Prof. Krzysztof Komendarek-Tymendorf is an esteemed Polish musician who has inherited his musical talent from his family, including the renowned Polish composer Michał Kleofas Ogiński. He graduated with honors from the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk in the Master’s viola class of professor Irena Albrecht in 2012, and then perfected his skills at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien with Prof. Wolfgang Klos and Ulrich Schönauer. He also studied under eminent viola masters such as Alexander Zemtsov, Matthias Buchholz, Avri Levitan, György Gulyás Nagy, and Piotr Szumieł.
In 2019, Prof. Komendarek-Tymendorf graduated with honors from postgraduate studies in Culture Management in Government, Local Government and Non-Governmental Organizations at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. He also defended his postgraduate MBA thesis at the Adam Mickiewicz University and the University of Economics in Poznan in 2021.
Prof. Komendarek-Tymendorf is a laureate of many music competitions, such as the Macroregional Competition for Young Violists in Warsaw and the 25th Young Musician International Competition ‘Città di Barletta’ in Italy. At the age of 24, he began teaching at his Alma Mater, where he currently works as an assistant professor in the viola and chamber music class. He defended his doctoral dissertation in 2018 and received a habilitation degree with honors in 2022. He also works as a nominated teacher in the viola class at the Zygmunt Noskowski Music School in Gdynia and is the national consultant for the Center for Artistic Education (CEA).
Prof. Komendarek-Tymendorf has made his debut as a soloist with the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Sopot and as a chamber musician with the famous Polish oboist Tytus Wojnowicz in Tadeusz Baird Zielona Góra Philharmonic. He has been invited to perform concerts as a viola soloist with many well-known orchestras, including the National Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra in Warsaw, Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Sopot, the Lower Silesian Philharmonic, Kalisz Philharmonic Orchestra, Cappella Gedanensis, Sinfonietta Pomerania Orchestra, Progress Chamber Orchestra, Capella Bydgostiensis, Gdingener Symphonieorchester, Sinfonietta Pomerania, Baltic Youth Philharmonic, and the Chamber Orchestra of the Stanisław Moniuszko Music Academy. He has also worked as a soloist-leader of the viola section in many international symphony and chamber orchestras, including the RIAS Jugendorchester in Berlin and the Verler Vier Jahreszeiten Sinfonie Orchetser.
Prof. Komendarek-Tymendorf has performed under the baton of renowned conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Krzysztof Penderecki, Marek Moś, and Tadeusz Strugała, as well as with prominent soloists including Ivry Gitlis, Kolja Blacher, Quatuor Ebène, Krystian Zimerman, Piotr Beczała, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, and Łukasz Długosz. He has also learned chamber music from renowned musicians such as Valentin Erben (Alban Berg Quartett), Peter Schuhmayer (Artis Quartett), Apollon Musagète Quartet, and Ewa Kupiec. Additionally, Prof. Komendarek-Tymendorf has served on the juries of numerous national and international music competitions, including the Witold Lutosławski International Cello Competition in Warsaw.
In addition to his performing career, Prof. Komendarek-Tymendorf is a highly respected music educator. He has taught at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw since 1994, where he currently serves as a professor and head of the cello department. He has also given masterclasses and workshops at numerous institutions around the world, including the Royal College of Music in London, the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, and the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln in Germany.
Prof. Komendarek-Tymendorf has received many awards and honors throughout his career, including the Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. He is also a member of the European String Teachers Association and the Polish Society of Contemporary Music.