MARIA WILGOS

Maria Wilgos is an exceptionally sensitive and serene instrumentalist skilled in playing such instruments as the Renaissance lute, Baroque lute, Baroque guitar, classical guitar, and theorbo. While working with ensembles on a daily basis, she often laments that she cannot bring all of her instruments to a single concert to showcase her love for multi-instrumentalism. Her musical journey began at the age of 11 when she started her education at the Józef Elsner Secondary Music School in Warsaw, specialising in guitar. Later, she pursued lute studies under the guidance of Professor Jerzy Zak at the Academy of Music in Krakow and with Anton Birula and Anna Kowalska at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz. In recognition of her exceptional artistic achievements, she was awarded the Scholarship of the Music Academy Rector between 2012 and 2015. In 2016, she graduated with honours, after which she dedicated her time to performing concerts and caring for her new-born children. In 2022, she was honoured as a laureate of the Hanseatic Ensemble courses held in Lübeck, Germany. Additionally, in 2023 she has graduated with a master degree in classical guitar.

For the past 13 years, Maria has been an active professional soloist, chamber musician, and member of prominent orchestral ensembles. She has graced the stages of numerous cities across Poland, as well as in countries like the USA, Canada, Austria (performing Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion at the Musikverein), Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Germany (including Hamburg, Berlin, Görlitz, Zittau, Bauzen, the Staatstheater in Cottbus, and the Music Academy in Trossingen), Italy, Macedonia, and Slovakia. Maria has had the privilege of collaborating with renowned early music ensembles such as the National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw (under the baton of Jan Willem de Vriend), Arte Dei Suonatori, OH! Orkiestra Historyczna, MACV (Warsaw Chamber Opera), Il giardino d’Amore Baroque Chamber Orchestra, La Tempesta, Intemperata (Bydgoszcz), Capella Regia Polona (Polish Royal Opera) and the  ALTA early music ensemble. She has contributed to the recording of over a dozen CDs and has participated in prestigious events such as the 21st Bach Festival in Świdnica, the Kromer Festival in Biecz, the Silent Music Festival in Toruń, the Bydgoszcz Baroque Scene, the Strefa Ciszy Festival in the Royal Łazienki Park, the Czarnoleski Festival of Arts, Music of the Baroque Masters, Cracovia Sacra, May with Early Music, and many others.

As an excellent basso continuo member, Maria has performed a number of significant Baroque works, including Lully’s Armide, Händel’s Rodelinda and Israel in Egypt, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Fairy Queen, and Hail! Bright Cecilia, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and L’incoronazione di Poppea, J. S. Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium and St. John Passion, Vivaldi’s Violin Concertos, Corelli’s Concerti Grossi, and Leonardo da Vinci’s Tre Rebus musicali. Her solo repertoire encompasses compositions by John Dowland, Silvius Leopold Weiss, Robert de Visèe, Gaspar Sanz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Augustin Barrios-Mangore, and Roland Dyens.

In addition to her solo performances, Maria actively engages in chamber music collaborations. She forms the lute duo AbsoLutes with Klaudyna Zolnierek (also a lute player, theorist, and guitarist) and participates in the Ribaldi vocal quartet and the ensemble “La Sensible”. This year, she has begun collaborating with Daniel Kurz in Germany, as well as with Wolfgang Kraemer in Saarland and the Lauten Compagney in Berlin. Outside of her musical pursuits, Maria is a devoted mother to two pre-schoolers and resides in Warsaw. What she cherishes most about music is the thrill of performing on stage, the freedom to express emotions, and the joy of creating a warm and memorable atmosphere. In the future her aspiration is to nurture the creativity of the younger generation and assist as many aspiring artists as possible.

https://mariawilgos.com/