Michał Francuz

About Michał Francuz

Michał Francuz has the reputation of one of the most interesting Polish pianists. His piano playing is distinguished by impeccable technique, and his interpretations of performed pieces are characterized by great sound imagination, fullness of expression and the power of expression. The pianist was born in 1980 in Szczecin. He is a graduate of the F. Nowowiejski State High School of Music in Szczecin in the piano class of Dr. Mikołaj Szczęsny and the I. J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, where he studied under the direction of Professor Waldemar Andrzejewski. Developing his musical skills, he collaborated with many celebrities in the piano world, including Prof. Halina Czerny-Stefańska, Prof. Waldemar Wojtal, Prof. Viktor Mezzanov, Prof. Kevin Kenner, Prof. Irma Hoffmeister and Prof. Viera Nossina. Francuz leads an active concert life, both as a solo musician and as a chamber musician. On a daily basis, Michał Francuz works as a pianist – chamber musician at the I. J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań. In October 2016, he was the official pianist of the 15th Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition in Poznań. Michał French's repertoire includes works from the Baroque to the 21st century, with particular emphasis on the works of Polish composers and works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Ferenc Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy (altogether about 60 works for piano with orchestra and over 350 items of chamber music). The pianist has made many recordings of theatre music, including his own compositions and arrangements, as well as recordings for the Polish Radio. In 2015, together with the Portuguese violinist Emanuel Salvador, they made a recording of works by Karol Szymanowski; the album is scheduled for release in 2017.