Tomasz Herbut (Poland/Switzerland)
Polish-born pianist, Tomasz Herbut, is an internationally acclaimed soloist and chamber musician. His performances have taken him to Japan, Korea, South America and across Europe. Tomasz has performed at prestigious international festivals such as “The Flandern Festival“, “The Menuhin Festival Gstaad“, “The Vratislava Cantans Festival“ and “The Chopin Festival Paris“. A sought-after chamber musician, Tomasz has appeared in concert with leading ensembles including the “Varsovia String Quartet“, “Camerata String Quartet“, “Silesian String Quartet“, “Sine Nomine Quartet“ and soloists, including Patrick Demenga and Paul Meyer, among others. He is also a recognized authority on song interpretation, collaborating with singers such as Jadwiga Rappé, Urszula Kryger, Joseph Calleja and Rudolf Rosen. He has made numerous recordings for both television and radio, which have been broadcast across Europe. He is a prizewinner of the prestigious Polish Phonographic Music Prize, the “Grand Prix du Disque FRYDERYK“. In Switzerland - where he lives since 35 years - Tomasz performs in renowned concert halls such as the “Victoria Hall Geneva“, “Tonhalle Zurich“ and “Casino Berne“ among others.
Tomasz Herbut was born in Lublin, Poland, where he began studying piano at the age of six. He went on to enter the local Conservatory at an early age, graduating with honors in 1979. He then continued his studies at the “F. Chopin Music University“ under the tutelage of Bronisława Kawalla, receiving his diploma with distinction. Tomasz furthered his education at the ”Zurich University of the Arts” with Homero Francesch receiving his Soloist Diploma in 1987. He also studied with Irwin Gage, completing his Song Interpretation Class. During this time, he also worked with Nikita Magaloff - one of the most amazing pianists of the 20th century - who played a significant role in his artistic and human development.
Through intensive scholarly work, Tomasz Herbut possesses a wide spectrum of knowledge with respect to the Romantic piano literature and Lied repertoire. His unique programs encompass many neglected composers such as Lekeu, Zarebski, Laks, as well as Chausson, Szymanowski and Bloch, among others. In 1986 he was a prizewinner of the XIX. Festival of Young Soloists in Bordeaux, France and one year later he was honored by the city of Zurich receiving the “Young Artist Award“.
Since 1990, Tomasz has also dedicated himself to teaching, leading the piano class at the ”Berne University of the Arts“ in Switzerland. Many of his students are prizewinners and finalists of national and international competitions (Honens/Calgary; Toronto; Minneapolis/St.Paul; Bach/Würzburg; 20th Century/Orleans; CIEM/Geneva; G.Anda/Zurich; Hamamatsu; Pretoria; RSG/Monza, among others). Tomasz gives masterclasses and lectures across Europe, as well as in both North & South America and Asia. He is regularly requested to serve on the jury of major national and international competitions. In the years 1991-2016 he was President and Artistic Director of “Berne Chopin Society“.
In his spare time Tomasz is a passionate poetry reader, enjoys traveling and relaxes while cooking. He is very interested in Asian cultures, modern art and is fascinated by the world of wine.