DMA, composer, conductor, educator, and concert organizer; b. February 10, 1958 in Bielsko-Biała. In 1981 he graduated in Music Education from the Academy of Music of Karol Lipiński in Wrocław. In 1986, at the same university, he graduated in Music Theory, Conducting and Composition under the direction of Zygmunt Herembeszta. From 1981-86 he took private lessons in piano from with Wlodzimierz Obidowicz and Witold Witkowski in Wrocław. From 1983-85, he took part in the Summer Courses for Young Composers in Kazimierz Dolny.
He has lived in Chicago where his music studio is located since 1986. In 1988, he participated in a summer course in Computer Music at the University of Chicago. In 1990-91, he studied the Suzuki Method for Piano atthe Chicago Music Institute under Yasuko Joichi. In 1999, he participated in a Carnegie Hall Professional Training Workshop (The Ellen Taaffe Zwilich Young Composers Workshop). In 2013 he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw under the guidance of Prof. Pawel Lukaszewski.
Many of his compositions have been performed in Poland and abroad. The Polish of Preludes took place during the Days of New Music in Wrocław in 1985, and computer music premiere at the "Warsaw Autumn" Festival in 1985 and again in 1986 at a concert of electronic music in Wrocław Philharmonic. The premiere of Krakowiak took place during the 54th Conference of the American Council in Cracow (2002) and Salute for pipe organ was performed during 58th Conference at Oliwa Cathedral (2006). His Gloria for mixed choir premiered at a concert in the Jasna Gora Cathedral in Częstochowa at the 325th Anniversary of the Siege of Vienna in 2008.
Since 2005 he has presented his compositions at the annual Composer’s Conferences in Aspen, CO. In 2006 he participated in a Composers Conference in Pittsburgh, PA. In 2008 he performed his pieces at the Conference of Texas Composers (National Association of Composer-USA) in San Marcos. His music was presented during numerous concerts in Chicago, includingone for the Prime Minister of Poland, Tadeusz Mazowiecki in 1990, an evening of Theater Songs (1990 - "I'm a Stranger Here Myself"), the Grand Concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of the of the Warsaw Uprising (1994 - Ave Maria for voice and organ), concerts of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra (1994 - The Oxygenating Garden), the Lake Shore Symphony Orchestra (2001 - Millennial Polonaise for orchestra), the Ukrainian Art Center Chamber Orchestra (2001 - Concertino for piano and chamber orchestra), and many concerts celebrating the birthday of John Paul II yearly.
A member of numerous organizations: Young Composer at the Polish Composers' Union (1984-1986), American Musicians Association (1988-2000); Polish Arts Club in Chicago (in 2001, he was its President, and in the years 2002-2008 - Vice-President), Music Chair at the American Council for Polish Culture (since 2006), Chicago Music Teachers Association (since 1988), the Chicago Composers Forum (1999-2002), full member of The Polish Composers' Union (since 2008) and the American Composers Forum in Minneapolis.
Weekly announcer on the radio program "Half Serious Half Not” (a weekly program about classical music) airing on WPNA 1490 Publishes articles in Monitor, Polish Daily, Polish News and others.
Since 2000, has served on the jury of the Chopin Youth Piano Competition in Milwaukee. He founded the Chicago Chopin Society in 2003 and has been president since its inception.
September 2014 (ai)
Six Waltzes for piano (1978)
Sonatina for clarinet and piano (1979)
Music for Vibraphone and Pianoforte (1980)
David’s Psalms for soprano, piano and percussion (1981)
Concertino for piano and string orchestra (1982)
*12 Preludes for piano (1983)
PRO for voice (1984)
Variations on the theme by K. Weill “Mack the Knife” for piano (1984)
From the Land of Visions electronic music (1984)
The Last 8:42 electronic music (1984)
Polish Christmas Carols (14) for voice, flute and piano (1985)
Outside the Window ballet for symphony orchestra (1985)
Polonaise for piano and symphony orchestra (1985 )
Walking Through Chicago 15 pieces for piano (1986 )
Christmas Piece for flute and piano (1986)
Primavera for soprano, alto, female choir and chamber ensemble (1987 )
String Quartet No. 1 (1988)
Mazurka for piano (1988)
Late Nightingale lyrics by J. Tuwim for voice and piano (1988)
Reflection for the stage: 1. Dream, 2. Seasons, 3. Father, 4. Sitting in the Sunlight lyrics by Wendy Parman (1989)
Toccata Trionfale for chamber orchestra (1989)
Study vocalize for voice and piano (1991)
Refrain for piano (1991)
Homage to Paderewski for piano (1991)
Blues for piano (1991)
Symphony No. 1 for orchestra (1992)
Sonatina for piano (1992)
Piano Games 25 short pieces for piano (1993)
Theatre Songs: 1. Laura and I, 2. Kali, 3. The Curse for voice and piano, lyrics by Wendy Parman (1993)
