Paweł Kapuła

“To a career that undoubtedly lies before him, Paweł Kapuła owes above all his musical sensibility, natural charisma and diligence.”
(Polska Muza, 2019)

Principal Guest Conductor: Pomeranian Philharmonic

Paweł Kapuła, hailed by Polish Radio as “a real hope for Polish conducting” is one of the most spectacular and finest conductors of the younger generation, acclaimed for his exciting, fresh, and highly captivating interpretations coupled with an excellent conducting technique. Never afraid of a challenge, his programmes and conducting style demonstrate a high level of finesse and creativity, which has led to an ever-growing presence in Europe and beyond.

The 2024/25 season sees Paweł Kapuła debut with some of the world’s leading orchestras, amongst them Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Xi’an Symphony Orchestra and Guiyang Symphony Orchestra alongside Hamburger Symphoniker, Danish Chamber Orchestra and Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie Chemnitz. He will also return to Ulster Orchestra where he received a prompt re-invitation following his highly successful debut last season. Other guest engagements include the Georgian Chamber Orchestra and Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, which have now grown into loyal partners cherishing him for his vigorous persona and precise conducting style.

Previously, Paweł Kapuła made his debut with orchestras such as Oslo Opera Orchestra and Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, resulting in immediate re-invitations, Sibiu Philharmonic and Transylvanian State Philharmonic orchestras in Romania, Gothenburg Opera Orchestra, Sinfonieorchester Basel and Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz.

In February 2021, Paweł Kapuła was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of Pomeranian Philharmonic in Bydgoszcz. Since then, he has been leading the orchestra in programmes with such refinement and flair that it has attracted other Polish orchestras’ attention, amongst them Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Katowice, Warsaw Philharmonic and Baltic Philharmonic Gdańsk.

His latest recording project of all the Beethoven Piano Concertos with Prague Philharmonic Orchestra at Prague’s Rudolfinum, has just seen its international release. Paweł Kapuła is also an avid champion of neglected Polish composers which he demonstrates in numerous recordings for Polish Radio.

Paweł Kapuła received his first piano lessons at the age of seven. He studied conducting with Tadeusz Strugala and Stanislaw Krawczynski at Krakow’s Academy of Music. He was a finalist and winner of the Distinction Award at the first Adam Kopyciński Student Conducting Competition in Wroclaw in 2013 and is a musicology graduate of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow.

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Gallery

Season Highlights

April 2025

Stadthalle Reutlingen

Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen

Repertoire:

KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI: Symphony No. 3, Adagio

KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI: Ciaccona

KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI: Lacrimosa (Réquiem Polaco)

JOHANNES BRAHMS: Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45

May 2025

Friedrich Ebert Halle

Hamburger Symphoniker

Repertoire:

IGOR STRAVINSKY: Jeu de Cartes

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: Concerto for Clarinet in A major, K.622

FRANZ SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D417 (The Tragic)

August 2025

Duszniki Festival

Repertoire:

FREDERIC CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11

FREDERIC CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21

August 2025

Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music

Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava

Repertoire:

KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI: Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra

FELIX MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107 (Reformation)

“The impressive young Polish conductor Pawel Kapula was firmly in control…Gavin Higgins’ Horn Concerto was a remarkable experience […], a considerable challenge for the conductor, soloist and players which they overcame with commendable skill. […] The “Pastoral” fills out wonderfully the composer’s vision of a rural landscape and Maestro Kapula… guided the players in a lively yet sensitive overall performance.”

The News Letter, March 2025

“That evening, the orchestra surpassed itself […] thanks to guest conductor Paweł Kapuła. The 32-year-old interpreted the score with remarkable dedication and conducted with such expressive technique that even the subtlest mood changes and harmonic transitions became tangible.
Kapuła […] loves the expressive and made Shostakovich’s ideas perceptible to the audience. He conducted with a looming intensity that perfectly matched the sombre tone of this music, which was composed in the aftermath of the destruction of Dresden during the Second World War.
The conductor and the orchestra thus concluded the evening magnificently.”

Donaukurier, November 2024

“The young Polish guest conductor Paweł Kapuła is particularly convincing[…] He seems to carry the music with his movements, never letting the tension drop for a moment, always pushing it forward and also keeping an eye on the long line. This is absolutely fascinating to experience, and one has the feeling of having encountered a genuinely great talent. […] This impression is further reinforced near the end of the concert by Kapuła’s conducting of Franz Schubert’s 5^th Symphony. Here, too, every phrase is charged with musical energy.”

(Jesko Schulze-Reimpell, Donaukurier, 2022)

“To a career that undoubtedly lies before him, Paweł Kapuła owes above all his musical sensibility, natural charisma and diligence. What drew my attention was his contact with the orchestra, the way he looked out for every phrase but also the freedom he was offering the musicians. Paweł Kapuła has another very important quality — the sense of musical time and breaths. That’s why his rendition was natural and interesting.”

(Anna Woźniakowska, Polska Muza, 2019)

“Brilliant and young – although already experienced – the conductor led the premiere of the Double Concerto for Cello and Piano by Marta Ptaszyńska and symphonic works by Weinberg and Dvořák. Paweł Kapuła, in the manner of a sculptor brought out the hidden solo parts of woodwinds and brass, underlined the complexity of rhythms, and shaped the harmonies like sculptures.”

(Karolina Dąbek, Ruch Muzyczny, 2019)

“Two concerts led by Paweł Kapuła, a 25-year-old conductor, remain in the spotlight. His rendition in particular of the … Requiem by Maurice Duruflé highlighted his musical sensitivity and ability to lead a full-sized orchestra.”

(Jacek Marczyński, Rzeczpospolita, 2017)