Professor Roman Lasocki

Professor Roman Lasocki

prorector for Artistic Affairs and Bialystok Branch

Roman Lasocki is one of the most renowned Polish violinists of the middle generation. He graduated with honours at the State College of Music in Lodz in Professor F. Jamre's class then continued his musical education under such masters as André Gertler, Henryk Szeryng, Tadeusz Wronski and Stanislaw Lewandowski. He has taken part in many master courses, e.g., in Budapest, Weimar, Geneva and Barcelona.
He has performed at many concert halls all over the world including the Salle Gaveau in Paris, Bösendorfer Saal in Vienna, Carnegie Hall in New York and the greatest concert centres in Europe, Asia, USA and Canada. He has taken part in renowned world music festivals including "Festival de Paris" and "Warsaw Autumn". He has played with the best Polish conductors and he particularly cherishes concerts and recordings with the Silesian Philharmonic and the Polish Radio's National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Karol Stryja, Antoni Wit, Miroslaw Jacek Blaszczyk and Jerzy Swoboda.
Many outstanding Polish composers have dedicated their work to Roman Lasocki, e.g., Rafal Augustyn, Jerzy Bauer, Edward Boguslawski, Marian Borkowski, Slawomir Czarnecki, Andrzej Dutkiewicz, Jan Wincenty Hawel, Wlodzimierz Kotonski, Stanislaw Moryto, Bronislaw Kazimierz Przybylski, Witold Rudzinski and Romuald Twardowski.
Roman Lasocki has recorded more than twenty analogue records and compact discs for Polish, German, British, French and Japanese recording companies. He has also recorded for Polish Radio as well as German, French, Italian, Swedish, Hungarian, Belgian, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Korean, American and Canadian broadcasting companies. His co-operation of many years with Polish Television has led to the production of six serial programs including Fantasy for Strings, Masters of the Violin, Histories Rendered with Strings and Bows and Roman Lasocki Presents. All in all, he has recorded more than 250 instalments in which he plays himself and comments and interviews the most outstanding Polish violinists, viola players and cellists.
From 1970 on Roman Lasocki has also taught. He is full professor at the Frederic Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw and professor at the Academy of Music in Katowice. Many recognised violinists have graduated from his class. Roman Lasocki has also held many responsible academic functions. In 1996-2002 he was Vice-rector for Artistic Affairs. In 2002-2004 he was visiting professor at Daeg University, South Korea and conducted master courses in Seul. In 2005 he was once again elected Vice-rector for Artistic Affairs for 2005-2008.
For many decades Roman Lasocki has been invited to conduct master courses e.g. in Germany, France, Holland, Spain, Italy, South Korea, Japan, USA and Canada. He has frequently judged and chaired the juries of Polish and international violin competitions.
In recognition of his artistic achievements he has been awarded, among others, the Polonia Restituta Officer's Cross, Gold and Silver Crosses of Merit, the Gold Medal of the Polish Radio and the "Golden Screen" award and has been given the Minister of Culture's award four times.

Compiled by: The Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music