Employees

prof. dr hab.

Klaudiusz Baran

accordion

An accordionist, bandoneonist, chamber musician, teacher, holder of professorial title and post-doctoral degree (prof. dr hab.). He graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw (now UMFC), class of Jerzy Jurek (1995) and Conservatoire Paul Dukas in Paris with Max Bonnay. He has been connected with his parent institution as a teacher and he has held managerial positions there since 2002, including the most important function of Rector (since 2016).
He is a versatile artist with extraordinary musical sensitivity. His artistic achievements have changed the way accordion is perceived in Poland: its role was upgraded to the position of the rightful instrument shaping the real musical world. In his interpretations, he is able to combine humility towards a musical piece with the richness of inventiveness, personal understanding of time in music, unique stage charisma and natural expression. He easily moves within the varied repertoire from many periods, but the greatest dose of recognition is attributed to his newest music interpretations, including almost 50 premiere performances of solo and chamber works as well as pieces featuring an orchestra – and the majority of these compositions was dedicated to or inspired by him. He has a great passion for the Argentinian tango (especially tango nuevo connected with Astor Piazzolla), which he masterly performs on the bandoneon and he was the first musician who introduced this instrument to Polish concert halls. He was the co-founder and leader of the best-known tango formations, such as Tangata Quintet or Machina del Tango, creating the Polish culture of tango.
He was the first accordionist to perform solo with the National Philharmonic Orchestra as well as the majority most important Polish orchestras. He has given concerts in Poland, in numerous European cities as well as in China and Argentina. As a chamber musician, he has appeared with such masters as Ivan Monighetti, Roby Lakatos, Julius Berger, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, and many others. The value of his musical creations has been appreciated on numerous occasions in enthusiastic reviews and earned him prizes from instrumental competitions, nominations and artistic awards. He is the winner of three ‘Fryderyk’ awards. In 2003, he was the first accordionist to win a ‘Fryderyk’ and it was for the album Astor Piazzolla – Tango (Sony Classical); in 2020 the prestigious box 100 for 100 Musical Decades of Freedom (PWM) on which he appeared won awards in two categories: ‘album of the year – symphonic music’ and  the‘ most outstanding Polish music recording”. His achievements include over 80 CDs. He is the creator of the world music group, and as a studio musician he records film music and popular music and accompanies actors’ songs. In 2010 he was awarded with a Bronze Medal, and in 2024 a Gold Medal ‘For Merits to Culture Gloria Artis’.