Born in an artistic family in Poland, Michal Sobkowiak made his TV debut on “Akademia muzyczna” series as the most talented young pianist at the age of ten. He has performed at major concert halls and music festivals across the country and abroad, including the prestigious National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw. After he graduated from Chopin Academy of Music in 1998, he further pursued his postgraduate study at the Zurich Conservatory. His former teachers include Andrzej Jasinski, Teresa Manasterska and Gabriela Weiss. In 1995, he was a prizewinner at the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition, and in 1996 he was given a scholarship from the Frederyk Chopin Society Warsaw. Not only a classical pianist, prof. Sobkowiak is also known as a jazz pianist, composer, and a dedicated teacher. Currently, he serves as a professor at Fukushima College and as lecturer at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music. He has been regularly invited as a jury member at the Europe International Piano Competition in Japan, the PTNA and the International Chopin Piano Competition in Asia. For this release, he has looked to one of his idols, Frederic Chopin, for inspiration. The original compositions included on this album are all inspired by Chopin’s Mazurkas.