ANNA RUTKOWSKA-SCHOCK

Pianist &
IBLA Grand Prize International Competition Winner

Born in Wroclaw, Poland, Mrs. Rutkowska-Schock started her music education at the age of 7 under Prof. Helena Furmanowicz, with whom she studied for 12 years. She took part and received awards in several national competitions while attending elementary music school. During high school, she was awarded scholarships in 1990 and 1991 by the F. Chopin Society in Warsaw during competitions. In 1992, Mrs. Rutkowska-Schock gave a concert during the 47th International Chopin Piano Festival in Duszniki-Zdroj in Poland, and achieved the final stage of the European Chopin Piano Competition in Darmstadt, Germany. In the following year she was distinguished in the National F. Liszt Competition in Wroclaw, and gave concerts in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In 1995, she started piano studies at the K. Lipinski Academy of Music in Wroclaw under Prof. Grzegorz Kurzynski. The next year, she was given the title of Laureate of the Stage of Young Pianists at the Piano Festival in Slupsk, Poland.

In 1997, Mrs. Rutkowska-Schock was awarded a scholarship to attend Boise State University by Dr. Madeleine Hsu Forte, and studied for a Bachelor's degree under Dr. Hsu. She also studied at Boise State under Dr. James Cook. During her studies at Boise State she won the Concerto Aria Competition, and after just one and a half years, graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Piano Performance.

In June 2001, Mrs. Rutkowska-Schock graduated with a Master of Arts degree with honors from the K. Lipinski Academy of Music in Wroclaw, Poland. In 2002-04, she received awards for Best Accompanist from 4 national vocal competitions in Poland. Every September since 2002, she has taken part as an accompanist in the 2-week International Interpretation Master-course of Oratorio and Cantata Music in Wroclaw, and during those courses thus far, she has accompanied the vocal classes of Prof. Krystyna Szostek-Radkowa, Prof. Jadwiga Rappe and Prof. Piotr Lykowski.

She came to the IBLA Grand Prize International Music Competition in Italy as an accompanist in 2003 and was awarded the Best Accompanist award with special mention for her performance of C. Franck's Sonata for Violin and Piano. As one of the winners of the IBLA competition, she took part in an international concert tour in early 2004 which was crowned by performances at New York University and Carnegie Recital Hall. She has been invited to return as the staff accompanist for the 2004 IBLA Grand Prize Competition and in the same capacity for the international competition Premio Valentino Bucchi in Rome in November 2004.

At present, she gives solo and chamber recitals and regularly works as an accompanist for the K. Lipinski Academy of Music in Wroclaw.