composer and cellist; b. 13th April 1984 in Warsaw. He studied composition with Chaya Czernowin and Detlev Müller-Siemens and cello with Valentin Erben and Stefan Kropfitsch at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Currently he lives and works in Vienna and Regensburg.
He received the scholarship of the Swiss-based Thyll-Dürr Foundation (2008/2009), the scholarship of the Austrian Czibulka Foundation (2009) and twice the Austrian State Scholarship for Composition (2010, 2014).
Tomasz Skweres won many composition competitions, including the International Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna in the string quartet category (2007), Franz Josef Reinl Foundation Composition Contest (2008), the International Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna in the string trio category (2009), the 2nd prize in the International Composition Competition of the German Hypertension League − Deutsche Hochdruckliga (2009), the Composition Competition of the Ernst Krenek Institut in Austria (2014), Premio speciale Piero Pezzé in the International Composition Competition "Città di Udine" (2016), the TONALi Composition Competition (2017), the 2nd prize in the 20th International Chopin & Friends Festival "New Vision" Composition Competition (2018), the 2nd prize in the Alexander Zemlinsky Composition Competition (2019), the 1st prize in the 1st Chalki International Composition Competiton (2020), the 1st prize in the Gilgamesh International Composition Competition (2021). He also received an honourable mention in the International Composition Competition "Città di Udine" (2014) and he was a finalist in the Talentenbörse Composition Competition organized by the Austrian Radio Ö1 (2012), Earplay Donald Aird Composers Competition (2014), Thailand International Composers Competition (2015), and the Mustafa Kemal Atatürk International Composition Competition (2019). In 2009 he received the Theodor Körner Prize in the field of music composition.
His pieces have been commissioned by the "Warsaw Autumn" Festival, National Forum of Music in Wrocław, Musica Polonica Nova Festival, Leopoldinum Orchestra, New Music Orchestra, Apollon Musagete Quartet, Cantores Minores Wratislaviensis Chamber Choir (Poland), Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Konzerthaus, Wien Modern Music Festival, Ensemble Wiener Collage, Ensemble Zeitfluss in Graz, Platypus Ensemble, Reconsil Ensemble (Austria), Regensburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Niederbayerische Philharmonic Orchestra, Theater Regensburg, TONALi in Hamburg (Germany), Thyll-Dürr Foundation (Switzerland). His Concertino for string orchestra and MiniOpera were written as part of the "Collections – Composing Commissions" programme operated by the Institute of Music and Dance.
Works by Tomasz Skweres are regularly performed at renowned festivals all over the world, such as "Warsaw Autumn", Musica Polonica Nova, LEO Festival (Poland), Wien Modern, Klangspuren Schwaz, Vienna Saxfest, Komponisten-Marathon, aNOtherfestival (Austria), Risuonanze, Contemporenea, Contrasti (Italy), Contrasts, Ukrainian Biennale for Contemporery Music, Kyiv Intarnational Contemporary Music Days (Ukraine), Musikalischer Sommer in Ostfriesland, Goslar Harz (Germany), Festival Musica 2015 in Strasbourg (Francja), Biennale Bern (Switzerland), Meridian (Romania), ISCM World Music Days 2016/Tongyeong International Music Festival (South Korea), ISCM-Musicarama in Hong Kong (China), Bienal Música Hoje in Curiciba (Brasil), Distat Terra Festival in Choele Choel (Argentine).
His compositions are published by Doblinger in Vienna and Sikorski Music Publishers in Hamburg. His music has been broadcast on the Polish Radio Channel 2, BR Klassik (Bayerischer Rundfunk), NDR Klassik (Norddeutscher Rundfunk), Österreich 1 (Austria), Radio Stephansdom, RAI Südtirol (South Tyrol), ABC Classic (Australia) and released by such labels as Genuin, Col Legno and Orlando Records.
Tomasz Skweres is an active performer of contemporary music. Since 2012 he has been Principal Cellist in the Philharmonic Orchestra Regensburg in Germany. As a soloist, chamber musician and guest of such ensembles like Collegium Novum in Zurich, Austrian Ensemble for New Music in Salzburg, Ensemble Reconsil and Platypus Ensemble Vienna he performs modern music in renowned concert halls all over the world. He gives solo recitals with contemporary cello pieces. Many contemporary composers have written and dedicated solo pieces to him, including Mateusz Ryczek and Grzegorz Pieniek.
As a member of Hibiki String Quartet (with Xiaoming Wang – Concertmaster at the Opernhaus Zürich, Hibiki Oshima – Principal 2nd Violin at the Hamburg State Opera and Wei-Ya Lin – Viola) he has won prizes at chamber music competitions and participated in ECMA (European Chamber Music Academy).