Epitaph (Violin Concerto No. 1) for violin solo and string orchestra (1993)
Granada-Moorish Dance for piano (1993)
Tango for piano (1994)
Study for piano (1994)
The Oxygenating Garden for soprano, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn and percussion (1994)
Zdrowaś Mario for soprano, piano or organ (1994)
Mazurka for piano (1995)
Spokojna Gwiazda for soprano, flute and piano,lyrics by Ernest Bryl (1995)
Concertino na fortepian solo i orkiestrę kameralną (1996)
Sonata No. 1 for piano (1997)
Piano Concerto (1998)
3 Mazurkas for piano (1999)
B-A-C-H: Prelude, Canon, Postlude for piano (2000)
Polonaise for orchestra (2000)
Jazz Waltz for piano (2001)
We Dream for soprano and piano, lyrics by Emily Dickinson (2001)
Lullaby for Good Morning for piano (2001)
Cracovian Dance for piano (2002)
String Quartet No. 2 (2002)
Music for Two Brothers for violin and piano (2003)
Symphony of Songs (No. 2) for solo voices, mixed choir and orchestra (2003)
Melody Appassianato na skrzypce i fortepian (2003)
Gloria for mixed choir (2004)
Taniec góralski for string orchestra (2004)
Madness for Two for clarinet and bass clarinet (2004)
Opus 100 (Sonata No. 2 for piano) (2004)
Mazurka for piano (2005)
Violin Concerto No. 2 for violin and orchestra (2005)
Salute for organ (2006)
Piosnka for 4 SSAA, lyrics by Edwarda Dusza (2006)
String Quartet No. 3 (2006)
Sonata No. 3 for piano (2007)
Ipsi Dixit for piano (2007)
Amore, more, ore, re for cello and piano (2008)
The Restless Dreams of Heaven for brass quintet and organ (2008)
Musica Festiva for orchestra (2008)
Birds on Black Moon for organ (2009)
The Hours of the Darkness 12 preludes for piano (2010)
The Hours of the Light 12 preludes for piano (2010)
Piano Concerto (2010)
Heliolatry for orchestra (2010)
Symphony No. 3 for orchestra (2010)
Dies Irae for solo voices, choir and orchestra (2011)
Polonaise for piano – incidental music for Hedda Gabler by H. Ibsen (2011)
Music for a Patriot for 2 trumpets, 4 horns, 3 trombones, tube and percussion (2012)
Siła woli incidental music for voice, violin, viola, cello, harpsichord and tapo drum (2012)
Waltz in memory of Warsaw for accordion or piano (2012)
Audacious Spirit for orchestra (Symphony No. 4) (2013)
Credo for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, horn, trombone SATB, strings (2013)
String Quartet No. 4 (2013)
Triptych for organ (2013)
Już Pochwalmy Króla Tego for voice and piano (2013)
The Wall Speaks Project (Symphony No. 5) for orchestra (2013-2014)
My True Love lyrics by Sir Philip Sidney, for sopranoor soprano, tenor and piano (2014)
I Draw You Close To Me lyrics by Walt Whitman for tenor/baritone and piano (2014)
Ballade for piano (2014)
Elegy for SATB (2014)
Happiness March for orchestra, piano version, organ version (2014)
Fantasia de Contrastes for guitar (2014)
Blues in Rainy City for piano solo (2015)
Tuba Mirum for baritone and organ (2015)
Reminecence Prelude for violin and piano (2016)
Anthem 1050 for 4 trombones (2016)
Christmas Spectacular (2016)
Music for Heroes for string orchestra (2017)
Polonaise Polonia Restituta for symfonietta orchestra (2018)
Salutatio et oratio for string orchestra (2019)
Tambstone, ballet for full orchestra (2019)
Muzyczka: Boom-boom, Pitu-pitu, Boom cyk-cyk for string orchestra (2019)
Piano Notes Miniatures (2020)
* Bold letters indicate recorded pieces (x)
Czopińska M. , Moje życie – to muzyka, „Nowy Dziennik Chicagowski” 10.12.1986, nr 102
Czopińska M., "Hej kolęda, kolęda", „Nowy Dziennik Chicagowski”, 16.12.1986, nr 106
Sulkowska-Bierezin E. , Dziej się dalej „Dziejbo“, „Dziennik Związkowy”, 20.11.1987, s. 7
Mandecka W. , Po Konferencji Leśmianowskiej, „Naród Polski”, 10.12.1987, nr 23/61, s.14
Berezin E., Wigilia Polska, „Dziennik Związkowy”, 13.I.1993
Sulkowska-Bierezin E. , Dla interesu czy dla przyjemności, „Dziennik Związkowy”, 12.08.1996, nr 162, Rok LXXXIX, s.11-12
Sulkowska-Bierezin E. , Stu uczniów na pięciu fortepianach, „Dziennik Związkowy”, 31.03.1997, nr 12, s. 5
Sulkowska-Bierezin E. , Epitafum na początek, „Dziennik Związkowy”, 14.04.1997, nr 72, s. 6
Judyccy A. i Z., Polonia - Słownik biograficzny, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2000
Peszyńska D. , Dwie premiery, „Dziennik Związkowy”, dział: Kultura i Rozrywka, 28.05. 2001, s. 1-2-8
Teller K. , W duchu Chopina, „Polish News” styczeń 2001, s. 42-43
Wierzewski W. , Kwartet Pendereckiego w Chicago, „Dziennik Związkowy”, 24.10, 2003, s. 14
Anderson M. , CD Reviews „Piano International“, May/June 2003, v. 7, nr 27, s. 76
Górny W. , Srebrny Jubileusz Jarosława Gołembiowskiego, „Monitor”, 05.05.2003, nr 119, s.37-39-43
Wierzewski W., Obiecujący start festiwalu, „Dziennik Związkowy” 5-7.03.2004, s. 2, 10 (III)
Podhajski M. (red.) , Kompozytorzy polscy 1918-2000, v. II. Biogramy, Akademia Muzyczna im. S. Moniuszki w Gdansku, Gdańsk-Warszawa 2005
Szczepański S., Polish Mission Commemorates September 1939, „Czas Polski” 10.09.2014 nr 36 (377), s.15-17
