosławski Cello Competition in Warsaw (1st Prize ex aequo), in which she was also awarded two special prizes for commissioned works as well as 6 other special prizes.
Born in 1993 in Bialystok, Poland, she started playing cello at the age of 7 at Bialystok Music School, where the love for music was instilled into her by her first professor Ms. Grazyna Gedroyc. During the years 2009- 2012 Zuzanna continued her musical education at Zenon Brzewski Music School in Warsaw in Prof. Andrzej Orkisz‘s class. In 2018 she finished her Master Degree at Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar where she was studying under the eye of prof. Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt. Since September 2018 she has been studying at Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid in prof. Jens Peter Maintz‘s and Fernando Arias‘s class.
Apart from Lutoslawski International Cello Competion Zuzanna was awarded such prizes as: the 2nd Prize in the International Cello Competition in Liezen, Austria, the 1st Prize in the International Petar Konjovic Music Competition in Belgrad, Serbia, and the 2nd Prize in Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition in Porec, Croatia, among others. In April 2016, as the 1st prize in A.Rubinstein International Competition in Duesseldorf, Germany, she won a master bow from August Moritz Knopf- the most acclaimed, legendary German bow maker. In the same year she also received other special prizes in such competitions as: A. Janigro International Cello Competition in Zagreb and L. Sigall International Cello Competition in Vina del Mar,Chile.
Her last achievements from 2019 are: I Prize ex-aequo at „Salieri – Zinetti“ Chamber Music Competition in Werona (in Duo Sosnowska-Garcias) and III Prize at B. Mazzacurati International Cello Competition in Torino.
The young artist has been also greatly influenced and inspired by participating in various masterclasses with D. Geringas, F.Helmerson, I. Monighetti, P. Muller, J.P.Maintz, T. Thedeen, L. Fenyo, G. Rivinius, J. Berger, A. Noras , Na Mula, and K. Michalik, among others.
She shows great interest in chamber music. In 2010 she won the 3rd Prize in the International Chamber Music Competition in Calgary, Canada and the 1st Prize in the International Zarebski Music Competition in Lomianki, Warsaw. Since 2015 she has been a scholar of a chamber music program „Villa Musica“, and was chosen to take part in the International Chamber Music Festival „Krzyżowa Music“ in Poland (2015 and 2016) as well as „Clasclas Festival“ in Spain (2019). She had the possibility to share the stage with such distinguished musicians as Vadym Kholodenko, Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Sunwook Kim, Antonio Meneses, Roland Krüger, Arto Noras, Andrei Bielow, Clemens Trautmann, or Musicians from Berlin Piano Quartett . Besides that, as a scholar of Yehudi Menuhin Association (2013-2018) she was an active participant in the „Live Music Now“ program, which brings the music to people who due to diverse circumstances cannot go to the concerts themselves.
Zuzanna has performed as a soloist , in duo with Spanish pianist Magí Garcías as well as a member of the „Polish Soloists String Orchestra“ in Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Namibia, and Canada. As a soloist she performed with the National Orchestra of Poland in Warsaw, the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, AUKSO Orchestra, the Orchestra of European Music Centre in Bialystok (Poland), the Youth Polish Philharmony, the Young Orchester in Kiel (Germany), the Pforzheim Philharmonic (Germany), Metamorphosen Chamber Orchester Berlin and Orchestra Cambra de Mallorca, among others. She was also invited to play at such festivals as the „Music Connects“ in Switzerland, the „Goslar-Harz Music Fest“ in Germany, or the „Basso Biennale of Deep Sounds“ International Music Festival in Warsaw.
In 2018 Zuzanna made her first recording commisioned by Polish Radio. Together with National Orchestra of Polish Radio under maestro Bassem Akiki she recorded First Cello Concerto of Grazyna Bacewicz- one of the most important polish composers in XX century.
Zuzanna has received the Scholarship of Polish Minister of Culture and Art Department and the Polish Prime Minister's Scholarship. In years 2007-2012, she also took part in the National Children's Found Program. In 2013 she was awarded the Deutschland Stipendium. Since 2014 she has been a scholarship recipient at the International Music Academy in the Principality of Liechtenstein and has been participating intensively in the activities of the Academy. In 2015 she was awarded Charlotte Krupp Stipendium from New Liszt Foundation.
In 2019 in Teatro Real in Madrid she got honoured with special prize of Queen Sofia from Her Majesty.
Currently Zuzanna is playing polish cello crafted by Andrzej Bobak from 2007.