Maria Sydor

Maria Sydor was born in 1991 in Oberlin, Ohio, in a Polish-American family with musical traditions. She graduated from Frederic Chopin University of Music in Warsaw with the following diplomas: Conducting Music Ensembles (bachelor degree), Choir Conducting in the class of prof. Krzysztof Kusiel-Moroz as well as Symphonic and Opera Conducting in the class of prof. Szymon Bywalec at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. Since 2020 Maria is the Assistant Conductor of Rune Bergmann – Artistic Director at the Mieczyslaw Karlowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin.

Maria has performed in several cities across Europe including the Auditorio Edgar Neville in Málaga, Spain, National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, at the Silesian Philharmonic, the Silesian Opera, the Golden Hall of Szczecin Philharmonic, during the Chorin Festival in Germany, at the Karol Szymanowski Music Academy in Katowice, at the Frederic Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, at the Academy of Music in Wroclaw, the Warsaw Music Society, the Mazovia Institute of Culture, the Royal Lazienki Park, the Capital Cultural Education Centre, the Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Hall and in the Presidential Palace in Warsaw to many prestigious public audiences, including US President, Barack Obama.

Sydor has collaborated with such ensembles and orchestras as, among others, Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga, National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Silesian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Silesian Chamber Orchestra, Academic Symphony and Chamber Orchestra in Wroclaw, Choir Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechatronics, University of Warsaw, Team “Echo” – Polish Association of the Blind in Warsaw.
Sydor has made many world premieres, as well as many wonderful works belonging to the pioneers of musical art, including Requiem by W.A. Mozart, L.van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, A. Dvorak’s Symphony No. 3, M. Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, P. Dukas The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, B. Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, St. Reich City Life, Ch. Ives The Unanswered Question, J. Brahms Symphony No.1 and 2, F. Mendelssohn’s Overture Hebrides, R. Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 and 4, A. Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, P. Tchaikovsky’s Suite Op. 20 from the ballet Swan Lake.

Sydor’s repertoire covers various genres of music. In 2021, she conducted concerts with Jorgos Skolias and his band Jaroslaw Bester (accordion), Maciej Adamczak (double bass) and Ryszard Palka (drums), performing traditional Greek songs of the 20s and 30s, entitled Rebetiko Poloniko. Maria also had the pleasure of working with Pawel Tomaszewski’s ensemble (Pawel Tomaszewski – piano, Jerzy Malek – trumpet, Marek Podkowa – saxophone, Andrzej Święs – double bass, Marcin Jahr – drums), which she performed at the end of year 2021. She conducted the premiere of Pawel Tomaszewski’s Suite Coincidence.

The year 2022 was rich in performances. For example, at the Szczecin Philharmonic Sydor performed the Piano Concerto in B flat major with soloist Neringa Valuntonyte and the 4th Symphony in B minor by the recently discovered Szczecin-German composer Emilia Mayer on her 210th birthday. The next performance took place in Malaga, Spain where Sydor collaborated with the violinist Kiran Roselló and the symphony orchestra Filarmónica de Málaga performing W. A. Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 and A. Dvorak’s 3rd Symphony. The successes of 2022 also include a concert entitled My Affair with James Bond, which took place as part of the Gala Laurels of Skills at National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice. There Sydor performed with Karen Edwards and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the greatest hits from James Bond films.

In 2023 Sydor had the opportunity to work with Rafał Kwiatkowski (cello) during the 60-th Chorin Musiksommer Festival performing Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in b-minor, op. 104 as well as Brahm’s Symphony No. 1 in c-minor, op. 68 with Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in Germany. At the end of August 2023, Maria was working as an assistant conductor, during the XI International Lutoslawski Youth Orchestra working on Witold Lutoslawski’s Concerto for Orchestra with young musicians form all around the world.

In addition to conducting Sydor was also Moritz Bergfeld’s assistant sound director and CD recorder at the Szczecin Philharmonic (including Symphonic Poems vol. 2 by Mieczyslaw Karlowicz), and took part as a tutor in Music Program held by Szczecin Philharmonic – Music. Multimedia. Management., in which she gave several lectures with Rune Bergmann (Norway) on The Work of a Conductor Nowadays in Poland and abroad.

photo by Bartek Barczyk