ABOUT
‘The fearless champion of contemporary music for baroque violin.’
New music + period instruments. It’s not rocket science.
Described as 'the new wave wizard' (South West Londoner), Ada Witczyk has inspired over 200 new works for baroque violin and counting.
Relentless in her drive to create a ‘New Baroque’, breaking out of endless cycles of Bach partitas and Vivaldi concerti and pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
The 2024-25 season sees Ada perform and visit the Technical University of the Shannon in Limerick, Ireland as a guest lecturer during their online music video production series "The Millennium Sessions".
She releases her second album "New Baroque-Sonatas" on First Hand Records and performs a programme filled with exciting contemporary pieces on baroque instruments at the Limerick Early Music Festival.
Highlights of the previous two seasons included appearances as a soloist with Ashby String Orchestra to perform Bach's E major and A minor violin concertos and premieres of 3 brand new concertos for baroque violin and orchestra, written by An Vedi, Isidro Albarreal Delgado and Klaus Miehling (RCC 2023 winners), performed in London and recorded live by Swiss film director Simon Helbling.
She also showcased new works by young contemporary composers on period instruments during Italian debut during the Ruvo Coro Festival in Puglia and returned as to lead period ensemble the Consort of 12.
'Judiciously chosen, Witczyk's repertoire is impeccably executed.'
- BBC Music Magazine (Instrumental Choice)
Singled out by BBC Music Magazine as their 'Instrumental Choice' and receiving a 10-star review, the 2023-24 season also marks the release of her new album of contemporary music 'New Baroque' on First Hand Records (available on all platforms).
Radio broadcasts with the BBC, Radio Soest (Netherlands), Argentina Classic National Radio,
Radiotelevisione Svissera, KGLT-FM (US) and Poznan Radio Klasyka (Poland) have all featured Witczyk’s many new recordings, but it’s her bold music videos that have captured the imagination of composers, musicians and new audiences across the world from Peru to Thailand.
MMA cages, underground carparks, glamourous historic buildings, gothic churches; forget pretentious, this is for the new wave of classical audiences.
Presenting her latest commissions, on show during her 2023 USA tour, Witczyk took audiences in Seattle and Portland by storm, encouraging frenzied discussion at the annual New Music Gathering and prompting countless entries to her revolutionary composition competition named after Czech harpsichordist and fellow new music-enthusiast Zuzana Ruzickova.
Born in Poland in 1993 Ada attended Gorzow Music School, POSM in Poznan, the Royal College of Music (studying with Itzhak Rashkovsky, Michal Cwizewicz and Catherine Martin), and she is a postgraduate of the Royal Academy of Music (studying with Levon Chilingirian and Simon Standage for Historical Performance). Recipient of the Henry Wood Award, Star Award by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the Margot MacGibbon Award, the Anthony Edward Brookes Award, Ada has also received Honourable Mentions at both the Greater Poland Music Competition, Polish National Forum of Young Instrumentalists and 3rd prize-winner of the Rising Stars Grand Prix in Berlin amongst countless other competition honours.
Ada was also kindly supported by Help Musicians and the Harrison Frank Foundation.
As both a modern and baroque violinist, Ada has performed at many of the UK’s most prestigious venues and festivals including Buckingham Palace, Royal Festival Hall, Barbican, Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Royal Opera House, including performances with the Gabrieli Consort, The English Concert, The Academy of Ancient Music, The Sixteen, St James' Baroque and Florilegium.
DISCOGRAPHY
NEW BAROQUE is an album of contemporary music, pushing the boundaries of creativity and what is possible on baroque violin. All works commissioned by violinist Ada Witczyk from former winners of the Růžičková Composition Competition (established in 2020).
Released 26 January 2024
NEW BAROQUE – SONATAS is an album filled with brand new sonatas for baroque violin(s) and harpsichord by the winners of the 5th Růžičková Composition Competition (2024). Each sonata explores baroque instruments in lots of creative ways, their unique sonorities and distinctive gut string colours, and pushes the boundaries of what we would expect to hear from them.
Released Spring 2025
HEAR ME LIVE
Guest lecturer at the Technological University of the Shannon
"The Millennium Sessions"
4 March 2025
Limerick, Ireland
Limerick Early Music Festival
21-23 March 2025
Ireland
More info here
Leading Concort of 12
7 September 2025
Chichester, UK
More info here
2026 New Baroque Asia Tour
dates tbc
GET IN TOUCH
General Management
Ewelina Mikluszka
ARTem Künstleragentur Frankfurt am Main
e.mikluszka@artem-agentur.de