Draft:Monika Urbaniak

Monika Urbaniak (born 3 July, 1957 in Łódź, Poland) is a Polish-Swiss violinist, soloist, chamber musician and violin professor at the University of the Arts Bern.

Early life and education
Monika Urbaniak was born to a family of artistic traditions. She studied at the Academy of Music in Łódź, graduating with honors in the violin class of prof. Zenon Płoszaj. In 1979 she was awarded the 1st prize at the Zdzisław Jahnke National Violin Competition.. , and in 1981 the special prize at the 8th Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition in Poznań. From 1985 to 1988, as a scholarship holder of the Swiss government, she studied at the Musikhochschule in Bern under prof. Igor Ozim, graduating the soloist diploma with honours. She has perfected her violin skills at numerous masterclasses, under musicians such as: Oleh Krysa, Viktor Malinin, Wanda Wiłkomirska, Max Rostal, Siegfried Palm, as well as with the Tel-Aviv Quartet.

Performing career
Monika Urbaniak performs solo and chamber music, with repertoire consisting of works from all eras. She has been a soloist at numerous festivals, including: Biennale Bern (1999–2005), Saitenfestival Bern (2006), Culturescapes Bern (2019) , Schloss Holligen Bern (2006–2013) , in the Center Jewish for Culture in Cracow (2017). She has performed chamber music concerts with artists such as: Corina Belcea, Conradin Brotbek, Elena Casoli, Tomasz Herbut, Patrick Jüdt, Paweł Mazurkiewicz, Antônio Meneses, Barłomiej Nizioł, Denis Severin, Liga Skride, Maria Szwajger-Kułakowska, Xiaoming Wang, actress Dorothée Reize. She has also appeared as a soloist at organ concerts on many occasions, collaborating with, among others, Andrzej Chorosiński and Magdalena Oliferko-Storck.

From 1986 to 2001, she was a member of the renowned chamber orchestra Camerata Bern, with which she also performed as a soloist and led it as a concertmaster on several occasions. With this ensemble, she toured five continents, performing in world famous concert halls, including: Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall (New York), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Berlin Philharmonie, Warsaw Philharmonic, Herkulessaal (Munich), KKL Luzern (Lucerne), La Scala (Milan), Sydney Opera House, Tonhalle Zürich, Victoria Hall (Geneva), Wiener Musikverein (Vienna) and at many music festivals, including: Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival (Austria), Lucerne Festival Menuhin Festival Gstaad (Switzerland), Rheingau Musik Festival (Germany), Warsaw Autumn (Poland). As a member of Camerata Bern, she performed with artists such as: Kolja Blacher, Bruno Canino, Ana Chumachenco, Thomas Demenga, Thomas Füri, Heinz Holliger, Erich Höbarth, Gidon Kremer, Elisabeth Leonskaja, András Schiff, Peter Serkin, Thomas Zehetmair. She has also made many award-winning recordings for renowned record companies.

Urbaniak was a member of the Bern Symphony Orchestra (first violin group, 1987–1991) and the Swiss Solists Octet (1987–1991), with which she performed in Switzerland, Germany, France and England, i.a. the Salle Gaveau Paris and Wigmore Hall London. She also worked with the Berner Piano Quartet (1987). In 2004, she founded the Ardito Trio (concerts in Switzerland and Poland, CD recording) and in 2022 the Amabile Piano Quartet, which performs regularly in Switzerland.

She has brought works by Polish composers of the 20th century to a wide audience. She performed, among other things, the first violin concerto by Karol Szymanowski Op. 35 with the Bern Symphony Orchestra and the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, made a recording of his Sonata Op. 9 for Swiss Radio and played several solo recitals of his works in Bern, Zurich and Paris. She has disseminated Grażyna Bacewicz’s work in solo and chamber concerts in Poland, Germany and Switzerland and has recorded a CD with compositions for violin. She also revived the works of Czesław Marek, whose pieces she performed in Bern, Paris and Warsaw, and published the article ‘Sonata for violin and piano op. 13 by the Polish-Swiss composer Czesław Marek in the perspective of his youthful work'

Teaching career
Urbaniak began her teaching career at the Academy of Music in Łódź as an assistant to prof. Z. Płoszaj (1981–1985). From 1992 to 1997, she was an assistant of prof. I. Ozim’s class at the Musikhochschule in Bern (now the Hochschule der Künste). Since 1997, she has been a professor of violin and chamber music at the Hochschule der Künste in Bern, and since 2011 she is also a professor at the Hochschule für Musik Kalaidos. From 2014–2015, Urbaniak was a Visiting Professor at the Academy of Music in Łódź. And in 2023, she began teaching at the Langenthal International Strings Academy LISA.

Urbaniak has served on numerous competition juries, such as: Kiefer Hablitzel Stiftung (Bern, 2003–2011), Schweizerischer Jugendmusikwettbewerb (Zurich, from 2016), Tibor Varga Junior International Violin Competition (Sion, 2022) , XXV Lions Clubs International (Zurich, 2016) , Ellenberger Wettbewerb (Thun, 2023). As a music expert, she has been a frequent guest at Swiss music colleges: City of Basel Music Academy (from 2013), Haute École de Musique in Lausanne and Haute École de Musique in Sion (from 2020).

