Bartosz Woroch &<br> Sam Armstrong

Program

At age 29, Polish violinist Bartosz Woroch holds a professorship at the Guildhall School of Music in London as well as a solo career that has seen him perform throughout Europe. For his US debut, Woroch performs violin sonatas by Poulenc and Elgar, and Three Myths by Karol Szymanowski. He is joined by British pianist Sam Armstrong.

Francis Poulenc (1899–1963)
Sonata for violin and piano, Op. 119

Karol Szymanowski (1882–1937)
Mythes, Op. 30

Edward Elgar (1857–1934)
Sonata in E minor, Op. 82

About the Artists

Born in Poznan, Poland, Bartosz Woroch studied with Marcin Baranowski at the Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan, Monika Urbaniak-Lisik at the Hochschule der Kunste Berne and with Louise Hopkins at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where he is now a Professor.  He was selected for representation by Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in 2011.

At the opening of the 2012/2013 season Woroch performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Bristol Ensemble, Wieniawski 2^nd Concerto with Sinfonia Juventus and the Elgar Concerto in the Donatella Flick conducting competition. He undertook collaborative projects as soloist, leader and director with Sinfonia Cymru, performed Beethoven’s Concerto at Cadogan Hall, and gave recitals at Wigmore Hall, Poland’s Lublin Philharmonie, the Brighton, Lichfield and Gower Festivals.

Engagements this season include performances of Prokofiev’s Concerto No.2 in London and with Sinfonia Cymru, and Berg’s Chamber Concerto at the Poznan Spring Festival with Mei Yi and the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra.  He gives recitals at Wigmore Hall, The Sage Gateshead, Colston Hall Bristol, Kettles Yard Cambridge and the RNCM, aswell as his US debut at The Phillips Collection in 2014.

As a concerto soloist Woroch has appeared with the Czestochowa, Poznan, Silesian and Auckland Philharmonic Orchestras, the Bern Symphony and Polish Radio Orchestras.  He has recorded for BBC Radio 3, Radio France and Polish Radio, collaborated with Pekka Kuusisto, Alasdair Beatson, Nicholas Daniel and the award winning Cappa Ensemble, performed Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale with Martyn Brabbins and the Berg Chamber Concerto with Michael Tilson Thomas. During 2011/2012 he undertook a residency in Banff working with Henk Guittart and in took part in masterclasses with Menahem Pressler and Mitsuko Uchida at the Britten–Pears School in Aldeburgh. 

At the age of 22 Woroch was appointed Concertmaster to the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra. He left this position in 2008 to pursue his interest in solo and chamber music.  Since then he has given recitals at major venues throughout Europe, and he has toured New Zealand, Malaysia, Australia and Singapore. 

During his studies Woroch was a laureate in the 2005 Michael Hill (New Zealand), 2003 Pablo Sarasate (Spain) and 2001 Takasaki (Japan) International Competitions.  He participated in masterclasses with Mitsuko Uchida, Menahem Pressler, Ruggiero Ricci, Benjamin Schmid, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Gil Shaham and Alfred Brendel. 

Woroch plays on a Petrus Guarneri violin kindly on loan from a private owner.

English Pianist Sam Armstrong has performed across Europe, Asia and North America as recitalist, chamber musician and orchestral soloist. He has performed at some of the world’s most important concert halls including the Royal Festival and Wigmore Halls in London, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam (as part of New Masters Series), Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Kumho Art Hall in Seoul, Esplanade in Singapore and made his New York solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in January 2009, as winner of the Nadia Reisenberg Recital Award. He made his South American debut with performances of the Schumann Concerto with the NaBonal Symphony of Ecuador conducted by Emmanuel Siffert. He has also appeared at international music festivals such as Ravinia, Banff, Prussia Cove, Aldeburgh, Ryedale, Mecklenburg-Vorpommen and Les Heures Musicales du Haut-Anjou.

Armstrong made his solo recital debut at the Wigmore Hall in London in April 2011 as an award winner of the Kirckman Concert Society, which according to International Piano “revealed him to be a major new talent.” His performances have been broadcast on BBC Radio, French Television, Radio Suisse-Romande/Espace 2, Radio New Zealand, Radiofusau Portugesa and WQXR New York. He also performed as concerto soloist with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra in Manchester with Douglas Bostock and the Orquestra Nacional do Porto in Portugal under Marc Kissoczy.

Armstrong has been a top prizewinner in national and international competitions including the Beethoven Society of Europe Competition in London (2003) and the Porto International Piano Competition in Portugal (2004). He was also laureate of the Epinal International Piano Competition in France (2001) and in 2007 was among the last six pianists in the prestigious Concours Clara Haskil in Switzerland.

Armstrong recently completed his studies at Mannes College of Music in New York where for four years he was the only student of renowned pianist Richard Goode. There he earned a masters degree and professional studies diploma and was awarded the Newton Swift Piano Award upon graduation.

He previously studied with Helen Krizos for several years in Manchester at the Royal Northern College of Music, and he also worked with John O’Conor in Dublin. He also received valuable inspiration from masterclasses with Leon Fleisher, Mitsuko Uchida, Menahem Pressler, Murray Perahia, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and Mstislav Rostropovich