Waldemar Żarów

First clarinetist of the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Warsaw.

Graduate of the K. Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice in the class of Professor Andrzej Janicki. He also honed his skills in numerous master classes with artists such as Giora Feidman, Christoph Hartmann, Michel Arrignon, Arnaud Leroy, Diethelm Jonas and Nuno Pinto.

At the end of his studies, he took up the position of solo musician in the newly established Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra in Warsaw, bringing together the most talented graduates of Polish music academies, and from 2011 to 2017 he was associated as first clarinetist with the Gorzów Philharmonic Orchestra. In April 2017, he won an audition for the position of first clarinetist at the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Warsaw, a position he still holds.

He has won a special prize at the International Jewish Music Competition in Amsterdam, 2nd prize at Le 8ème Concours International de Quintette à vent “Henri Tomasi” in Marseille and most Polish competitions and festivals.

He permanently cooperates with leading Polish orchestras, such as Sinfonia Varsovia, Sinfonietta Cracovia, AUKSO Chamber Orchestra of the City of Tychy and NFM Leopoldinum, with whom he has had the pleasure of performing on the most important music stages of almost all European countries, Asia and South America.

As an orchestral musician, he has taken part in dozens of recordings for DUX, CD Accord, Albany Records and Sony Classical. In 2009, he made recordings of Première Rhapsodie by C. Debussy, Tema con Variazioni by J. Françaix and Duett Concertino for clarinet and bassoon by R. Strauss, accompanied by the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra conducted by Gabriel Chmura.

Co-founder of the group Dance of Fire – the first clarinet quartet in Poland specialising in folk music.

photo: Marcin Kaletka