K  I  N  G  A

A  U  G  U  S  T  Y  N

violinist

Polish - born and New York City - based violinist Kinga Augustyn has been described as “an adventurous performer valuable to New York’s scene” (NY Concert Review), “a violinist for whom nothing seems too difficult" (Nowy Dziennik), and “stylish and vibrant” (The Strad Magazine).

She has performed as a soloist with orchestras in the United States and Europe.  Among them are the Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum, the Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the Empire State Sinfonia, the American Academy of Conducting Orchestra at the Aspen Music Festival, and the Augusta Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her many orchestra appearances, she maintains a busy concert schedule as a recitalist and chamber musician with appearances at Carnegie Hall in both the Stern Auditorium and the Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Merkin Hall, The Kosciuszko Foundation, 7 World Trade Center, WMP Hall, The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, Bargemusic, Polish and Hungarian Embassies in Washington, DC, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Ethical Society in Philadelphia. She is also a member of pianist Jeffrey Biegel’s Trio 21 with cellist Robert deMaine.

Ms. Augustyn is committed to increasing awareness of music by Polish composers, as well as promoting contemporary music. She has premiered Michael White’s Sonata for Violin and Piano and his Trio Sonata, which were composed especially for her. She has also recorded his Quartet for Piano and Strings. Her Naxos record of Kenneth Fuchs’ Falling Trio, recorded with Trio 21, will be released in 2012.

Ms. Augustyn began her music studies at the age of seven in her native Poland.  Her first teachers were Aleksandra Bogdan and Zbigniew Szuflat.  She eventually went on to study at The Juilliard School with Cho - Liang Lin, Naoko Tanaka and Dorothy DeLay,

and she earned from Juilliard both the Bachelor and the Master degrees.  She is currently a doctoral candidate at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where her teachers have included Philippe Graffin, Phil Setzer and Pamela Frank.

Ms. Augustyn won international awards, including First Prize at the Alexander & Buono International String Competition (New York, 2009), First Prize at the Artist Interna-tional Presentations (New York, 2007), Second Prize at the Kosciuszko Foundation Wieniawski Violin Competition (New York, 2007), Special Audience Award at the Johannes Brahms International Competition (Poertschach, Austria, 2001), First Prize at the J. S. Bach String Competition (Zielona Gora, Poland, 1999), Special Prize for Virtuosity and Fourth Prize at the Kloster Schoental International Young Artist Competition (Kloster Scheontal, Germany, 1999).  Most recently, in 2010, she won First Prize at the Ackerman Chamber Music Compe-tition at Stony Brook, NY.

Kinga Augustyn's discography includes a CD with Niccolo Paganini's 24 Caprices for Violin Solo.  She plays on violins kindly loaned to her by Mr. Gregory Singer (Gregory Singer Fine Violins)

PHOTOGRAPHY AND LAYOUT BY DALE SANTOS JABAGAT WWW.ARTURSTORE.COM

R  E  V  I  E  W  S

     "...Ms. Augustyn's playing was riveting and stylistically and emotionally varied...her impassioned performances and especially her devotion to new music make her a violinist to watch."

- Anthony Aibel, DEBUT RECITAL AT THE WEILL HALL, CARNEGIE HALL, NEW YORK CONCERT REVIEW

       "...we were regaled with a very interesting and memorable presentation of Leonard Bernstein's Serenade...Ms. Augustyn's flawless technique brought out Bernstein's special violinistic effect with flair, while allowing the inspiring and moving melodies to speak for themselves. Her rich sound, unblemished double stops and technical mastery of all difficulties were rewarded by warm ovations accompanied by clamorous "bravos!"

- Ulrike Loehr, BERNSTEIN'S SERENADE WITH THE MAGDEBURG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

"Augustyn gave a vibrant, yet sensitive account of the Brahms Sonata No. 1, Op. 78 (…).  In a lilting rendition of Paganini’s Cantabile Augustyn exhibits splendid intonation and a hypnotic stylistic conception (…).  The second half of the program elevated the evening to a sublime level - beginning with Sequenza VIII (1976) by the Italian avant-garde composer Luciano Berio.  With thrilling virtuosity Augustyn created unexpected regions of angular dissonant sound with a rough-hewn vigor (…).  The violin technique required to perform Karol Szymanowski’s Mythes is considerable and was well-matched in this masterful interpretation."

- Stas Kmiec, POLISH AMERICAN JOURNAL