THE SCHOLARSHIP HOLDERS
Violin
Zofia Olesik
Zofia Anna Olesik is one of the most promising Polish violinists of her generation. Born in 2005, she is currently studying at the Academy of Music in Poznań under the guidance of Professor Marcin Baranowski.
A laureate of many national and international competitions, she has received awards at competitions including the International Violin Competitions of Henryk Wieniawski and Karol Lipiński, the Jascha Heifetz International Violin Competition, the Aram Khachaturian International Competition, the Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition, and the Zdzisław Jahnke National Violin Competition.
In 2026, she became the first officially announced participant of the XVII International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition. The same year, she was selected as a scholarship holder of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Stiftung, joining a highly distinguished group of young string players supported by one of the world’s most influential musician and mentor.
As a soloist, Olesik has appeared with leading orchestras including the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Iuventus, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, and the International Lutosławski Youth Orchestra. She has performed in prestigious venues across Europe and the United States, including Buckingham Palace in London, Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory in Boston, the concert hall of NOSPR in Katowice, the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music, and Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford.In 2024 and 2025, she participated in the MMB On Tour concert series in the United Kingdom, collaborating with internationally acclaimed artists including Maxim Vengerov and Timothy Chooi.
Her artistic development has been shaped through collaborations and masterclasses with some of the most renowned musicians of our time, including Julia Fischer, Midori, Anne-Sophie Mutter, and Donald Weilerstein. She has also worked with members of the Vienna Philharmonic as part of the Penderecki Project and has collaborated with the European Union Youth Orchestra. In 2026, she made her recording debut as a guest artist on an album by the distinguished Polish violinist Janusz Wawrowski.
Recognized for her artistic maturity, technical brilliance, and compelling stage presence, Zofia Anna Olesik is rapidly establishing herself as one of the leading emerging violinists on the international scene.
