Biography
The pianist brilliantly shaded the nuances of chiaroscuro and put us in a poetic mood with his soulful interpretation (...). We felt as if, together with Niemczuk, Chopin himself was present in the concert hall: dreamy, nostalgically wandering and searching.
Greg Niemczuk is truly a wonderful talent and an exceptionally fascinating artist.
His playing is distinguished by fluidity, a very wide dynamic range, from loud forte to whispering pianissima, a variety of timbres and colors, and dazzling virtuosity.
I have come to know his great talent and to enjoy the spirit of music which truly comes to life in his most poetic playing and impressive artistic personality.
Hailed by influential Japanese critics as the "modern incarnation of Chopin," Greg Niemczuk has built an international name for himself as an outstanding expert and interpreter of the music of Frederic Chopin, to the study of which he has devoted many years of his artistic life. In January 2017, National Polish Radio put Greg Niemczuk's Chopin interpretations in line with such distinguished artists as Martha Argerich, Maurizio Pollini and Adam Harasiewicz.
His prolific international solo career, now in its 17th year, has taken him to many prestigious concert halls around the world including. Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall in New York, Kioi Hall, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, Beijing Concert Hall in Beijing, Quintai Concert Hall in Wuhan, Guotai Arts Center in Chongquing, Busan Cultural Center in Busan, Teatro Puccini in Milan, Teatro Sergio Cardoso in Sao Paulo, Centro Cultural de Sao Paulo, Capela Santa Maria in Curitiba, Teatro Civico in Vercelli, Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona, Victoria Concert Hall in Singapore, Collonge-Bellerive in Geneva, Museum F. Liszt in Weimar, the Conservatory of Music in Shanghai, the Tsarskoye Selo in St. Petersburg, the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, the Grand Theater of the National Opera, and the Royal Castle in Warsaw.
To date, the pianist has given more than 400 recitals and concerts, visiting 36 countries on 6 continents (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Romania, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Finland, Norway, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, United States, Jamaica, Curacao). He often conducts his own concerts, introducing listeners to the secrets of the music being performed and providing interesting facts about the composers' biographies. Wherever he performs, he is warmly received by audiences and critics, resulting in further invitations for the future. He is especially appreciated in Asia: after his spectacular solo debut in Tokyo in July 2017, the prestigious magazine "Chopin" published an extremely enthusiastic review, This performance resulted in further invitations to recitals in Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Asahikawa, Obihiro, Hakodate, Aomori), as well as a contract with "Chopin" magazine for monthly articles on the performance of F. Chopin's music. In December 2017, he made his debut in China, where he performed at the prestigious Beijing Concert Hall as part of the "Polish Circles of Art" Festival (the largest festival of Polish art in China). The concert received widespread coverage in all major Chinese media. He is also a favorite of Norwegian audiences - he has so far performed in more than 30 different cities in Norway, everywhere arousing great enthusiasm and receiving invitations for future performances.
Greg Niemczuk has a very extensive repertoire of more than 250 solo works and 28 concertos for piano with orchestra from the Baroque era to 20th and 21st century music. He is among a small group of pianists who have all the works of Frederic Chopin in their repertoire. During the years of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022), Greg Niemczuk created an unprecedented and unique in the world project of recording film-lectures about all the works of Fryderyk Chopin, intended primarily for music lovers who want to gain a deeper understanding of the masterpieces of the most outstanding Polish composer. More than 330 episodes in two language versions (Polish and English) have been produced, published on YouTube and on the artist's Facebook page.
Greg Niemczuk is a winner of many piano competitions. In 2013 he won - as the first Pole ever - the "International Carnegie Hall Concerto Debut Competition" in New York. This prestigious award opened the way for him to Carnegie Hall, where in February 2013 he had the opportunity to present Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 by F. Chopin, receiving excellent reviews. In 2016, he was a finalist and winner of the Special Prize at the 2016 International Busan Maru Music Festival in South Korea. He is also the winner of the 40th F. Chopin National Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2010 and international competitions in Italy and Belgium.
His artistic plans for 2024-2025 include debuts in such prestigious concert halls as Vienna's Konzerthaus, Prague's "Rudolfinum" Concert Hall and Zurich's Tonhale. Concert tours are also planned in Poland, Norway and Japan.
The pianist currently lives in Bielsko-Biała. Since October 2017, he has been a doctor of arts, working at the University of Silesia (Faculty of Arts) as an assistant professor. He has also been invited to give masterclasses at many music universities around the world, including: the Nanyang Academy of Art in Singapore, Norges Musikkhøgskole in Oslo, University in Agder, Kristiansand, University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, Santa Catarina State University in Florianopolis, State University of Porto Alegre, in Brazil, Conservatory of Music in Lima, Peru, Xiamen University and Changde University in China.