Joanna Kawalla is an outstanding Polish violinist, pedagogue, Doctor of Arts in Music. Joanna was born into a family with a very long musical tradition. She began playing the violin at the age of five under the wing of Professor Stanislaw Hajzer and then continued her education amongst leading Polish tutors such as Professor Zenon Brzewski and Professor Jadwiga Kaliszewska. Later she became a student of Professor Iwona Wojciechowska at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, where she graduated in 1999. She also undertook a postgraduate programme in concert studies under the supervision of the renowned teacher and violin maestro Professor Valery Klimov at Hochschule des Saarlandes für Musik und Theater in Saarbrücken, Germany. In 2003 she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Arts in Music with honours by the most prestigious and celebrated - with regards to violin art – Academy of Music in Poznań, Poland.
Joanna Kawalla is the winner of many first prizes in violin competitions. She was also recognised for artistic and pedagogical work by the President of Poland, US Army Headquarters, Government of Kuwait, to name a few. For many years, she was a holder of a scholarship from the Fund for Specially Gifted Children and Children’s Fund. She was also granted a DAAD scholarship for her stay in Germany.
Her vast experience as a performing artist began at an early age. She has performed recitals and given solo appearances with orchestras throughout the world (Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Netherlands, Slovakia, Sweden, Spain, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom). She has appeared many times on Polish Radio and Television, BBC, KBS TV and has recorded for various record labels such as : Veriton, DUX, Requiem Records - Poland, Vienna Modern Masters - Austria/USA, SEM - South Korea. She was also the jury member of 3rd and 4th
F. Chopin Music Competition in Kuwait.
Her generous repertoire includes the greatest masterpieces of classical violin music, yet she also successfully performs works by contemporary composers, often making their world premieres.
In addition to her rich artistic activity Joanna Kawalla is a devoted pedagogue since 2000. She has worked for the W. Lutosławski Music Conservatory and Warmińsko-Mazurski University, and from 2003 until 2008 she was conducting violin classes at the Higher Institute of Musical Art in Kuwait and American University of Kuwait simultaneously lecturing history of music at The Gulf University for Science and Technology in Kuwait. From 2009 to 2011 Joanna was Visiting Professor at Keimyung University in South Korea. Currently, she is Assistant Professor at The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music and she contributes at The Maria Grzegorzewska University in Warsaw, Poland.