Janusz Strobel
One of the most distinguished virtuosos of classical guitar, a composer, and arranger. Born in Gdansk, into a renowned musical family. He began his career in the tri-city jazz bands. In 1970, together with Henryk Alber, he formed the legendary Classical Guitar Duet Alber – Strobel, which soon became a laureate of the Jazz over the Oder festival in Wroclaw, thus initiating a vast concert activity. Janusz Strobel founded many musical formations, co-created dozens of albums, participating as a composer, arranger, or instrumentalist. Janusz Strobel is the composer of beautiful Polish songs that form the canon of Polish entertainment music. From the beginning of his artistic journey, he consistently seeks non-obvious solutions, always remaining loyal to his style. Against trends, he creates original values that seem to fade in contemporary music.
In 2005, he was awarded the Medal for Merit to Culture Gloria Artis by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
In 2010, the City Council of the Capital City of Warsaw, in recognition of his merits, awarded Janusz Strobel the City of Warsaw Award. In 2013 and 2016, for his entire artistic output, he received the Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and the Award of the ZAiKS Authors' Association. In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious Honorary Pearl in the Culture category of Polish Market. That same year, he was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. In the current year, 2020, he was recognized with the Komeder - a prestigious award for outstanding figures in Polish jazz.
Nula Stankiewicz
Singer, journalist, narrator, speech therapist, possessing one of the most beautiful, sensual voices of Polish song. Her vocal and stage awareness, rooted in her musical education, places her among the elite Polish vocalists. She's a laureate of literary song contests and festivals where, besides musicality, a conscious interpretation of text played a significant role. In 2013, she released the critically acclaimed double album Strobel Kofta Wołek, which sold out almost instantly. In 2017, the album was reissued as a single-disc album titled "Wybrane". Nula Stankiewicz also contributed to the albums "In Tribute to Freedom" (2015) and "Patron Saints of Europe and Poland. Artists in tribute to John Paul II" (2009). In 2017, on the 20th anniversary of the death of Agnieszka Osiecka, the album "Byle nie o miłości" was released.
At the beginning of 2018, the artist introduced another artistic idea: the concert "Idź swoją drogą", featuring songs by Jonasz Kofta. In 2022, two of her albums were released: "Śpiewam z piosenkami Janusza Strobla" and "Niezapominajki with the poetry of Maria Konopnicka and the music of Janusz Strobel". Since 2017, she has been a journalist at Polskie Radio RDC, where she hosts her original broadcasts and journalistic programs.
Paweł Pańta
Double bassist and bass guitarist, Grammy award winner. He graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music under Andrzej Mysiński and pursued further jazz studies with Zbigniew Wegehaupt. In 1995, he was part of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, founded and led by Claudio Abbado. Between 1996 and 1998, he collaborated with the Philharmonie der Nationen orchestra, giving over a hundred concerts. He was a member of the quintet I Solisti di Varsawia and also collaborates with the Prima Vista quartet. He has frequently performed alongside distinguished soloists such as Piotr Paleczny, Karol Radziwonowicz, Władysław Kłosiewicz, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, and Jan Stanienda.
He participated in recording about a hundred albums, spanning both classical and popular music genres. He worked with top figures in Polish jazz and global stars like Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, Gregory Porter, Troy Miller, and Mark Soskin. He was a member of the Andrzej Kurylewicz Trio and Włodek Pawlik Trio and is currently active with bands led by Janusz Strobel, Janusz Bogacki, Garry Guthman, Wojciech Gogolewski, and Filip Wojciechowski. Furthermore, he's a musical producer for albums such as: Pańta, Dys, Szmańda play Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Małecki, Kostov, Pańta, Konrad Trio: Conversations, Karolak Piano Trio: MOONtag, Agnieszka Hekiert: Soulnation, Nula Stankiewicz: I Sing, Hołownia, Pańta: Not a Coincidence. In 2022, his first solo album was released - Paweł Pańta Trio: Youth. Since 2018, he has served as an assistant professor for double bass and bass guitar at the Faculty of Jazz and Stage Music at UMFC.
Sebastian Frankiewicz
Drummer, graduate of the Jazz Department at the Katowice Academy of Music. He won prizes at the Jazz Over the Oder in Wrocław, the Jazz Standards Festival in Siedlce, the Golden Crocus in Jelenia Góra, and Bielska Jazz Blizzard. Since 2002, he has collaborated with Michał Urbaniak. In previous years, he was a member of bands led by Janusz Muniak, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Artur Dutkiewicz, Mariusz Lubomski, Mika Urbaniak, and Zbigniew Wegehaupt. He performs with Włodzimierz Nahorny, Kuba Stankiewicz, Janusz Strobel, Nula Stankiewicz, Maciej Sikała, Aga Zaryan, Katarzyna Cerekwicka, Urszula Dudziak, Grażyna Auguścik, and Lora Szafran. He has a gold record for the project "Talk to Me" with lyrics by Wojciech Młynarski and music by Włodzimierz Nahorny. He has performed at jazz festivals in cities including Buenos Aires, London, Vienna, Baku, St. Petersburg, Tel Aviv, Havana, Beijing, Mexico City, Bucharest, Sibiu, Chisinau, Moscow, and Copenhagen. In 2012, the trio Nowicki/Święs/Frankiewicz was nominated for a Fryderyk award for their debut album, Pathfinder. He was a scholarship recipient from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. Since 2022, he has been an adjunct in the percussion class at the Institute of Music at the University of Rzeszów. He has around 40 recorded albums in his artistic portfolio.
The Prima Vista String Quartet is among the most intriguing and best Polish chamber ensembles. It was established as the "Prima Vista" Quartet in the 1990s by musicians from Jerzy Maksymiuk's Polish Chamber Orchestra, who have since fully devoted themselves to chamber ensemble performance, aiming for a cohesive artistic sound.
For almost three decades, the quartet had the opportunity to showcase a diverse repertoire on all continents. The ensemble has particularly championed the works of Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga and Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. The quartet collaborated with distinguished Polish and international soloists: Ewa Pobłocka, Piotr Paleczny, Janusz Olejniczak, Krzysztof Jabłoński, Marek Drewnowski; violinists – Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, Jan Stanienda; clarinetist Michel Lethiec; cellist Arto Noras; vocalists – Olga Pasiecznik, Marta Boberska, Dorota Lachowicz, Jerzy Artysz, Józef Frakstein; and jazz musicians such as Filip Wojciechowski, Krzysztof Herdzin, Andrzej Jagodziński, Zbigniew Namysłowski, and Janusz Strobel. Quartet members are also highly esteemed studio musicians, participating in film music recordings for Zbigniew Preisner, Jan A. P. Kaczmarek, and Krzesimir Dębski. They have also collaborated with artists like Edyta Górniak, Michał Bajor, and Grzegorz Turnau. The "Prima Vista" Quartet has recorded 14 compact discs, seven of which were nominated for the "Fryderyk" award from the Phonographic Academy, with three winning the accolade. Two of the albums achieved gold and platinum status. Quartet members have been awarded the "Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis" medals and have also received awards from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. Since 2021, the ensemble has been performing in a new lineup: Krzysztof Bzówka – 1st violin, Wojciech Hartman – 2nd violin (substituted by Adam Zarzycki in Gdańsk on 25.08), Marek Czech – viola, Tomasz Błaszczak – cello.
