a b o u t m e
I like to compare my music to the sea.
I imagine an impenetrable, wise substance
that changes shape depending on the mood.
This is my music.
Agitated and gentle.
Thrilling and calm.
Angry and full of warmth.
It is born deep from the bottom
of my interior, my being,
my heart.
It is intuitive, pure, true.
My name is Piotr Zalewski. I am a composer, pianist, producer and music arranger from Warsaw, Poland.
My portfolio includes solo, chamber, orchestral, choral, electronic and hybrid (acoustic + electronic) compositions.
Neo-romanticism, impressionism and minimalism are the musical genres most liked by me. Describing my inspirations and the resulting compositional style, I can consciously state that it was born from careful observation of nature; especially seascapes. I like to compare my music to the sea. I imagine an impenetrable, wise substance that changes shape depending on the mood. This is my music. Agitated and gentle. Thrilling and calm. Angry and full of warmth. It is born deep from the bottom of my interior, my being, my heart. It is intuitive, pure, true. I trust my first, spontaneous feeling and imagination. I create by improvising. Characteristic elements of my compositions are: spontaneity, repetitions, violent passages, simple rhythms, multi-layeredness, uniform textures.
My artistic activity can be divided into several categories: solo projects, collaborations, music for larger ensembles (orchestra, choir), original reworks, music for image (films, animations) and commercial music (advertisements, spots, exhibitions).
I primarily fulfill myself as a solo artist. I work on a coherent image, organize concerts, create valuable content, look for musicians to collaborate with, plan promotions, participate in competitions and workshops.
In early September 2019, I released my first album “IMAGO”, for solo piano. The album is conceptual. Individual songs correspond to the stages of the butterfly's life cycle; from the birth of the caterpillar through pupa to the mature form of imago. Using the image of butterfly transformation, I want to point to the process of human maturation, his experiences, motivations, crisis moments, and evolution.
Then in 2020 I published a cycle of 3 piano pieces entitled "bezdeń". I call this cycle a sea trilogy, because it was created during and after my voyage on a ship around the coast of Asia. I was the music director on a German cruise ship. Every day we were on a different Asian coast, so I managed to see many interesting places in a relatively short time. However, what inspired me most was the view of the endless ocean, which I often watched from the deck of the ship.
My next release is the single "rebirth". Rebirth is a remix of the song "Birth" from the album "IMAGO". The song is enriched with cello - Omi Konstancja Osmolińska, violin - Victor Pastor Peidro, electronic layers, percussion and my processed voice. The song Rebirth is accompanied by a visualization generated by Artificial Intelligence. The creator of the visualization is Xi Li (USA) - a technical teacher at META, entrepreneur, investor, Blockchain enthusiast.
Then, in 2022, I released another cycle of 3 piano pieces “Live from S2”, i.e. compositions recorded in the Studio S2 of Polish Radio named by Witold Lutosławski, famous for its excellent acoustics. “Live from S2” includes: an original rework of the Ukrainian song “Shchedryk”, “Broken Words” and “Tension”. In the last one I present for the first time a textural idea based on the so-called “vibrating chord”, a moving consonance. It involves playing the components of a chord alternately at a very fast tempo.
I like to collaborate with talented soloists - vocalists and instrumentalists. So far, I released songs in collaboration with: Arad Emamgholi, Kaja Mianowana, LINA, IVVA, Ina Kopciuch, Justin Chiniewicz.
I am currently working on a second album "Wind Tales”. I invited artists such as: Kaja Mianowana, Marcin David Król, Arad Emamgholi, Sonia Egner, Chór Camerata Varsovia, Karolina Matuszkiewicz. So far, 2 songs have been released: "The Sea" and "Whales".
Among pieces for larger ensembles I can boast of composition “Four Seasons” for chamber orchestra, percussion and choir performed at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music concert hall. I also mention the choral piece “Domine non sum dignus”. During the premiere of this piece I made my debut as a conductor. The composition was performed for the first time at the Academy of Music in Lodz, then it was presented at various places in Poland and Europe. I also distinguishes at this point the composition “Nie mów!” to the poem by Adam Asnyk for a small orchestra and voice. This composition won the third prize in the National Composer Competition named by Tadeusz Ochlewski in Cracow organized by PWM. The jury joined: Krzysztof Penderecki, Paweł Mykietyn, Eugeniusz Knapik, Jerzy Kornowicz, Elżbieta Sikora, and Daniel Cichy.
