Jan Łukaszewski is a distinguished conductor, a respected educator, and a notable organizer of musical life. Since 1983, he has been leading the Polish Chamber Choir Schola Cantorum Gedanensis, with whom he has premiered almost 700 performances, recorded several hundred radio and television broadcasts, and produced over 80 albums. These albums were nominated 22 times and awarded the Fryderyk prize five times. They also received the Orphée D’or – a prestigious award from the Academie du Disque Lyrique – twice. He has conducted thousands of concerts in Poland and in almost all European countries, the USA, Canada, China, and Japan. He is a recognized judge at music competitions in Poland, as well as in Japan, Wales, Lithuania, Italy, Switzerland, England, France, and Germany. He also serves as a juror and conductor for the premieres of choral pieces awarded in the International Composers' Competition Musica Sacra Nova.
Jan Łukaszewski was born in Gdańsk Oliwa. Since 2006, the picturesque scenery of the Oliwa Park has been hosting the Mozartiana International Mozart Festival, which was Jan Łukaszewski's brainchild, and he serves as its artistic director. The festival's finale concerts, led by Łukaszewski and held in the historic Oliwa Cathedral, host prominent soloists and renowned European instrumental ensembles and are broadcasted to many European countries. Eminent contemporary Polish composers, including Krzysztof Penderecki, Wojciech Kilar, Augustyn Bloch, Edward Pałłasz, Paweł Łukaszewski, Andrzej Koszewski, Krzesimir Dębski, and Juliusz Łuciuk, have dedicated their works to him. Under his direction, performers such as Julia Leżniewa, Simone Kermes, and Emma Kirkby have sung, and orchestras including Sinfonia Varsovia, NOSPR, Academy of Ancient Music, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and Venice Baroque Orchestra have played. His collaborations with these musical giants have resulted in magnificent recordings and world-class concerts.
Together with the Polish Chamber Choir, Jan Łukaszewski made the first recording of the complete works of Krzysztof Penderecki for a cappella choir. He also collaborated with the Swiss ensemble of early instruments, Musica Fiorita, for a pioneering recording of the complete 55 motets of Andreas Hakenberger. Łukaszewski's interpretations of choral and oratorio works are unparalleled. He has the ability to delve into the profound intentions of the late 16th and early 17th-century Gdańsk composer Andreas Hakenberger, as well as those of the late 20th and early 21st-century composer Krzysztof Penderecki. His hallmark traits are impeccable intonation, perfect voice balance, and precision in executing the composer's vision, combined with creative interpretative courage. He is renowned for masterful performances of contemporary pieces that are complex in texture, harmony, and rhythm.
Jan Łukaszewski is a Professor of Music Arts and has received numerous prestigious awards and honors, including the Silver Medal "Merit to Culture Gloria Artis" (2008), the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2018), and the award from the Board of the ZAiKS Authors' Association (2020). In 2021, by the decision of the Phonographic Academy Board, for his "outstanding artistic achievements," Jan Łukaszewski was honored with the Golden Fryderyk. However, Jan Łukaszewski's most significant artistic achievement is his loyal and large audience, which has enthusiastically embraced the concerts led by Maestro Łukaszewski for almost four decades.
