Piotr Kościk was born in Rzeszów (Poland) and currently resides in Vienna, where he is active as both pianist and conductor. In 2014, he completed his piano studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Prof. Oleg Maisenberg, followed by postgraduate studies with Prof. Eliso Virsaladze at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Florence. He further refined his artistry in masterclasses with distinguished pianists such as Dang Thai Son, Matti Raekallio, and Michel Béroff. Alongside his pianistic career, Kościk developed a strong focus on conducting, completing his studies at the Zurich University of the Arts with Prof. Iwan Wassilewski and Prof. Christoph-Mathias Müller.

 

Kościk is a laureate of numerous international competitions, including the “International Piano Competition for Young Musicians” in Enschede (2nd Prize and “The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra Prize”), the “Münchner Klavierpodium der Jugend” (1st Prize and Special Prize for the best interpretation of a classical sonata), and the “VII Schlesinger Piano Competition” in Zabrze. He was a finalist at the “Osaka Music Competition” and received scholarships from the Prime Minister of Poland, the GP&P Trust (USA), the Maschmann Foundation in Linz, and the Honorius Foundation in Vienna.

 

As a soloist, he has performed with ensembles such as the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Radiosymphonieorchester Bratislava, National Symphony Orchestra of Kosovo, Philharmonie Zabrze, Philharmonie Rzeszów, and Székelyföldi Philharmonie. His concert appearances have taken him to prestigious venues including the Gasteig in Munich, Radiokulturhaus in Vienna, Palais du Monaco in Paris, Kolarac-Konzertsaal in Belgrade, Steinway-Haus in Munich, Red Hall in Pristina, Nationaal Muziekkwartier in Enschede, Theater Odeon De Spiegel in Zwolle, Stadthalle Oberursel, Chiesa di San Mattia ai Crociferi in Palermo, and the Artur-Rubinstein-Philharmonie in Łódź.

 

In 2019, he made his debut in China at the opening concert of the Chopin Festival in the Xinghai Concert Hall Guangzhou. He has been invited to international festivals such as the “International Chopin Festival” in Kartause Gaming, “Chopiniada” in Frankfurt, “Chopin Amare” in Palermo, “Išskirtinai ŠOPENAS” in Vilnius, “Chopin Piano Fest” in Kosovo, and “Chopin Industrialnie” in Zabrze. The Frankfurter Rundschau praised his performance: “...at the annual concert of the Chopin Society on the birthday of its namesake, the Polish pianist Piotr Kościk brought brilliance. His intelligent interpretations are free from showmanship.” Numerous recordings for Austrian, German, and Polish radio and television complement his concert activity. Since 2018, he has collaborated with the publisher Boosey & Hawkes on the works of Polish Jewish composer Simon Laks.

 

His debut CD featuring works by Chopin and Liszt was released in 2015 by the label redpmusic. A second CD followed in 2020, featuring sonatas by Haydn and Mozart, recorded at the Lisztzentrum Raiding. As a pianist, Kościk has worked with esteemed conductors including Arvo Volmer, Toshio Yanagisawa, Vladimir Kiradijev, Szabolcs Kulcsár, Slawomir Chrzanowski, and Andrzej Swodoba. As a conductor, he has participated in masterclasses with Johannes Schläfli, Jorma Panula, Lawrence Foster, Douglas Bostock, Luciano Acocella, Colin Metters, and Martin Akerwall.

 

His conducting career has led to collaborations with orchestras such as Filharmonia Śląska in Katowice, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, Janáčkova Filharmonie Ostrava, Sinfonietta Berlin, Orchestra Sinfonica d’Este in Ferrara, Filarmonica “Paul Constantinescu” in Ploiești, Filarmonica de Stat Oradea, Belgrade Chamber Orchestra, and the State Opera Ruse. Since 2010, Piotr Kościk has served as a board member of the International Chopin Society in Vienna.