Cecylia Barczyk is an American

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

based in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Education and early life

Barczyk was born in

Bytom Bytom (Polish pronunciation: ; Silesian: ''Bytōm, Bytōń'', german: Beuthen O.S.) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland, the city is 7 km northwest of Katowice, the regional capital ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and began studying cello at a young age. She studied at the Chopin Academy of Music (

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Moscow Conservatory of Music The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...

.Towson University Department of Music biography
/ref> In 1977, she went to study at Yale School of Music and in 1981 applied for

political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another enti ...

in the United States saying that

I can't live in a country without democracy. My hopes have been with the Solidarity movement. To this end I have given many concerts in its support. And I want to continue my mission to assist the people of Poland in their struggle.

Three months later, the

U.S. Government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

granted her asylum.

Awards and prizes

Barczyk won prizes at the Danczowski Cello Competition (Poznań), Pablo Casals Cello Competition (Budapest), Tchaikovsky Competition (Moscow), Aldo Parisot International Cello Competition (Brazil), J.S. Bach International Competition (Leipzig), Cassado International Cello Competition (Florence), and W.C. Byrd Young Artists Competition (Michigan). The Maryland Chapter of the American String Teachers Association twice voted her "Teacher of the Year" (1995 and 2004). The Tianjin Conservatory of Music (China) named her a "Distinguished Honorary Professor." The International Friends of the Cello Association honored her with the "Award for Great Achievements in Cello Music." The International Music Tribute to Paderewski Committee honored her with the "Paderewki Award for Contributions to Society and Culture." The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Poland presented her with a medal of recognition for outstanding musical achievement.

Teaching

Since 1983, she has been Professor of Cello at Towson University (Maryland). Several of her students have received top prizes in national/international music competitions (including the Kumho International Competition in Helsinki, the Young Concert Artists Auditions of New York, and the Corpus Christi Young Artists Competition). She is a frequent adjudicator of international music competitions, and a regular faculty member of advanced summer music courses in the US and Europe. In 2003 she was appointed artistic director of the International Music Institute and Festival USA.

International Cello festivals

In 1986, Barczyk founded the International Cello Festival at Towson University. As Director of this festival, she has organized this festival on an annual basis, inviting renowned guest artists as well as talented young cellists. Recent festivals have had themed concerts, such as "Music for the Mind, Feet, and Soul," "Music from Vietnam," "Music from Iceland," and "Music for Peace in the Middle East." The 2006 festival included the world premiere of a composition by the American composer Jody Nagel for two cellos and orchestra (performed together with her daughter, Frances Borowsky). Barczyk has also been among the organizers of the World Cello Congresses in St. Petersburg and Baltimore. She also serves as a co-chair for the 2010 American Tribute to Chopin.

Personal life

Barczyk married social scientist Dr. Charles Karol H. Borowsky, President of Intermuse Performing Artists Bureau. Borowsky has organized many international conferences and festivals dedicated to the promotion of music as a tool for cultural, social, and economic progress. He also plays the harmonica and occasionally performs together with his family. They have three children, all of who are professional musicians, among them

Frances G. Borowsky Frances Grace Borowsky (born 5 July 1992) is an American cellist. She has performed as a soloist in over thirty countries, including some of the world's leading concert venues. She made her debut at Carnegie Hall in 2004. Borowsky won the Erick Fr ...

. In a 2012 profile for ''

The Catholic Review ''The Catholic Review'' is Maryland's largest paid weekly newspaper distributed by mail. The ''Review'' covers national and international news of interest to Catholics and serves as the newspaper of record for the archdiocese of Baltimore. His ...

'', Barczyk noted the ties between her family's music and their Catholic faith.

References

External links

Official Website

Official Management Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barczyk, Cecylia American cellists American classical cellists American Roman Catholics Polish emigrants to the United States Polish cellists Towson University faculty Living people Musicians from Baltimore People from Bytom Year of birth missing (living people) American women classical cellists 21st-century American women