fot. Bartek Barczyk

Jakub Haufa Concertmaster

I Violin in Sinfonia Varsovia since 2003

Violinist and conductor, 1st concertmaster of Sinfonia Varsovia. Professor of violin and orchestral studies classes at the Academy of Music in Poznań and at the Frederic Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.

Born in 1980 in Poznań, a graduate of the violin classes of prof. Jadwiga Kaliszewska and symphony and opera conducting by Jose Maria Florêncio at the Academy of Music in Poznań. Laureate of many violin competitions, winner incl. distinction in the finals of the 12th International Violin Competition Henryk Wieniawski in Poznań (2001). Since 2003, he has been the 1st concertmaster of Sinfonia Varsovia. He has performed many times as a soloist and chamber musician with such artists as Krzysztof Penderecki, Jacek Kaspszyk, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Marc Minkowski, Nigel Kennedy, Radek Baborák, Stefan Dohr, Gary Hoffman, Radovan Vlatković, Albrecht Mayer, Daniel Hope, Ryszard Groblewski, François-Frédéric Guy, Gábor Boldoczki, Itamar Golan, Claudio Bohórquez, Ju-Young Baek, Hartmut Rohde. As concertmaster, he led the orchestra under the baton of such conductors as Lorin Maazel, Leonard Slatkin, Christoph Eschenbach, Krzysztof Penderecki, Pinchas Zukerman, Alexander Vedernikov, Jerzy Semkow, Lawrence Foster, Marek Janowski, Andrey Boreyko, Leopold Hager, Sylvain Camberling, Hubert Soudant, Robert Treviño, Vasily Petrenko.

He has recorded as concertmaster and soloist for such record labels as Deutsche Grammophon (with Albrecht Mayer – CD / DVD New Seasons), EMI (with Nigel Kennedy – DVD Live à La Citadelle). He has also performed with Nigel Kennedy many times as a co-soloist with the Polish Chamber Orchestra and with Das Collegium with members of the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2016, as a soloist, he made the premiere recording of Krzysztof Penderecki’s Concerto doppio for violin and cello under the baton of the composer (nominated for the 2018 Fryderyk Award).

As a guest concertmaster, he was invited to many orchestras in Poland and abroad. They include, among others Euskadiko Orkestra in San Sebastian, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul, Seoul International Music Festival Orchestra, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice.

As a conductor, he had the opportunity to perform with Sinfonia Varsovia (with soloist Marcin Zdunik), the Sinfonia Varsovia Academy Chamber Orchestra (with oboist Ralph van Daal), the Orchestra of the Grand Theater in Poznań, the Wrocław Opera Orchestra, the Sudecka Philharmonic Orchestra in Wałbrzych, the Chamber String Orchestra of the Academy of Music in Poznań, Chamber String Orchestra of the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.

Winner of Fryderyk Award 2022 in the “Concerting Music” category for recording Andrzej Panufnik’s Violin Concerto performed together with Sinfonia Varsovia under the baton of Jerzy Maksymiuk, which was included on the album Maksymiuk – Perfectionist.

By the decision of July 21, 2021, the President of the Republic of Poland awarded him the title of professor of art in the field of musical arts.

He plays on a copy of the Guarneri del Gesù 1742 violin “Dushkin” made by Stephan von Baehr.

Prizes and Awards

  • 2nd prize in the National Stanisław Serwaczyński Competition for Young Violinists in Lublin (1999)
  • 2nd prize in the 6th National Zdzisław Jahnke Competition for Violinists in Poznań (1999)
  • honourable mention in the 12th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Poznań (2001)

CD / Discography

  • Perfekcjonista
  • Vivaldi - Live A La Citadelle
  • Penderecki
  • Strauss