Original musical reworks are another pillar of my activity. In the competition organized by 2track.pro I created the rework of the song “Nie Dobiję Się Do Ciebie” by Daria Zawiałow, awarded with the first place. I created and presented the prize-winning third place rework of the song “Nie Czekaj" by Barbara Wrońska, in a competition organized by the Pekao S.A. bank. On the occasion of Piano Day 2023, I presented the award-winning rework of the song “We Make History” by Miro Kępiński, from the soundtrack of the Polish movie “Furioza”. In collaboration with Alejandra Utracka-Skoczeń I created an orchestral arrangement for the song of Anna Jantar “Tylko mnie poproś do tańca” performed at the inaugural concert at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music during the Night of Museums.
I am passionate about films and animations. I eagerly create music for this type of visual forms. At the moment, my soundtrack-portfolio includes mainly competition works. I qualified twice to the second stage of the composition competition at the Film Music Festival in Cracow 2015 and 2016. In 2015 I participated in the master classes organized by this festival.
I also make music for commercial projects: music for television and internet commercials, spots, broadcasts and photo exhibitions. I received orders from companies such as: Winiary, RMF Classic, Egurrola Dance Studio, Funtronic, Ney Gallery & Prints, Adescom.
In October 2019, I took the position of musical leader on a German cruise ship sailing the shores of Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. I was responsible for preparing solo performances of vocalists and accompanying them on stage, supervising the correct performance of songs by vocalists and music bands, coordination, planning and artistic supervision of events on the ship, cooperation with sound engineers, supervision of the correctness of the mix of performances. The contract ended on March 9, 2020.
From 2011 to this day I teach piano, composition, arrangement, music theory and harmony.
*On April 7, 2024, I organized a “Recital for Ukraine” at the Reduta Banku Polskiego in Warsaw. It was a charity concert. During the concert, PLN 14,300 was collected, which was allocated to the treatment of Ukrainian children affected by cancer. The full video report from the concert is available on my YouTube channel.
EDUCATION
I showed my first interest in music as a seven-year-old. I played with one finger previously heard carols on the old upright-piano in my grandparents tenement house. Then, together with my family, I went to Germany for 3 years, where I was involved in music to a small extent. I began regular music education with private lessons at the age of 14. Until now, I remember a fantastic lady who visited my family home and passed me the acquired knowledge of the piano technique and music theory. It's hard to say in words how important these lessons were to me and what impact they had. I am composing, producing, playing, arranging and teaching music until now. I am convinced that I owe love to music through these early private lessons. They were of great importance in making subsequent musical choices. They influenced the choice of schools, then the academy and the university. They let me believe in myself, get joy and express myself through music.
I expanded my knowledge and musical skills in the field of classical harmony and piano technique by attending the Foundation founded by the Music School Complex named by Fryderyk Chopin in Warsaw. I also studied jazz for a year. In addition, at that time I began to play in various rock bands. In 2011, I enrolled in the Sound Production School in Warsaw, where I gained knowledge in the field of recording techniques, sound processing, mixing and mastering. In 2013 I successfully passed the entrance exams at the Academy of Music in Lodz, starting in October undergraduate studies in composition. The best thing about my studies in Lodz was the opportunity to present my compositions at the Musica Moderna festival organized by the Academy. Listening to my compositions live was the most effective verification of the chosen composer's techniques, instrumental solutions and sense of the whole form.
In 2016 I obtained my bachelor's degree and returned to Warsaw, where I started a master's degree at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. I perfected my compositional skills under the guidance of the successful and active composer Dariusz Przybylski. It was at this time that I won the 3rd prize in the composition competition named by Tadeusz Ochlewski, performed my first orchestral arrangement during the Night of Museums and presented the diploma composition “Four Seasons”. I graduated in 2019 with the master's degree in art.
My main non-musical interests are literature and writing.