Maciej Kułakowski

“We need to be like crusaders.“

In 2015 at the age of 19, Maciej won 1st Prize and a special award at the Lutoslawski International Cello Competition. He was a Laureate in the Finals of the 2017 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, and a prize winner at the 2019 YCAT International Auditions in London.

Highlights this season include concerts at Wigmore Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus and the Kronberg Festival. He takes part in the Cello Biennale in Amsterdam and gives recitals at the Bath, Newbury Spring, Brighton and Machynnleth Festivals in the UK.

As soloist he appears with Kymi Sinfonietta conducted by Jascha von der Goltz, the Orchestra of Opera North, Firebird Orchestra (London), the Brighton & East Sussex Youth Orchestra, and with orchestras across Poland.  

Further afield Maciej joins Chamber Music at the World's Edge (AWE) in New Zealand and returns as a Faculty Guest to Morningside Music Bridge in Boston, USA.

In 2022 Delphian Records released his debut album of French music ‘Beau soir’ to critical acclaim.  He went on to record Penderecki’s complete solo cello music, due for release in 2023.

Maciej has performed widely as soloist highlights including the Warsaw Philharmonic, Baltic Philharmonic, Sinfonietta Cracovia, London Mozart Players, Silesian Philharmonic, Deutsches Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Brussels Philharmonic, Calgary Philharmonic and the Klassiche Philharmonie Bonn at the Laieszhalle Hamburg.  He has been fortunate to work with Krzysztof Penderecki, Yaroslav Shemet, Frank Braley, Marek Moś, Eivind Gullberg Jensen and Stéphane Denève, among many others.

An avid chamber musician he has taken part in festivals across Europe, and participated in the Piatigorsky Cello Festival in Los Angeles and Beijing Super Cello Festival.  Recent collaborations include Viviane Hagner, Stephen Waarts, Kian Soltani, Mischa, Lily and Sascha Maisky, Charles Neidich, Emanuel Ax, Jan Vogler and Lawrence Power .

Born in Gdánsk (Poland), to a family of classical and jazz musicians, Maciej studied at the Stanislaw Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk, Mannheim University and the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar, prior to entering the Kronberg Academy.

Maciej plays a Giovanni Baptista Ruggeri Cello made in Cremona, 1700 on loan from a Charitable Trust.

During the 2014 Kronberg Academy Cello Masterclasses, he was awarded the Landgrave of Hesse Prize. From 2017 to 2022 Maciej Kułakowski studied at Kronberg Academy with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt. These studies were funded by the Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff Scholarship.