Witosława Frankowska

Witosława Frankowska is a Professor of Art at the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk, where she has taught in the Faculty of Vocal and Acting since 1993. An accomplished ethnomusicologist and chamber musician, she specializes in Baroque performance practice and Kashubian regional music traditions, blending scholarly research with active performance as a basso continuo specialist across Europe and the United States.

Education

• Graduated with distinction from the Faculty of Theory and Composition at the Academy of Music in Gdańsk
• Doctorate in humanities with distinction in ethnomusicology (Institute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, 2013)
• Postdoctoral degree in musical arts (Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music in Łódź, 2018)

Her research centers on ethnomusicological documentation of Kashubian-Pomeranian musical heritage and Baroque performance practice. She pioneered archival work on regional carols and manuscripts, authoring the seminal monograph Caroling in Kashubia (2015) while editing foundational songbooks and lexicons that preserve endangered folk traditions. Her dual expertise manifests in historically informed performances of early music and arrangements of regional repertoire.

Scientific Awards

• Stolem Medal (2006) for cultural contributions
• Third Prize in National Master's Thesis Competition (1989) for research on Johann Jeremias du Grain manuscripts

As an advisor, she prepares vocal students for Baroque repertoire, achieving notable success with four students reaching the semi-finals of William Christie's "Le Jardin des Voix" competition (2006), including laureate Michał Czerniawski. Her grant-funded initiatives include the "Kashubian, Kociewie and Powiśle Orchestra Library" series (2014–2016) and archival radio/television recordings that document regional music. She directs the concert series "Meetings with Kashubian Music" at Wejherowo's Museum of Kashubian-Pomeranian Literature and Music since 2002, while maintaining performance collaborations with ensembles including the Polish Chamber Philharmonic and Cappella Gedanensis.