MAGDALENA BACZEWSKA
[pronounced BaCHEVska]
“Columbia University professor by day, musical sorceress by night” - ConcertoNet “
One of the most innovative, even radical classical keyboardists in the U.S.”- ConcertoNet
"Baczewska enlightens"- The Palm Beach ArtsPaper
About Magdalena Baczewska
Magdalena Baczewska [pronounced ba-CHEV-ska] is a Polish-American artist and scholar enjoying a versatile career as a soloist, chamber musician, artistic administrator, educator, academic leader, curator, and speaker. Described by the press as “Columbia professor by day, musical sorceress by night” (ConcertoNet) and “eloquent and technically flawless” (The Washington Post), she has performed in many of the world's major music centers to both popular and critical acclaim. She is the Senior Lecturer and Director of the Music Performance Program at Columbia University. As a concerto soloist, she has appeared with prestigious orchestras worldwide, including the San Francisco Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and China National Symphony. She has collaborated with Oscar- and Grammy-winning artists such as Joshua Bell, Charles Fox, and Tan Dun, performing at venues like the Tanglewood Music Festival, Guangzhou Opera House, Beijing National Center for the Performing Arts, Davies Symphony Hall, and Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center.
Repertoire and critical acclaim
Dr. Baczewska explores and performs Baroque keyboard literature on both the piano and harpsichord, seeking harmony between historically informed performance and modern pianism, with an emphasis on intellectual rigor, clarity, and rhetorical approach. In her performances, she combines scholarly research, historical and stylistic insight, and personal expressiveness, aiming to create a sense of community through music. Her repertoire spans many centuries, including works for the harpsichord—she has earned acclaim for her double-bill performances of Bach’s Goldberg Variations on both harpsichord and piano—and music by composers whose works were overlooked or marginalized. Her albums have received praise from leading publications, such as American Record Guide: "An uncommonly good recording,” and The Gramophone: “Beautiful and intimately scaled." Her discography bridges various genres, from Baroque and Romantic solo music to collaborations with Techno, IDM, and Hip Hop artists. Her collaboration single "Robo Tribe Remix" was featured as a hype on Beatport, the largest online music source for DJs. She has produced the best-selling album series Music for Dreams in collaboration with the Bluesleep medical team, which researches and treats sleep disorders. Her recordings have been featured in EnergyPods by MetroNaps, popularized by Google. At the invitation of the composer, Baczewska also recorded a visual album of Tan Dun’s chamber music and the Piano Sonata in Shanghai’s Water Heavens Hall.
Commitment to Education, Mentorship, and Technological Innovation
As an avid educator, Dr. Baczewska has given talks and master classes at institutions worldwide, including the Beijing Central Conservatory, New York University, International Keyboard Institute, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Xi'an Conservatory, and Manhattan School of Music. As a Yamaha Artist, she is a pioneer of long-distance teaching using the cutting-edge Yamaha Disklavier technology, and has given Remote Masterclasses to students at the Xi'an Conservatory, University of Texas, University of Hartford, Elon University, and the Microsoft School of the Future. At Columbia, she embraces her multifaceted role as educator, academic leader and curator: in addition to teaching, she is the Director of the Music Performance Program, mentoring undergraduate student musicians across academic disciplines, and helping them foster artistic excellence through learning and performance opportunities. Aside from the participants of the Music Performance Program, her mentees include members of the elite Columbia-Juilliard Exchange.
Advocacy for Equal Access and Community Engagement
The joy of community and learning is at the heart of Dr. Baczewska’s work. As a passionate advocate for equal access to musical enrichment, she is committed to sharing the joy of music with wider audiences. During the Covid pandemic, she produced the “Bach@Home” YouTube series of public-facing lecture performances. She also designed and taught “Enjoyment of Music,” an online music appreciation course for the Grand Piano Series, where she is now the Lecturer in Residence. Dr. Baczewska is a teaching artist on Tonebase, a digital platform that democratizes access to high-level music education, where she released two series of video lectures on interpreting the music of J.S. Bach. She regularly appears as a guest lecturer in various concert series, focusing on the interplay between performance and scholarship, analytical approaches, and the importance of communicating through music. She serves as a Grandmentor for Musical Mentors Collaborative, a nonprofit providing free music instruction to students who would not otherwise have access to private lessons, addressing structural inequities in music education.
Piano Competition Juries
Dedicated to ushering the next generation of musicians who make a difference, Dr. Baczewska has joined the juries of the Cleveland Piano Competition, Minnesota Piano e-Competition Auditions, Borderlands Chopin Piano Competition, Eisenberg-Fried Competition at Manhattan School of Music, International Chopin Piano Competition in Corpus Christi, and the Canadian Chopin Competition. She was the host of the International Keyboard Institute and Festival live webcast and Master of Ceremonies for the Miami Chopin Piano Competition. She was also appointed Artistic Director and Chairman of the Jury for the 66th Chopin International Piano Competition at the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York City.
