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7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb 19, 2027

Mateusz Kowalski was born in 1995 in Koszalin, Poland. He began learning to play the guitar at the age of 7 and studied for the next 12 years under the guidance of Dariusz Schmidt at the Grażyna Bacewicz State Music School Complex in Koszalin. He later graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw in the class of Ryszard Bałauszko, receiving the Magna cum Laude medal. He has honed his skills in numerous masterclasses with renowned musicians such as Sergio Assad, Oscar Ghiglia, and Alvaro Pierri. One of the most important ones remains the Konzertexamen in Darmstadt under Tilman Hoppstock. Grammy-nominated guitarist, one of the most outstanding guitarists, touted by Classical Guitar Magazine as a "spectacular" musician who performs a vast repertoire ranging from the renaissance to contemporary works with remarkable expertise, stylistic sensitivity, and great musical culture. He has performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls around the world, including the Musikverein in Vienna and the Shanghai Grand Theatre, captivating audiences in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and London. Kowalski gained recognition for the first-ever live performance of Fryderyk Chopin’s Piano Concerto in F minor arranged for guitar and orchestra. The premiere took place during the "Chopin and His Europe" festival in 2023 with {Oh!} Orchestra conducted by Martyna Pastuszka.

Mak Grgic, touted as a “gifted young guitarist” by the New York Times, and “a guitarist to keep an eye on” by the Washington Post, 4-time Grammy®-nominated artist is a star on the worldwide stage. An expansive and adventurous repertoire attests to his versatility and wide-ranging interests. From the ethnic music of his native Balkans to extreme avant-garde and microtonal music, his roles as soloist, collaborator, and Grammy-nominated recording artist are fueled by curiosity, imagination, and boundless energy. As a testament to his versatility and wide-ranging appeal, in 2018 Mak was invited by legendary singer-songwriter k.d. lang to perform as the opening act for the North American leg of her Ingénue Redux Tour. As both soloist and collaborator, Mak averages fifty performances a year — nearly two bookings per week. He is a founding member in two duos—the Flamenco-style “Duo Deloro” with Adam Del Monte, and the new music-focused “FretX Duo” with Daniel Lippel, guitarist of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). As Young Artist in Residence with the Da Camera Society of Los Angeles, he founded “DC8,” an octet declared “an inspiring addition to the contemporary music landscape in Los Angeles” [Los Angeles Times]. Other collaborations include the JACK Quartet, The Assad Brothers, violinists Augustin Hadelich, Curtis Stewart, Martin Chalifour and Chee Yun, and cellists Jay Campbell, Joshua Roman, John Sant’Ambrogio, and Clive Greensmith, formerly of the Tokyo String Quartet.