Anna Karkowska,
“the violinist “destined for stardom”.
So Don Estep heralded in the News Journal after Anna's performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Lexington Philharmonic conducted by George Zak. The audience gave her a standing ovation after each movement of the concerto.
Anna was the greatest female violin virtuoso of all time, performing masterpeices of Paganini, Wienawski, Sarasate, Vieuxtemp, Brahms, etc, in every concert.
She was born in Lodz, Poland, and made her successful solo debut at the age of fifteen at the prestigious String Masters Festival with Zielona Gora Philharmonic playing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. Among her many prizes and awards are: the First Prize at the International Competition at the Aspen Music Festival, Colorado, the First Prize at the WGUC Radio Station International Competition (twice) and one of 'the most precious awards for a violinist: a loan of Guarneri del Gesu, “Sennhauser” from the elite Stradivari Society. Anna is the only violinist born in Poland to be awarded by this prestigious organization whose previous laureates have been S. Chang, G.Shaham or M.Vengerov. She has also received the D' Starling Foundation Scholarship, Satterwaite Scholarship, G.M. Grunin Prize and B' P. Johnson Scholarship, as well as Top Prizes at the National Competitions for Young Violinists in Poland (Lodz, Lublin, Elblag, Olsztyn ). Anna was a graduate of Wieniawski Music High school in Lodz PL the violin class of Professor Zenon Ploszaj, College-Conservatory of Music in Cinncinati ,OH(Bachelor of Music, recipient of full scholarschip,the violin class of P.Milewski)and of Juillard School of Music (recipent of full scholarschip, the violin class of D. Delay and H. Kang).
Anna has performed as a soloist with many orchestras including: the Lexington Philharmonic, the Penderecki Festival Orchestra, Sinfonia Cracovia, the Deaborn Symphony Orchestra, Paderewski Symphony Orchestra, the Fairmont Chamber Orchestra, the Starling Orchestra, and in many prestigious venues including the Carnegie Hall (NYC), Lincoln Center (NYC), National Grand Theater (Warsaw. Poland), the Ford Performing Arts Center,Gusman Center for Performing Arts,Mexico National Center for Performing Arts always to standing ovations.
She has recorded several programs for Polish National Television and Radio (Pegaz, Harmonia Mundi, Karkowska Sisters Duo, Written by the Bow) and appeared on PBS Buffalo, PolVision, Chicago and NYC.
Her talent was recognized by letters of recommendation from the famous musicians of our times: Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Krzysztof Penderecki, Jo Ann Faletta, Zenon Ploszaj, Kazimierz Michalik, George Zak, and Louis Brunelli.
A special chapter in her career are : the concert for the Fulbright Foundation Gala at the National Grand Theater in Warsaw, Poland with the Penderecki Festival Orchestra, for the Eightieth Birthday of Pope John Paul II in Chicago, IL, with Polish-American Symphony Orchestra, for the governor of Kentucky at the celebration of Henry Clay Award, for the UNICEF as a benefit for children in Guatemala, Miami, FL, and for the Panasonic Foundation Conference, Colorado Springs, CO, Concert-Trybute closing the Exibition "And I Still See Their Faces:The Vanished World of Polish Jews"at Yeshiva University Museum (NYC). Her performances have won the hearts of audiences and press: "Stunning...better played than Itzhak Perlman's own recording"(Mount Vernon News),"fabulus mastery of the violinist,s art (Electoral News, Krakow), 'simply exelent' (Polish News, Chicago)"the audience went wild"(Southaampton News),"true virtuoso performer"(B.C. Hamilton Fine Arts Assocciation of SEKY).
In 1998 together with her sister, Kasia, they established the Karkowska Sisters Duo, that has been performing to standing ovations and encores in North America and Europe. Their Virtuosity and Laughter Series with educational outreach programs, master classes and lectures introduced over 300,000 American students to classical music!.
In 2010 Anna recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios her solo album with virtuoso gems of Paganini, Wieniawski, Sarasate and cowritten with her and for her new virtuoso concerto of Hoffman. In only two days and 4 sessions she made Virtuosity a historical event.
Tireless in her affords to popularize classical music among youth Anna made a video "Born of Lightening" with J.Crafton (director of animation) and K. Karkowska(director )
In 2012 Anna wrote and recorded her own virtuoso variation based on Zyczenie"by F.Chopin in her new recording "Virtuosity Through the Ages". In 2014 she followed this up with a new album "Chopin and Wieniawski -The Soul of Poland", and in 2016 the CD "Romantic Soul" came to life.
Anna was continuing the tradition of virtuosos of the past by writing her own compositions for Violin& Piano:
Fuge in G minor for piano solo
Variations on Zyczenie by F. Chopin for violin & piano
Polonez for violin & piano
La Traviata Fantasy on themes from La Traviata by G. Verdi
for violin & orchestra and violin & piano
Anna's arrangments for violin and piano:
Song No 2 by Fanny Mendelssohn
Nocturnein B Flat by Maria A. Szymanowska
Una furtiva lagrima by G. Donizetti
Je crois etendre encore by G. Bizet
Casta Diva by V. Bellini
Study Op.10 No. 3 by F. Chopin
Prelude Op.28 No.4 by F. Chopin
Grande Valse Brillante Op. 34 No.1 by F. Chopin
Nocturne Op.9 No.1 by F. Chopin
In February 2010 Anna commissioned Violin Concerto from R. Hoffman and colaborated with composer in writing violin part for Concerto and cadenza via Internet. They first met at Abbey Road Studio 1 July 3 2010 when Anna was recording as a solist with London Symphony Orchestra N. Paganini Concerto No.1, H.Wieniawski Faust Fantasy,Sarasate Carmen Fantasy and world premiere R. Hoffman Concerto.
Anna made plans to write a violin concerto in 2018, but fate had other ideas...she passed away in Manhattan on February 14, 2018.
“Her technical precision and musical expression were amazing (…) It
was easy to detect Anna’s love both for the instrument and for the
music.(…) the audience reacted at the end of the first movement of
Tchaikovsky Concerto with a standing ovation, and again at the end of
the concerto with another standing ovation”
Dr. Harold Wortman, News Journal
“who can play Mozart can play everything…a soloist in Mozart’s Violin Concerto KV 218 was Anna Karkowska…a pearl-like technique, a beautiful sound, the unique gift of absolute concentration on music”
Anna Wozniakowska, Polish Journal
“stunning…better played than Itzhak Perlman’s own recording”
Mark S. Jordan, Mount Vernon News
“...a very gifted young violinist”
Daniel Barenboim, Music Director, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
“Remember this name: Anna Karkowska, She is destined for stardom”
Don Estep, News Journal
“...immensely talented young violinist”
Krzysztof Penderecki, Composer,Conductor Grammy Award Winner
“...a young artist of extraordinary gifts”
George Zak, Music Director, Lexington Philharmonic
“With her playing she proved to have fabulous mastery of violinist art; ”
Ewa Cichon, Electorial News