In 2016, she became a board member of the Swiss section of European String Teachers Association ESTA.

More than 120 violinists from all over the world have studied with her. Many of them have become laureates of renowned solo violin and chamber music competitions (e.g. in Switzerland, Poland, Great Britain, Italy, Germany), lecturers at universities (e.g: Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, The Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Cracow, Boston Conservatory at Berklee) as well as music schools in Europe, America, Asia, and Australia. Her alumni have gone on to careers as soloists, chamber musicians and founders of chamber orchestras (Les Passions de l’Âme, Soundeum), as well as members of renowned orchestras (including Argovia Philharmonic, Auckland Symphony Orchestra, Basel Sinfonietta, Berner Kammerorchester, Bern Symphony Orchestra, Glasgow Symphony Orchestra, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur, Philharmonia Zürich, Sinfonietta de Lausanne, Tiroler Symphonieorchester Innsbruck, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich).

Monika Urbaniak has also given numerous masterclasses in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland, among others within: Herbstakademie Hochschule der Künste Bern, Switzerland (1992–1997), Kammermusik Akademie Blonay, Switzerland (2016–2019), University of the Arts Bremen, Germany (2009, 2019, 2023), Bohemia Festival Kostelec & Prague, the Czech Republic (1995–1996), MingClassics Festival & Academy, Männedorf/Zurich, Switzerland (2021), Zenon Brzewski International Music Courses in Łańcut, Poland (from 2003), University of Graz, Austria (2009), Academy of Music in Łódź, Poland (2011) , Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, Poland (2018, 2024), The Chopin University of Music: branch in Białystok, Poland (2017) and Warsaw, Poland (2019), International Violin Masterclass in Norwegian Valley, Poland (2019) , Summer Master Academy "Maestro" in Sucha Beskidzka, Poland (2020, 2023) , Swiss Summer Music Academy and Festival Eywald, Switzerland (from 2021) , and Z. Brzewski Secondary Music School Violin Workshop, Warsaw, Poland (2023)

Solo recordings

 * Grażyna Bacewicz, Violinissimo, with Amelia Maszońska, Marta Mazurek, Katarzyna Seremak, Jacek Świca and Tiffany Tan (Acte Préalable, 2022)
 * Giovanni Simone Mayr, Messe für Chor, Solisten und Orchester c-Moll, as concertmaster with the Klangforum orchestra (Müller & Schade, 2017)
 * George de Benoit, Arthur Furer, Albert Moeschinger, Bärner Musig, with pianist Anna de Capitani (Müller & Schade, 2009)
 * Felix Mendelssohn, Hans Huber, Moritz Moszkowski, Trios for Two Violins and Piano, Trio Ardito, with Agnieszka Marucha and Wojciech Jasiński (Acte Préalable, 2007)

==== Recordings with Camerata Bern ====
 * Hommage à Paul Klee: Sándor Veress, Éric Gaudibert, Jean-Luc Darbellay (Con Legno, 2004)
 * Verklärte Nacht: Anton Schönberg, Sándor Veress, Béla Bartók (ECM, 2001)
 * Johann Sebastian Bach, Oboe Concertos, soloist: Heinz Holliger (Philips, 1998)
 * Johann Sebastian Bach, Double & Triple Concertos, soloists: András Schiff, Peter Serkin, Bruno Canino, Aurèle Nicolet, Yuuko Shiokawa (Decca, 1997)
 * Antonio Vivaldi, Le Quattro Stagioni, soloist Thomas Zehetmair (Berlin Classics, 1996)
 * Martin, Kelterborn, Holliger, Schoeck& Huber: Music for Chamber Orchestra (Musikszene Schweiz, 1995)
 * Sándor Veress, Passacaglia Concertante, Songs Of The Seasons, Musica Concertante (ECM, 1993)
 * Giuseppe Tartini, Violinkonzerte, soloist: Thomas Füri (Novalis, 1993)
 * Francesco Geminiani, 6 Concerti grossi Op. 3 (Novalis, 1992)
 * Benjamin Britten, Works for String Orchestra: Simple Symphony, Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Prelude & Fugue (Denon, 1991)
 * Classical Highlights (Novalis, 1990)
 * Antonio Vivaldi, Die vier Jahreszeiten, Konzerte für 3 und 4 Violinen, soloists: Thomas Füri, Karel Boeschoten, Monika Urbaniak, François Gottraux (Novalis, 1990)
 * Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Die Lodronischen Nachtmusiken (Novalis, 1989)
 * Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, 6 Hamburg Symphonies Wq 182 (Novalis, 1989)
 * Robert Fuchs, Edward Elgar, Josef Suk, Serenaden der Romantik (Novalis, 1988)
 * Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Die Hornkonzerte, with Marie-Luise Neunecker (Novalis 1988)
 * Antonín Dvořák, Serenade E-dur, Sextett A-dur (Novalis, 1987)
 * Georg Friedrich Händel, Water Musick (Denon/Nippon Columbia, 1987)
 * Antonio Vivaldi, Concerti (Novalis, 1987)
 * Johann Sebastian Bach, Ouvertures Nos. 3&4, Suites for Orchestra BWV 1068, 1069 (Denon, 1986)