In 2015 he was lecturer for cello at the HfKM Regensburg – College of Catholic Church Music & Musical Education in Regensburg and in 2016-2017 at the Musik University in Detmold (Hochschule für Musik Detmold).
updated: 2020 (ac), 2021 (wa)
Composer’s website: www.tomasz-skweres.com
Gebet for soprano and cello (2005)
String Quartet No. 1 (2006)
Psalm 13 for tenor, flute and cello (2006)
Direkt to the text of the 14th Psalm in the Old Testament for soprano, flute and cello (2007)
Water for piano trio (2008)
Sakubel Osil [1st version] for soprano and 4 instruments (flute, clarinet, violin and cello) to the poem of Mara Bautista (2008)
Verse for cello solo (2009)
Asteria-Ortygia-Delos for string quartet (2009)
Reflections for piano solo (2010)
Axon for flute and clarinet (2010)
Autismus for flute and harpsichord (2010)
5 Elements for guitar and piano (2010)
Am Anfang starb ein Rabe for narrator, baritone and 12 instruments (2010)
Transformations for cello solo (2011)
Nocturne for cello and orchestra (2011)
Double-headed for horn solo (2012)
Deuterium for violin solo (2012)
Spannungsfelder for cello and double bass (2012)
Hesitation for cello and piano (2012)
Reminiszenz for violin solo (2013)
Short Story for guitar solo (2013)
5 Miniaturen for saxophone, clarinet, accordion and double bass (2013)
Tituba for instrumental ensemble (2013)
Critical Mass for symphony orchestra (2013)
Penrose Square for saxophone quartet (2014)
Memory Illussions for violin and harp (2014)
Elusive Thoughts [1st version] for violin, viola and cello (2014)
Sakubel Osil [2nd version] for soprano and 4 instruments to the poem of Mara Bautista (2014)
Die Geometrie des Himmels ist unerhört for speaking voice and 6 instruments to the poems of Semier Insayif (2014)
mori no sakana for soprano, bass clarinet and cello to the poem of Erika Kimura (2014)
Journay into the Subconscious for flute, cello and piano (2015)
von Schwele zu Schwele for 13 instruments (2015)
über das farbige Licht der Doppelsterne... for symphony orchestra (2015)
Guillotine for cello solo (2016)
Drei Gedanken for clarinet solo (2016)
Elusive Thoughts [2nd version] for violin, viola and cello (2016)
Grenzgänge for piano quartet (2016)
Anakalypteria for female voice and symphony orchestra (2016)
Impact for violin solo (2017)
Maledictio for recorder, flute, harp and harpsichord (2017)
seven affects for violin and cello (2017)
in fremder fremde for mezzo-soprano and piano (2017)
Rovanemi for soprano and cello (2017)
Desiderium, chamber opera for 2 sopranos, 2 actors and 5 instruments (2017)
Coffin Ship for soprano saxophone and accordion (2018)
Coffin Ship for cello and accordion (2018)
Anecdote about Stravinsky for violin and piano (2018)
Catacombs for violin, cello and organ (2018)
Synapsen, 4 miniatures for historical instruments (recorder, baroque trombone and viola da gamba) (2018)
Concertino for string orchestra (2018)
Plutonion for symphony orchestra (2018)
Heavy Gravity for two violins (2019)
Piwosznik for bass clarinet and cello (2019)
w poszukiwaniu rzeczydźwięku for soprano and cello (2019)
contra venenosos vermes for cello solo and mixed choir (2019)
Event Horizon for 15 instruments (2019)
Topielica, fantasy for English horn and instumental ensemble (2019)
Haymatloz for symphony orchestra (2019)
Plague for 8 cellos (2020)
Concerto for cello and orchestra (2020)
Cadences for Ludwig van Beethoven's Violin Concerto (2020)
Sport ist Mord for double bass solo (2020)
Four Poems by Rainer Maria Rilke for soprano and 6 instruments (2020)
Firmamente for soprano and cello to 3 poems by Brigitta Stanek (2020)
Denuo for soprano and large instrumental ensemble to texts by Maria Skweres (2021)
Leyak for saxophone, 4 percussionists and 2 cellos (2021)
Aquarelle 594KV, miniature for flute, clarinet, vibraphone, violin and cello (2021)
Nyos for violin and cello (2021)
Erdschatten for baroque flute traverso and harpsichord (2021)
Suite Macabre for cello solo (2021)
Enigmatic Pathways for viola solo (2022)
Merseburg Charms for 6 voices (2022)
Paysage Intime for cello and piano (2022)
Paysage Intime for cello solo, string orchestra and harp (2022)
