Jan Pilch

Born in 1956, Jan is a percussionist playing both ancient and contemporary classical music, jazz, ethnic music and pop. As both a soloist and chamber musician, he has taken part in the major Polish contemporary music festivals such as Warszawska Jesień (the Warsaw Autumn), Poznańska Wiosna Muzyczna (the Poznan Musical Spring), the Musica Polonica Nova in Wrocław, the Audio-Art Festival Kraków-Stuttgart. He has also played at international festivals in Dresden, Nuremberg (the Musik des XX Jahrhundrets), Salzburg (the Aspekte), Amsterdam, Berlin (the Inventionen), Munich, Moscow, Kyoto, Sendai, and Tokyo.

For his interpretation of Krystyna Moszumańska-Nazar's Warianty he received the Polihymnia's Medal at the Poznan Musical Spring in 1980.

Jan is a founding member of the Krakowska Grupa Perkusyjna (the Krakow Percussion Group) and the Stowarzyszenie Artystyczne "Muzyka Centrum" (The Muzyka Centrum Artistic Association). His artistic partners include the contemporary avant-garde music group MW 2, the Krakow Filharmonia's symphony orchestra, Orchestra Giovanile of Lanciano (Italy), the Opera Factory (Zurich), the Chamber Music Orchestra of Basel, and the performers of the musical Cats. In the years 1994 - 1996 he was a soloist in the Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria on Canary Islands.

He has been a member of the jazz bands Laboratorium, Confirmation (winning a prize at the 'Jazz Nad Odrą' festival in 1978), Axis, Elektryczny Pastuch and Digital Jazz and the international trio Crossover. He has cooperated with Tomasz Stańko, Marek Bałata and Ryszard Styła. Currently, Jan is playing with the trio Little Egoists and the band Mr. Bober's Friends. Additionally, he is the leader of the Inside Drumming, a band that plays jazz with ethnic elements. He has made a lot of radio or album recordings, featuring contemporary music and jazz, for example premiere performances of works by K. Moszumańska-Nazar, B. Schaeffer, H. Kulenty, or R. Szeremety.

On top of all this he is a teacher. Jan teaches classes at his mother Academy of Music in Krakow, as well as international courses in contemporary music, such as in Stuttgart, Schwaz, Kazimierz n/Wisłą, or Radziejowice.

Discography:
Muzyka popularna
Marek Grechuta - Ŝpiewające Obrazy - Polskie Nagrania
Stanisław Sojka, Grzegorz Turnau - Nie dzieje się nic - Pomaton
Antonina Krzysztoń - Inny Świat - Pomaton
Andrzej Sikorowski - Grupa Pod Budą - Kapitalizm - Pomaton
Wawele
Jazz Laboratorium - "Laboratorium No.8", "Anatomy Lesson" - Polonia Records,
Little Egoists - "Radio Wieliczka",
Ryszard Szeremeta - "Don Roberto & Donia Mercedes" - PSJ
Marek Bałata - "Voice Painting" - Koch Inter
Ryszard Styła - Guitar Spectrum of Music
Muzyka współczesna Willfried Jentzsch - "Computer Music" Torofon - Niemcy
Krakowska Grupa Perkusyjna - Space of Rhythm - CD Accord Universal