Grzegorz Nowak is the Permanent Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) in London, promoted to this position in January 2015 after serving for seven years as the Orchestra’s Principal Associate Conductor. He has led the RPO on tours to Switzerland, Turkey and Armenia, as well as giving numerous concerts throughout the UK. His RPO recordings include Mendelssohn’s ‘Scottish’ and ‘Italian’ Symphonies, Shostakovich’s Symphony No.5, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Dvořák’s Symphonies Nos.6–9,Tone Poems of Karlowicz, all of the symphonies of Schumann, and the complete symphonies and major orchestral works of Brahms and Tchaikovsky.


Grzegorz Nowak’s career propelled to international level after he won the prestigious Ernest Ansermet Conducting Competition in Geneva, winning the First Prize and all special prizes, as well as the Grand Prix Patek Philippe, Rolex Prize, Swiss Prize and American Patronage Prize. In Basel, he received the Europäische Förderpreis für Musik for the European Musician of the Year, awarded by a committee chaired by Pierre Boulez. Since then, he has conducted the world’s finest orchestras and served as Music Director for such orchestras as the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, SWR Radio Orchestra in Germany and Sinfonia Helvetica in Switzerland, as well as the Musique et Amitié Festival. He currently holds the positions of Muisc Director of Spanish Symphony Orchestra in Madrid and of Teatr Wielki / Polish National Opera in Warsaw. His production of Goplana by Zelenski has won the 2017 'Operatic Oscar' from the International Opera Awards in the category of ‘Rediscovered Work', competing with such opera theatres as La Scala in Milan, Teatro Regio di Torino or Komische Oper Berlin.


Recordings of Grzegorz Nowak have been highly acclaimed by the press and public alike, winning many awards. Diapason in Paris praised his KOS live recording with Martha Argerich and Sinfonia Varsovia as ‘indispensable… a must’, and its second edition won the Fryderyk Award. Gramophone Magazine praised his ASV recording with the London Symphony Orchestra as ‘outstanding’. His recording of The Polish Symphonic Music of the XIX Century with Sinfonia Varsovia won the CD of the Year Award, the Bronze Bell Award in Singapore and a Fryderyk Award nomination, and the American Record Guide praised it as ‘uncommonly rewarding… sixty-seven minutes of pure gold’. His Hänssler Classic disc featuring Czerny’s Symphonies No.2 and No.6 (world premiere recording and performance, after the discovery of the manuscript in Vienna) was praised as ‘delightful… marvelously colorful… memorable’ by Classics Today. His CD with Anja Silja won two Classical Internet Awards and Classics Today hailed it as ‘simply marvelous’.


Grzegorz Nowak has performed alongside many of the most widely respected soloists of our time, including Martha Argerich, Yefim Bronfman, Nigel Kennedy, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mikhail Pletnev, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gil Shaham and Krystian Zimerman, and has worked with such singers as Janet Baker, Kathleen Battle, Marilyn Horne, Gwyneth Jones, Aleksandra Kurzak, Sherrill Milnes and Anja Silja.




CRITICAL ACCLAIM



‘Nowak directed a very fine account of Tchaikovsky’s last symphony… superb… If the Royal Philharmonic hadn’t secured the services of Charles Dutoit I would be demanding that Grzegorz Nowak be immediately appointed chief conductor for he has a rapport with the musicians and they obviously enjoy playing for him. His concerts are always worth attending and with the RPO on top form we have as exciting a combination of musicians as one could hope for in London. I can hardly wait for the next show when they all get together again.’

Bob Briggs, 2010-10-05, MusicWeb International, London


‘Grzegorz Nowak and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra make a truly winning combination… Nowak always commands playing of the very high standard from the orchestra. We, the audience, are lucky that the RPO has his services… A towering interpretation’

Bob Briggs, 2010-06-08, MusicWeb International, London


‘Grzegorz Nowak Excels in Tchaikovsky with the RPO…he is a conductor of great ability… His performance of Romeo and Juliet was outstanding: he secured immaculate playing, with particularly sharp, brilliant attack; he generated high tension in the Montague and Capulets episode and he inspired beautiful, atmospheric warmth of phrase in the love musicĺ… Nowak directed a cheerful, highly rhythmic performance of the Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, and a deliciously pointed, characterful account of seven numbers from The Nutcracker – the familiar suite, that is to say, less the opening Miniature Overture. What a wonderful ballet conductor he must be (or maybe would be) with his acute sense of rhythm and pulse. Finally, we heard a finely shaped, urgent performance of 1812 that made it seem like a dramatic masterpiece: maybe it is when it is allowed to flower as it did here… the hero of the evening was undoubtedly Grzegorz Nowak, who thoroughly deserved the standing ovation that was given to him at the conclusion of the programme.’

