Introduction
Kinga Augustyn is a Polish-born virtuoso violinist who currently lives in New York City. She has established an international career having performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras, recitalist, and recording artist.
Early life and education
Augustyn was born in Wrocław, Poland into a family of professional musicians. Her father, Roman Augustyn, was a bassoonist with the Wrocław Opera Orchestra. He died at age 33. Her mother, Mariola Augustyn, is a professional singer (spinto soprano), music and speech therapist, and actress. Her younger brother, Jakub Augustyn, is a professional jazz guitarist.
Augustyn’s formal violin training started at the age of seven. She attended Państwowa Podsawowa Szkola Muzyczna (now Ogólnokształcąca Szkoła Muzyczna I Stopnia) im. Karola Szymanowskiego in Wrocław, where she studied violin with Aleksandra Bogdan for six years. She then enrolled in Państwowe Liceum Muzyczne (now Ogólnokształcąca Szkoła Muzyczna II Stopnia) im. Karola Szymanowskiego in Wrocław as a student of Zbigniew Szuflat. She graduated a year earlier than expected, having completed her baccalaureate exam. During her last year there, she was also a Jungstudentin at Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Rostock, Germany, where she studied violin with Petru Munteanu.
At the age of 18, Augustyn came to the United States to continue her musical education at The Juilliard School. She studied with Dorothy DeLay (teacher to several renowned soloists such as Itzhak Perlman, Gil Shaham, and Midori Goto), Naoko Tanaka and Cho-Liang Lin. After receiving her Bachelors and Masters degrees, she received a Doctorate degree (Doctor of Musical Arts) from the State University of New York, Stony Brook, where she coached violin and chamber music with Pamela Frank, Philip Setzer (violinist of the Grammy Award-winning Emerson String Quartet), and Gilbert Kalish.
Music career
Augustyn has been a soloist with the Wrocław Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum, Magdeburg Philharmonic, Riverside Symphonia, Acadiana Symphonie, Glacier Symphony and Manhattan Symphonie. With the Manhattan Symphonie she toured China, making her Asian debut in 2014 at the Beijing Poly Theater and Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
Augustyn made her Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall) recital debut in 2008 as a winner of Artist International Presentations, Inc. She has performed solo at Carnegie's Stern Auditorium, as well as at other venues in the USA such as Alice Tully Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Chicago Cultural Center. She has collaborated in performances of Johann Sebastian Bach's Chaconne with the New York City-based Jose Limon Dance Company, established by the renowned Mexican-born modern dancer and choreographer Jose Limon, in multiple performances at the Joyce Theater. She often collaborates with contemporary composers and has premiered and/or made world premiere recordings of works by Kenneth Fuchs, Cynthia Lee Wong, Jakub Ciupiński, Michael White, and Piotr Drożdżewski.
Augustyn is a prize winner of music competitions that include first prizes at the Alexander and Buono International String Competition in New York City in 2009, Artist International Presentations in New York City in 2007, and Konkurs Bachowski, in Zielona Góra, Poland In 1999. She received Fourth Prize and Special Audience Award, the 8th International Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, Austria in 2001; Fourth Prize and Award for Best Interpretation of a Virtuosic Work, Kloster Schöntal International Competition, Germany in 1999. She was a 2014 recipient of the Emerging Artist Award from the Sorel Organization and a 2015 winner of the "Outstanding Pole Abroad" contest in the United States, in the category "Young Pole" from the Polish Promotional Emblem Foundation.
In 2012, Augustyn recorded as part of Trio21 with Robert deMaine (principal cellist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic), cello, and Jeffrey Biegel, piano, The Runaway Bunny, the contemporary children’s classic by Emmy award winner, Glen Roven. Narration of the story was performed by Oscar winnerTM, Catherine Zeta-Jones.
In 2016 Augustyn released on the RovenRecords label, the 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 by Niccolo Paganini. Written between 1802 and 1817, the 24 Caprices are considered among the most challenging and technically demanding works for the solo violin, and have inspired many prominent composers, including Chopin, Schumann, Berlioz, Brahms, Sarasate, Liszt, and Sibelius. Augustyn's recording of the 24 Caprices has been praised not only for its technical accomplishment, but also for its superior musical interpretation.
Augustyn also performs baroque violin and has performed in masterclasses held by William Christie (musician) and his baroque ensemble Les Arts Florissants, as well as by Cynthia Roberts.
Augustyn has recorded for Naxos Records, GPR Records, RovenRecords, and Albany Records. She plays on an early 18th century violin made by Antonio Zanotti, generously on loan to her from a private collector.
Interest in lesser-known works
In addition to collaboration with contemporary composers, Augustyn has performed and recorded works by lesser-known composers, as well as lesser-known works by prominent composers of the past. She is the first person to record all violin and piano works by the 19th century composer, Aleksander Zarzycki, who was mainly known for his Mazurka in G Major, Op. 26 that was frequently performed by David Oistrakh. Other world premiere recordings include works by Henryk Gorecki, P. Drożdżewski, and Karol Lipinski.
Discography
Michael White Quartet for Piano and Strings (Albany Records 2010)
- Mirian Conti, Piano; Kinga Augustyn, Violin; Andy Lin, Viola; Andrew Janss, Cello
Glen Roven: The Runaway Bunny Concerto with Reader (GPR Records 2012)]
- Catherine Zeta-Jones, Reader; Kinga Augustyn, Violin; Robert deMaine, Cello; Jeffrey Biegel, Piano
Polish Violin Music (Naxos Records 2013)
- Works by A. Zarzycki, Z. Noskowski, P. Drożdżewski, H. M. Górecki, W. Lutosławski, K. Lipiński
- Kinga Augustyn, Violin; Efi Hackmey, Piano
Michael White Trio Sonata (iTunes 2013)
- Kinga Augustyn, Violin; Jecca Barry, Flute; Alexandra Snyder Dunbar, Harpsichord
Kenneth Fuchs Falling Trio (Naxos Records 2013)
- Kinga Augustyn, Violin; Robert deMaine, Cello; Jeffrey Biegel, Piano
The Romantic Violin Live! (iTunes 2015)
- Works by F. Kreisler, F. Chopin, J. Brahms, B. Bartók, P. de Sarasate, E. Ysaye, C. Saint-Saëns, H. Wieniawski, J. Massenet
- Kinga Augustyn, Violin; Evan Solomon, Piano
Keys to the City (RovenRecords 2016)
- Track: "55th Street Bop" by Glen Roven
- Kinga Augustyn, Violin; Kristina Reiko Cooper, Cello; Glen Roven, Piano
Niccolò Paganini 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 (RovenRecords 2016)
- Kinga Augustyn, Violin