Wojciech Czepiel is a Polish conductor, composer and violinist.
He began learning the violin at the age of four with his father, Stanisław. At 15, he was a violinist with the All Antico orchestra of Cracow Secondary School of Music, with which, in 1974, he won first prize in the Herbert von Karajan International Young Orchestras Forum in West Berlin, where he also had the chance to play under the baton of the competition’s patron.
In 1976, as a pupil of Antoni Cofalik, he took fourth place in the Zdzisław Jahnke All-Poland Violin Competition in Poznań, and a year later took part in the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition, competing in two rounds.
He combined violin studies with Kaja Danczowska with studies in conducting with Krzysztof Missona, composition and orchestration with Tadeusz Machl and composition techniques with Bogusław Schaeffer. In 1984, he completing his studies in conducting at Cracow Academy of Music (diploma with distinction).
As a conductor, he made his debut in 1981 at the head of Cracow Academy of Music’s chamber orchestra. From 1982 to 1984 he was assistant director and leader of the Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra. Between 1984 and 1986 he worked as artistic director of the Baltic Philharmonic in Gdańsk, and then (from 1986 to 1990) as conductor of the Warsaw Chamber Opera. In 1990 and 1991 he was second conductor of the Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic in Łódź, then from 1991 to 1994 vice-director and conductor of the Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw. Between 1997 and 2006 he led the Symphony Orchestra of Cracow Academy of Music, considerably raising the ensemble’s artistic standards. For thirteen years (2000–2013) he was artistic director and conductor of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra.
He has worked as a guest conductor with orchestras and opera companies in Poland and abroad. An important place in his conducting work, besides concerts, prestigious festivals and appearances on stages around the world, is held by recordings: both archive recordings for Polish Radio and disc recordings for Europa Musica, Arts, Polmusic, Denon, Polskie Nagrania, Pro Musica Camerata, Dux and Deutsche Welle.
In May 2012 he was decorated with the ‘Gloria Artis’ medal for services to culture by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
His compositions include a String Quartet, Violin Sonata, cadenzas for Mozart’s Third Violin Concerto, 24 Violin Duets, 3 Mazurkas for piano, songs for voice and piano, a Partita for 18 instruments and works for orchestra – Sequenza I, Sequenza II, Noveletta and Studium Pieniny 2016, Pieniny Piano Dream, Sonata for piano.
