Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra
The Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra draws upon the rich and old tradition of chamber music making among artists from Warsaw Philharmonic. The first chamber ensembles were formed at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1960s and 70s, the National Philharmonic Chamber Musicians ensemble under Karol Teutsch achieved success playing concerts worldwide. Other ensembles made up of musicians from the Warsaw Philharmonic also gained international recognition. In the 1990s, the violin ensemble gave concerts with eminent soloists such as Konstanty A. Kulka and Nigel Kennedy, making records and TV programmes. During the celebration of Warsaw Philharmonic's centenary, the Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra was reactivated under the patronage of Director Antoni Wit. The ensemble consists of leading instrumentalists from the Warsaw Philharmonic, including former members of Karol Teutsch's ensemble. The artistic director of the orchestra is Jan Lewtak, who graduated from the F. Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw after violin studies under Zenon Brzewski and Miros³aw £awrynowicz. He is the winner of many violin competitions and of the Radio and Television Committee Award, an artist who has already made a significant contribution to chamber music in Poland. The Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra has started co-operation with numerous eminent soloists, major music companies, organisers of prestigious festivals and composers of chamber music. In April 2003, the Orchestra recorded A. Vivaldi's The Four Seasons under Antoni Wit, with Jan Lewtak as the soloist.
The ensemble performed among others with Salvatore Accardo, Evelyn Glennie, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, Krzysztof and Jakub Jakowicz, Agata Szymczewska and Mariusz Patyra, first prize winner of the International Paganini Competition in Genova, with whom the orchestra recorded in the newest Super Audio CD-technology (six-channel). The artistic director and concertmaster of the Orchestra is Jan Lewtak.