About us

Franciszek Wieczorek (Ph.D.) - graduated from the Academy of Music in Katowice in 1990. In the years 1990 - 2005 he was an academic lecturer at this Academy. He is a laureate of the 2nd Award in the Composer - Interpretative Competition in Tychy (the Silesian Guitar Autumn '88). He participated in master courses by Ichiro Suzuki, Vladimir Mikulka and Grant Gustafson. At present he is a teacher at the Karol Szymanowski State Secondary Music School in Katowice and the State Music School in Rybnik.
The originator, founder and artistic director of the Silesian Guitar Octet; since 1989 art director of the International Guitar Festival and Competition CITHARA IGNEA in Żory, Poland; owner of the MODRAN Publishing House and publisher of the Polish magazine of the classical guitarists "Six Strings of the World"; chairman of the Silesian Society of the Classical Guitar Enthusiasts SILESIANA. He also performs the guitar duet with his wife, Katarina.

 

Katarína Wieczoreková - graduated from the Music Conservatory in Bratislava, the Czech Republic, in the guitar class of Prof. Jozef Zsapka. She studied at the Higher Artistic School in Bratislava, next continued her studies and graduated from the Academy of Music in Katowice (1991) under Prof. Alina Gruszka. She participated in master courses led by Ichiro Suzuki, Štěpán Rak, David Tanenbaum and Grant Gustafson. At present, she is a teacher at the Karol Szymanowski State Secondary Music School in Katowice and art director of the International Guitar Festival in Modra, Slovakia. Along with her husband, Franciszek, she performs in the guitar duet and octet as well as organizes the Żory Guitar Festival and runs the MODRAN Artistic Agency.

 

Radosław Wieczorek - began his education at the State Primary Music School in Żory at the age of 6. He is a graduate of the Karol Szymanowski State Secondary Music School in Katowice, where he studied under (his father) Franciszek Wieczorek (Ph.D.). He is a student of the Academy of Music in Kraków, in the class of the guitar of Prof. Janusz Sochacki. He is a laureate of over 20 national and international guitar competitions. The most important awards are:
2012 - 1st Prize - the 2nd All-Polish Guitar Meetings in Elbląg, Poland,
2013 - 2nd Prize - Alirio Diaz - the guitar competition in Rust, Austria,
2014 - 2nd Prize - the International Guitar Competition "Cithara Ignea" in Żory, Poland,
2015 - 2nd Prize - All-Polish Guitar Competition "Gitara na kresach", Chełm, Poland,
2017 - 1st Prize and GRAND PRIX (cat. 5, 6) - "Mladi gitaristi" Competition in Dolny Kubin, Slovakia,
He is a participant of guitar courses and workshops in Poland and abroad. He developed his skills under such masters as Marcin Dylla, Łukasz Kuropaczewski, Judicaël Perroy, Paolo Pegoraro, Adriana del of Rooms, Carlo Marchione, Hubert Käppel, Thomas Müller-Pering, David Russel and Oscar Ghiglia, Andrea Dieci.
Since 2012 he has been a member of the Silesian Guitar Octet. Performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Serbia and Great Britain.
He was a grand holder of the Centre of Art Education (CEA, Warsaw) and a participant of the National Fund for Children programme (in 2013-2015).