Employees

dr hab.

Rafał Janiak

prof. UMFC

symphonic conducting

Rafał Janiak graduated from the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw where he studied Conducting with Prof. Antoni Wit (2011, diploma with honours) and Composition (also with honours) with Prof. Stanisław Moryto (2010). In 2016 he obtained a doctoral degree in musical arts, discipline: Conducting, and in 2020 he obtained his post-doctoral degree.
            His achievements include numerous awards which he won during all-Poland and international music competitions, e.g.: 1st prize at the 1st John Paul II Composition Competition in Warsaw (2007), 3rd prize at the 4th International “Musica Sacra” Competition in Częstochowa (2008), honorary mention at the 51st All-Poland Tadeusz Baird Competition for Young Composers in Warsaw (2010); he was also a semi-finalist at the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in London (2014). He won the competition for writing an opera which was organised by the Grand Theatre in Łódź. The Jury headed by Prof. Krzysztof Penderecki unanimously awarded him with the Grand Prix. He additionally won the audience’s award.  His opera “The Man from the Manufacture” had its premiere in February 2019 and its open-air scene version was performed in May 2019 on the Women Textile Workers’ Market in Łódź was an unprecedented event.  
            He won the scholarships from: the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (twice – in 2007 and 2012), the President of the City of Gdańsk (2005, 2009), and Keimyung University Foundation (South Kora, 2009). In 2018 he became a laureate of the scholarship programme called “Young Poland” and received a prestigious scholarship for an outstanding young scholar awarded to him by the Ministry of Science and National Education.
He was an assistant of Antoni Wit (season 2012/13) and Jacek Kaspszyk (season 2013/14) at the National Philharmonic.
Rafał Janiak regularly performs with orchestras, e.g. the National Philharmonic Orchestra, National Orchestra of the Polish Radio in Katowice, Sinfonia Iuventus, Polish Chamber Philharmonic in Sopot or Silesian, Cracow, Baltic, Gorzów, Zielona Góra, Subcarpathian and Opole Philharmonic Orchestras.
            In September 2012, Rafał Janiak had his debut at the Warsaw Autumn Festival when he conducted a concert featuring the National Philharmonic Orchestra and in the following year’s edition of the Festival (2013) he conducted the finale concert. 
His repertoire covers symphonic, concert and oratorio works. In 2011 he debuted as an opera conductor in the premiere performance of Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte”. In 2014, he took the position of Artistic Manager of the new staging of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”, and in 2017, he became Artistic Manager of the performance of Tchaikovski’s “Onegin” on the stage of the Warsaw Chamber Opera (both in collaboration with the UMFC).
The artist has collaborated with the Grand Theatre in Łódź since 2016 – there he has conducted “The Gypsy Baron” by J. Strauss and “Turandot” by G. Puccini, and more.
Since 2017, he has been the Artistic Manager of the newly founded Chopin University Chamber Orchestra and he has had numerous significant successes with it. The achievements of the ensemble include a few recordings, and not long ago they performed together during a China tour, giving over 20 concerts (July 2019).
            He currently works as adiunkt (Assistant Professor) at his parent university, holding the position of Dean of the Department of Symphony and Opera Conducting.
www.rafaljaniak.com
At the Chopin University of Music: 
Dean of the Department of Symphony and Opera Conducting, Artistic Manager of the Chopin University Chamber Orchestra, Music Manager of a few operatic productions of the UMFC, including Cosi fan tutte and Don Giovanni by W.A. Mozart, and Oniegin by P. Tchaikovsky.