BIOGRAPHY

Polish conductor Szymon Stec is one of the most dynamic and promising conductors of his generation. In the 2024/2025 concert season, he made his debut at the Vienna Musikverein and the Konzerthaus - a milestone in his growing reputation on the European music scene. Under his direction, the Warmia and Mazury Symphony Orchestra Yth. became the first Polish ensemble in history to perform at the legendary Golden Hall of the Musikverein, where it received the highest distinction at one of Europe’s most prestigious international orchestra competitions (SCL Festival).

Stec currently serves as Head of the Conducting Class at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, where he mentors a new generation of young conductors. He is also the Artistic Director of Sinfonia Cuiavia and the Warmia and Mazury Youth Symphony Orchestra – an ensemble that brings together the most talented Polish students from music universities and secondary school. In addition, he is the Director of the Polish National Conductors' Forum  – an educational and artistic program organized under the Honorary Patronage of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, dedicated to the development and professional integration of young Polish conductors.  Additionally, he leads both the Symphony and Wind Orchestras at the Fryderyk Chopin State Music School in Olsztyn, with which he regularly performs symphonic repertoire in philharmonies.

A four-time laureate of other international conducting competitions and a winner of the TAUL International Conducting Competition (2022), Szymon Stec has already built an extensive symphonic repertoire, including monumental works such as Gustav Mahler’s Symphonies No. 1 and 5, as well as music by Anton Bruckner, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Johannes Brahms, and others. His conducting activity has brought him to numerous orchestras and festivals across Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, the USA, Estonia, Latvia, France, and China. He has appeared at prestigious events such as the Pärnu Music Festival in Estonia, where he worked alongside distinguished conductors including Paavo and Neeme Järvi.

Beyond the concert podium, Szymon Stec is deeply committed to music education and cultural leadership. As President of the Aulos Foundation, he develops projects dedicated to artistic education, concert programming, and social outreach. He also serves as Artistic Director of several national and international music initiatives, including the Appassionato! Music Festival, the Musical Impressions Festival, the International Festival MUSICART, and the VIRTUOSO! National Instrumental Competition, where he also acts as Chair of the Jury.

A graduate of the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk, Stec received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree with distinction in 2019. He completed a one-year scholarship at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, and earned a postgraduate diploma in Cultural Management in European Union Structures from the Polish Academy of Sciences. His artistic development has been shaped by mentorship from world-renowned maestros such as Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Paavo and Neeme Järvi, Leonid Grin, Colin Metters, and Jacek Kaspszyk.

For his artistic and organizational achievements, Szymon Stec has twice been awarded by the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage. Combining his artistic vision with educational and organizational initiatives, he continues to build a distinctive career characterized by both artistic excellence and a profound dedication to the development of young musicians.