performers (W)

Kornel Wolak, clarinetist; born 19th August 1979 in Bialystok. Received his early music education in Poland where studied with Zdzislaw Nowak at the Musical Lyceum and at the Music Academy in Poznan. In 2001, he received a Performer Diploma Certificate at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (US) where two years later gained Master of Music degree under Eli Eban. His official music education ends with Artist Diploma in Orchestral Studies Program at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto (Canada) with Joaquin Valdepenas.
Mastering of his craft has brought him the opportunity to collaborate with some of the most known clarinetists of the day: Vlastimil Marez (Prague), Michel Arrignon (Paris), Franklin Cohen, Charles Neidich, Michael Collins, Ricardo Morales, Thea King, James Campbel, Yehuda Gilad, Howard Klug, David Shiffrin, John Manasse and others. His interest in performing music from the Classical and Baroque period led him to take up the classical clarinet and study with such renowned performers as Eva Legene (recorder), Michel McCraw (baroque bassoon), and Eric Hoeprich.
He appears in solo, orchestral and chamber performances with various ensembles in Poland and North America including the Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra "Amadeus", Poznan Music Academy Orchestra, Indiana University Chamber orchestra, with the distinguished Wieniawski String Quartet, The Glenn Gould String Quartet, Saskatoon Symphony, the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, etc. During his collaboration with the Lodos Woodwind Quintet, the ensemble was featured at the Glenn Gould Studio and broadcast on the CBC Radio.
As a result of winning the Royal Conservatory Concerto Competition (2006) he has played Canadian premiere of John Adams Gnarly Buttons Clarinet Concerto under Maestro Alain Trudel at the Glenn Gould Studio where few weeks later he also took part in premiering Marc Neikrug's Through Roses under the composer. The premiere was broadcast on the CBC Radio nationwide. During the summer of 2007 he appeared as an invited guest artist at the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival.
In the Fall of 2007, he appeared as a soloist with Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra in Witold Lutoslawski Studio (Warsaw), at the inauguration of Jozef Zeidler Festival of Sacred Music “Sacromontana” (Gostyn) and at the inauguration of the 60th Concert Season of Poznan Philharmonic. In November 2007, Channel II of the Polish Radio released a CD featuring he as a soloist in Karol Kurpinski Clarinet Concerto.
He finishes the year of 2007 as a member of Toronto-based, worldwide known ensemble “Quartetto Gelato”.