Three decades at the forefront of international chamber music

Agata Szymczewska
Violin
Born in Gdańsk. Winner of the 13th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Poznań (2006). Recipient of the Polityka’s Passport, the Polish Music Coryphaeus Award, four Fryderyk Awards, and the London Music Masters Award. Throughout her extensive artistic career, she has performed alongside Krystian Zimerman, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Martha Argerich, Maxim Vengerov, Seiji Ozawa, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Mischa Maisky. She records for prestigious labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, and Decca. Professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. Since June 2023, she has served as President of the Henryk Wieniawski Music Society in Poznań. She plays a 1755 Nicolo Gagliano violin, generously loaned by Anne-Sophie Mutter. Member of the Karol Szymanowski Quartet since 2014.

Robert Kowalski
Violin
Born in Gdańsk. First concertmaster of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano (Switzerland). Prizewinner at the International Alexander Tansman Competition of Musical Personalities and nominee for the International Classical Music Awards for his recording of Richard Strauss’s concerto with CPO.
As a soloist and chamber musician, he has collaborated with Julian Rachlin, Sol Gabetta, François Leleux, Maurice Steger, among many others. He regularly appears at leading concert venues and festivals such as Rheingau Festival and Kissinger Sommer. He plays a J.B. Vuillaume violin from 1860, generously loaned by the Fondazione per l’Arte e Socialità. Member of the Karol Szymanowski Quartet since 2016.

Volodia Mykytka
Viola
Born in Lviv, he is a prizewinner of major international chamber music competitions in Osaka, Melbourne, Munich, Florence, Hanover, and Weimar. He has performed in over 40 countries across five continents, appearing in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Philharmonie de Paris, and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.
He has been invited to leading festivals including the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, the BBC Proms in London, and the Lockenhaus Festival. His discography features recordings for acclaimed labels such as Decca, Hyperion, Hänssler Classic, CAvi-music, and SWR Music. He has collaborated with distinguished artists including Oleg Maisenberg, Rudolf Buchbinder, Gary Hoffmann, and Mischa Maisky.
Artistic Director of the “Szymanowski Quartet and Friends” Festival in Lviv. He is also Professor of Viola at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Köln/Aachen.
He plays a 1983 Hans Schicker viola and has been a founding member of the Karol Szymanowski Quartet since 1995.

Gustaw Bafeltowski
Cello
Born in Warsaw, he has been Principal Cellist of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra since 2025. He is a prizewinner of the Witold Lutosławski International Cello Competition (2024) and the International Instrumental Competition in Markneukirchen (2023).
In 2023, he graduated with distinction from the class of Professor Andrzej Bauer and Dr. Magdalena Bojanowicz-Koziak, and he is currently continuing his studies under the guidance of Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey. He has appeared at renowned national and international festivals and, in the 2024/2025 season, was an academist with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
He performs on a cello crafted by Rafaele Gagliano in the early 19th century, generously loaned from the collection of the Association of Polish Violin Makers. Since 2025, he has been a member of the Karol Szymanowski Quartet.

Agata
Szymczewska
Violin
Born in Gdańsk. Winner of the 13th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Poznań (2006). Recipient of the Polityka’s Passport, the Polish Music Coryphaeus Award, four Fryderyk Awards, and the London Music Masters Award. Throughout her extensive artistic career, she has performed alongside Krystian Zimerman, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Martha Argerich, Maxim Vengerov, Seiji Ozawa, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Mischa Maisky. She records for prestigious labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, and Decca. Professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. Since June 2023, she has served as President of the Henryk Wieniawski Music Society in Poznań. She plays a 1755 Nicolo Gagliano violin, generously loaned by Anne-Sophie Mutter. Member of the Karol Szymanowski Quartet since 2014.

Robert
Kowalski
Violin
Born in Gdańsk. First concertmaster of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano (Switzerland). Prizewinner at the International Alexander Tansman Competition of Musical Personalities and nominee for the International Classical Music Awards for his recording of Richard Strauss’s concerto with CPO.
As a soloist and chamber musician, he has collaborated with Julian Rachlin, Sol Gabetta, François Leleux, Maurice Steger, among many others. He regularly appears at leading concert venues and festivals such as Rheingau Festival and Kissinger Sommer. He plays a J.B. Vuillaume violin from 1860, generously loaned by the Fondazione per l’Arte e Socialità. Member of the Karol Szymanowski Quartet since 2016.

Volodia
Mykytka
Viola
Born in Lviv, he is a prizewinner of major international chamber music competitions in Osaka, Melbourne, Munich, Florence, Hanover, and Weimar. He has performed in over 40 countries across five continents, appearing in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Philharmonie de Paris, and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.
He has been invited to leading festivals including the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, the BBC Proms in London, and the Lockenhaus Festival. His discography features recordings for acclaimed labels such as Decca, Hyperion, Hänssler Classic, CAvi-music, and SWR Music. He has collaborated with distinguished artists including Oleg Maisenberg, Rudolf Buchbinder, Gary Hoffmann, and Mischa Maisky.
Artistic Director of the “Szymanowski Quartet and Friends” Festival in Lviv. He is also Professor of Viola at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Köln/Aachen.
He plays a 1983 Hans Schicker viola and has been a founding member of the Karol Szymanowski Quartet since 1995.

Gustaw
Bafeltowski
Cello
Born in Warsaw, he has been Principal Cellist of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra since 2025. He is a prizewinner of the Witold Lutosławski International Cello Competition (2024) and the International Instrumental Competition in Markneukirchen (2023).
In 2023, he graduated with distinction from the class of Professor Andrzej Bauer and Dr. Magdalena Bojanowicz-Koziak, and he is currently continuing his studies under the guidance of Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey. He has appeared at renowned national and international festivals and, in the 2024/2025 season, was an academist with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
He performs on a cello crafted by Rafaele Gagliano in the early 19th century, generously loaned from the collection of the Association of Polish Violin Makers. Since 2025, he has been a member of the Karol Szymanowski Quartet.