Michał Szostak

Michał Szostak (born 1980 in Poland), is an international concert organist, organologist and musicologist, manager, university professor and scientific researcher. A Doctor habilitated (Associate Professor) in Management and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance. He studied organ performance at the Fryderyk Chopin Music University in Warsaw under Professor Andrzej Chorosiński and organ improvisation at the Pontificio Istituto Ambrosiano di Musica Sacra in Milan under Maestro Davide Paleari as well as management and marketing (Master and PhD studies) at Leon Koźmiński Academy in Warsaw. As the first Pole, he received the certificate of The Royal College of Organists. He is a member of The American Guild of Organists, The Organ Historical Society, and the Polisch Chapter of the Humanistic Management Network.

Musical career
He performs annually dozens organ recitals around the world in Africa, Americas, Asia, and Europe. The list of countries in which he performed includes Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Nigeria, Panama, Poland,     Slovakia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the USA.

He is an author of books, chapters of books, post-conference publications and scientific articles in international magazines like American The Diapason and The Vox Humana, British The Organ, Canadian Organ Canada, and dozens of international scientific journals. He has the widest international bibliography among the Polish scholars working in area of organ studies. His fields of scientific explorations in the area of music are: instruments - their features and construction, historical tendencies in organ building, historical and contemporary performance practices, life and creation of important figures of music world. He is an author of many original approaches in scientific fields of organology, e.g., methodology of the comparison of organ instruments according to their size, aesthetically oriented approach to the perception of organ music.

In the years 2011–2018, he held the prestigious position of Music Director and Leading Organist at the Shrine of the Virgin Mary in Licheń Stary, where he played on the largest organ in Poland (built by the Zych company, 157 stops, 6 manuals) located in the Basilica in Licheń Stary (the largest church in Poland). In the years 2002–2011, he was Music Director and Leading Organist at the Our Lady of Lourdes church in Warsaw.

He recorded on CDs (the largest organ in Poland in Lichen basilica: “Ave Regina Caelorum” with improvisations and French Inspirations: 2nd half of the 19th century with French repertoire and improvisations, Prague Impressions on the Petr organ in the church of St. Ignace in Prague, Czech Republic ) released by L'Arte dell'Organo label, for radio broadcasts, TV and online platforms. He is an often guest of public broadcasts. He was an co-author of organological auditions in Rado 106,2. Between 2004 and 2023, he had been the founder and president of the Jan Drzewoski Foundation, focused on a broad spectrum of organ-related issues.

Managerial and academic career
He holds a position of Associate Professor, Vice-Rector for Scientific Research and Head of the Institute for Management Research at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw. His main research interests include the intersection of aesthetics, art, and management, management aesthetics, and humanistic management. He publishes the research results in books, book chapters and articles in international scientific journals. Between 2021 and 2023, he held a position of Associate Professor and Deputy Dean for International Programs at the Management Faculty at the University of Social Sciences in Warsaw.

He runs extensive didactic activities at Bachelor, Master and MBA programs in Poland and also in the international environment: at the Polish campus of the American Clark University, PRIGO University in the Czech Republic, VSEMS in Slovakia, and University of Klaipeda in Lithuania. The subjects of teaching include the field of finance (international finance, corporate finance, financial analysis, financial accounting, management accounting) and the field of humanistic management, management aesthetics, art management and marketing.

Since the 2000s, he has been a business practitioner in top management positions in capital groups in an international environment – mainly in the commercial and industrial sectors – cooperating with corporations from the USA, Canada, EU countries and South Korea. He has practical experience in the field of financial and organisational optimisation of business processes and entire enterprises, preparation and handling of mergers, divisions, separation of organised parts of enterprises and acquisition activities of capital companies, partnerships, and private business activities, as well as the implementation and maintenance of quality management systems.