Alan Sanders, Seen and Hear International, Royal Albert Hall, London, 2017-06-22


‘Grzegorz Nowak, a supremely musicianly conductor… drew a magnificent Shostakovich Fifth Symphony from his marvellously pliant orchestra’  

Bernard Lee, 2010-04-22, Sheffield Telegraph


‘impressive dynamic shaping and clarity of phrasing… Bravo!‘ 

Eileen Caiger Grey, 2010-04-21, DigYorkshire, Leeds


‘admirably captured… Nowak and the orchestra were superb… inspired event’

Geoff Digginess, 2010-04-09, MusicWeb International, London


‘compelling account… outstanding… achingly intense in climaxes… a thought-provoking performance’ 

Colin Anderson, 2010-04.09, ClassicalSource, London


‘The RPO always plays well for Nowak… brilliant… Nowak succeeded magnificently… a great performance of a great Symphony, an evening which will remain long in the memory.‘  

Bob Briggs, 2010-04-09, Musical Pointers, London


‘Nowak is an energetic conductor with an exquisite presence… the music was delivered with great technical precision and well judged passion… an exceptionally fine, exciting interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s music. Nowak’s and the RPO’s performance was excellent throughout and one of the best that I have so far seen and heard’  

Margarida Mota-Bull, 2010-02-18, MusicWeb International, London


’this was as sprightly a performance as you could have wished for… I loved every second of it…  The Royal Philharmonic played expertly and obviously appear to enjoy working with Nowak. Long may this collaboration continue!’  

Bob Briggs, 2009-11-25, MusicWeb International, London


‘quite exquisite… a delight… Nowak directed a very dramatic performance, full of fire and spirit, relishing every twist and turn of the music… Here was a New World full of drama, tension, passion and tragedy… the music held together better than I have ever heard it. With playing of the utmost excitement and refinement, this was a performance to savour.’

Bob Briggs, 2009-10-13, MusicWeb International, London


‘full of bounce and spirit… This was a superb performance… handled with aplomb, the tension never dropped, the drama, rather than tragedy, was well handled and we were kept on the edges of our seats as the music progressed from one highpoint to the next… superb’

Bob Briggs, 2009-10-06, MusicWeb International, London


'Nowak did a good job in bringing out the richness of the romantic textures while at the same time ensuring they remained clear… wonderfully atmospheric… wonderment and emotional engagement to landscape and natural forms… pointed phrasing… expressive changes between the strings and woodwind… restrained sensuality… delightful playing from the woodwind… long phrases in the strings were nicely shaped and crafted… the RPO performed it with lightness and grace…Nowak brought immense clarity to the contrapuntal elements of the finale and the fugato elements were extremely well articulated and voiced.  The rousing coda was delivered with an emotional charge and punch.'

Robert Beattie, 2012-03-14, MusicWeb International


‘With a sparkling programme of concert classics, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Grzegorz Nowak and joined by renowned violinist Robert Davidovici were on fine form at the Cadogan Hall…They opened the programme with one of Berlioz’s operatic overtures… a fantastically colourful opening to the concert…The second half of the programme was Brahms’s Symphony no. 1 in C minor… rich string section… exciting fourth movement… a calming aura over the brooding and dramatic opening sequence. The beautiful pastoral theme was also a breath of fresh air in the midst of the building tension…The brass section provided a rousing ending to the symphony.’

Emily Owen, 2013-10-11, BachTrack.com


‘Grzegorz Nowak impresses… very accomplished conductor. The Mozart overture was played in a very lively, vivacious fashion and then there was a complete change of mood for Delius’s intermezzo. The performance of this exquisite piece left nothing to be desired, for Nowak kept the music flowing forward in just the right fashion, and his judgement of its natural ebb and flow and turns of phrase was immaculately sympathetic… The Tchaikovsky ballet numbers were played with imagination and in a rhythmic style that reflected their dance origins rather than their use as concert fare. And in the Bizet suites there was much to admire in the character and zest of the RPO’s playing and the composer’s wonderful orchestration, which came across more vividly in this live performance than in even the finest recordings.’

Aland Sanders, 2015-02-14, WusicWeb International, London