Marian Sobula Piano   

Marian Sobula was born in 1981 in Wroclaw, Poland, and began his serious music training at the State University of Music in Cracow, Poland, working with pianist Adrzej Pikul. Upon graduation in 2002, he pursued post-graduate work at the Academy of Music in Karlsruhe, Germany, studying under Sontraud Speidel. Additional piano studies included Master Class work with Victor Eresko (Paris, 2002) and Noel Flores (Vienna, 2003), as well as with Andrzej Jasinski, Józef Stompel, Waldemar Wojtal, John O'Conor, Vladimir Krainev, Hans Leygraf, Solomon Mikowsky, Gyorgy Nador. He is currently completing his training with Professor Pikul at the Academy of Music in Cracow.

Among the awards earned by Marian thus far include 1st Prize at the Yamaha Foundation (Bydgoszcz, Poland, 2005), 3rd Prize at the 46th International Piano Competition "Award Citta di Treviso" (Treviso, Italy, 2004), 3rd Prize at the 4th International Piano Competition "Giuliano Pecar" (Gorizia, Italy, 2004), 2nd Prize at the 8th European Piano Competition "Luciano Gante" (Pordenone, Italy, 2004), 1st Prize at the 11th International Music Competition "Riviera del Conero" (Ancona, Italy, 2004), 1st Prize in the 5th International Piano Competition "Florestano Rossomandi" (Foggia, Italy, 2003), 1st Prize at the 37th Festival Competition of Polish Pianists (2003), 1st Prize at the Kultursfond Baden Foundation Competition (Karlsruhe, Germany, 2003), and a Special Prize at the 37th Competition Frédéric Chopin (Warsaw, 2000). He has likewise earned scholarships from UNESCO and from the Polish National Department of Art and Culture, among others.

Marian has performed as a featured soloist at concerts in Poland, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Denmark, Japan, and the US. He has likewise appeared in numerous music festivals in Poland and Western Europe - including the UNESCO Music Festival (Paris, 2002) and the 9th International Music Festival Porozumienie, under conductor Kurt Mazuar (Honors, Poland, 1999).

Reviews

"Marian Sobula... performed three sonatas: Haydn's Sonata in C (Hob.XVI:50), Beethoven's Sonata in C minor, Op. 111, and Rachmaninov's Sonata in B minor, Op. 36. The clear, orderly, yet formally difficult classicism [of the Haydn], one of the most difficult, ambiguous, even metaphysical of Beethoven's compositions, and a virtuosic, emotionally dense piece by the late Romantic composer all found themselves a fine young interpreter. Marian Sobula is a mature artist with an inner depth, who possesses not only an elaborate technique, but also the passion of a virtuoso. His recital filled the audience with joy that could only originate from authentic art."

Dziennik Polski (Cracow, Poland)