Education, Awards, and Publications
Born in Poland to a family of musicians, Dr. Baczewska was invited to study with Jerome Rose at Mannes College: The New School for Music, where she received both a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music degree, graduating with honors, and receiving The Sol Goldman Scholarship, and the Excellence Awards in both Piano Performance and Music Theory. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Constance Keene and Kenneth Cooper. At Manhattan School, Baczewska won the First Prize in the Mieczyslaw Munz Piano Competition and the Outstanding Doctoral Graduate Award. Her doctoral dissertation, In Search of Bach’s Cantabile: The Role and Aspects of Oratory and Singing in Keyboard Interpretation, was published by Lambert Academic Publishing. She is the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage, and Pangea Alliance Award for the Outstanding Polish Citizen Abroad, Prix du piano of Conservatoire Américaine in Fontainebleau, and the First Prize of the European American Musical Alliance in Paris, France.Dr. Baczewska resides in New York City, and spends her summer months in Europe, teaching in the Art & Music Humanities program at the Columbia Global Center in Paris.
From the Press
From the Press:
“One of the most innovative, even radical classical keyboardists in the U.S.” (ConcertoNet)
“Columbia University professor by day, musical sorceress by night” (ConcertoNet)
"Baczewska enlightens" (Palm Beach Arts Paper)
"Magnificent, unique voice that stylistically never falters" (Classical Music Guide Online)
"A world-class musician" (American Record Guide)
“Eloquent & technically flawless” (The Washington Post)
"Fascinating artist" (Contemporary Fusion Reviews)
"Richness, grace, and sensitivity” (American Record Guide)
"Baczewska reads the mind of the composer" (ConcertoNet, the Classical Network)
"A player of taste and admirable sensitivity” (Palm Beach Arts Paper)
"Baczewska’s intelligent musicianship is always apparent" (Classics Today)
“Highly sophisticated and truly admirable” (The Weekend, New York)
"Impeccable…refreshing… brilliantly fashioned" (ConcertoNet, the Classical Network)
"Imagination and spontaneity" (Musikalifeite) “Brilliantly performed” (Classical voice North America)
“Elegant in a youthful sort of way, with an indefinable modern sensibility” (ConcertoNet, the Classical Network)
“It will make [the listeners] sit up and pay notice.” (ConcertoNet, the Classical Network)
“Inspires the imagination” (Contemporary Fusion Reviews)
"Warm, gracious and expressive” (Classical Music Guide Online)
“Aristocratic character, free from pretentiousness or banality” (Musikalifeiten)
“[Baczewska] produces a big, bronze tone and plays everything with ideas and color” (Classical Music Guide Online)
“A modern, even dangerous edge to her playing which lifts this album far beyond the humdrum” (ConcertoNet, the Classical Network)
"A stimulating journey" (ConcertoNet, the Classical Network)
"A beacon of technically flawless achievement" (ConcertoNet, the Classical Network)
"Baczewska is an interesting presence in the piano world" (Musikalifeiten)
"Like a seasoned actor, [Baczewska] continues to sustain an evocative mood throughout" (Classics Today)
“Deliciously different sonic adventure” (Contemporary Fusion Reviews)
“Finely woven, ease of execution, rich lyricism” (American Record Guide)
“Excellent interpretive knowledge of Bach and the Baroque period appears in her clean lines and balanced, lyrical Szymanowski and Chopin" (American Record Guide)
“[Baczewska] understands the idioms of these composers so well, and never takes a false step stylistically” (Classical Music Guide Online)
"An uncommonly good recording." (American Record Guide)
“Beautiful and intimately scaled." (The Gramophone)
"Wonderfully lyrical, beautifully shaped." (“Reflections from the Keyboard,” WQXR)
“Simply admirable! I have never heard better playing since Rubinstein!" (Philippe Entremont)
"Played with a breath of Romanticism, beautiful sound, and thoughtfulness.” (Polish Radio II)
“Sensuous, sensitive, delicate and lyrical, yet not limiting the climactic power." (Polish Radio II)
"Daring and exceptional" (Contemporary Fusion Reviews)
“A magnificent Chopin player! She does not play this music in the manner of Rubinstein, Friedman, Horowitz or anyone else. She has her own unique voice, and stylistically never falters. Her rubato is always natural, and she brings out wonderful changes of color during modulations. She never has the need to “shout,” or bang, yet always brings off high points successfully. This pianist’s technique is always there, her sound always beautiful and unforced, and her idiomatic understanding of this music is complete." (Classical Music Guide)
"She understands the idioms of these composers so well, and never takes a false step stylistically. She produces a big, bronze tone and plays everything with ideas and color. Ms. Baczewska has excellent technique but doesn’t need to “show off.’” (Classical Music Guide)
“Pianist [Baczewska] and composer [Mozart] seem to be working together.” (ConcertoNet)
"Baczewska is a very sensitive pianist, perfectly comfortable with Bach's complex musical textures. She communicates the vastness of this music with impressive imagination. Her playing is warm, allowing intimacy with the music and its interpretation." (Polish Radio II)
"Baczewska occupies a special place in the large company of interpreters of Bach's Goldberg variations (...) Her playing is sensitive, nuanced and imaginative (...) She plays the theme in all innocence and simplicity, an excellent technique, and spiritual depth. The chosen tempi feel right, there is some rhythmic freedom, the ornaments are discreet, and the whole has an element of diversity and contrast." (Musikalifeiten)