Ignacy Zalewski

Ignacy Zalewski is a Professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, serving as Head of the Department of Composition (2024-2028) and previously as Dean of the Faculty of Composition and Music Theory (2020-2024). He is a member of the university Senate and Artistic Discipline Council, and co-founder/artistic director of the Chopin University Modern Ensemble—the first permanent new music ensemble at a Warsaw music school.

His education includes composition studies under Prof. Marcin Błażewicz at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music (2009-2014, graduating with distinction), followed by work with Prof. Krzysztof Penderecki (2014-2015). He further developed his expertise through workshops led by Prof. Wolfgang Rihm, Prof. Lowell Liebermann, and Prof. Vladimir Scolnic.

Zalewski's research centers on composition, new music performance practice, 19th-century Polish music history, and music philosophy. His creative output spans theater, film, television, radio, and video games, with collaborations including Netflix, TVP, and major Polish theaters. His works have been performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Grand Theatre-National Opera in Warsaw, and internationally across 20+ countries, recorded on 19 CDs (three Fryderyk-nominated).

He has received over 20 awards in international and national composition competitions. As a conductor specializing in new music, he has premiered dozens of works and released four CDs.

Zalewski is chairman of ZAiKS's Audit Committee (since 2023), a member of the Polish Composers' Union (since 2022), and a regular columnist for "Presto" magazine with publications in "Ruch Muzyczny" and "Glissando". He frequently lectures on Polish and contemporary music throughout Poland, including at the Polish Science Festival and Voivodeship Pedagogical Library in Olsztyn.