Jakub Polaczyk (b. 1983, Kraków) the Polish‑born, New York–based composer, pianist, educator and cultural ambassador whose music intertwines contemporary innovation with classical and Polish traditions in a surreal‑synthetic voice. His work has been recognized with numerous international awards, including the Silver Medal (twice) from the Global Music Awards (2023), Runner-up in the 2024 John Eaton New York Composers Circle Competition, Winner of the 2020 American Prize in Composition (Professional Chamber Music), and the Iron Instant Composer Award in Cleveland (2013). Polaczyk studied at the Jagiellonian University, the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, and Carnegie Mellon University. As part of the Socrates-Erasmus exchange program, he also attended the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Since 2015, he has been on the faculty of the New York Conservatory of Music. He served as Vice President of NYDAI and directed the International Chopin and Friends Festival in NYC (2020–2023), as well as the "New Vision" International Composition Competition (2018–2023). From 2021 to 2024, he hosted the radio program "Coffees after Bach" on Polish Radio WRKL (AM910 in NYC / AM1030 in Chicago).
As a composer and orchestrator, Polaczyk is affiliated with the International Music Organization of New York and the Polish Theater Institute in the USA, and served as Music Director of the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Newark, NJ (2019–2023). His academic contributions include guest lectures at major institutions worldwide, such as: Carnegie Mellon University (2013, 2018) Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków (2014), Sichuan Conservatory of Music (2015), Kosciuszko Foundation, NY (2018), Escola de Música de Brasília (2019), Wheaton College, Chicago (2020), Iowa Community College, Des Moines (2020), Gonzaga University (2021), University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2022), University of Washington, Seattle (2023), University of Kentucky, Lexington (2024), University of Louisville (2024), Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing (2024).
Polaczyk’s music has been featured at festivals and conferences across six continents, including: Warsaw Autumn (Poland), ISCM World New Music Days (Sydney, Australia), June in Buffalo, NYCEMF, New Music Festival (Belfast), SoundSCAPE (Italy), Messiaen á Toul (France), Ostrava Music Days, Janáček Festival (Czech Republic), Druskomanija (Lithuania), Tre Colori (Budapest), SPCCF (Brazil), DICMF (South Korea), Atemporánea (Argentina), and the OUA Electroacoustic Music Festival (Japan), among others.
His compositions have been performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kaufmann Center (NYC), Recital Hall West (Sydney), Filharmonia Romana in Rome (IT) and at the Vietnam Grand Concert Hall. Notable performing ensembles and orchestras include: Brazil National Orchestra, Bulgarian National Orchestra, Hanoi Philharmonic, Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic, Penderecki Music Academy Orchestra, Lexington Chamber Orchestra, Janáček Orchestra, Orion Orchestra, Lviv KLK Orchestra, Avanti Ensemble, Mise-En Ensemble, JACK Quartet, Dedalus Ensemble, NeoQuartet, Blow Up Percussion (Rome), Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble (Dublin), Coro Volante, Polonia Children's Chorus (NYC), Copernicus Children's Choir (NYC).
As a pianist, Polaczyk has collaborated with a wide range of international artists, including: Christine Walevska, Roberto Vasquez, Nadia Rodriguez, Sarah Lucero, Lizzy Stant, Margot Whitelaw, Justyna Giermola, Marek Polański, Małgorzata Staniszewska, Dominika Zamara, Kofi Hayford, Shu-Wei Tseng, Pei-Wen, Gaga Wong, Ivan Ivanov, and many others. He has performed with ballet companies and at the National Opera in Kraków.
He has received numerous scholarships and distinctions from organizations such as: ASCAP Plus Award (2020–2024), Composers' Guild of New Jersey (2022), Carnegie Mellon Foundation (2011–2013), "Young Poland" grant from the Polish Ministry of Culture (2013), Mayor of Kraków Award (2010), Sapere Auso Foundation (2007, 2009).
In 2019, he ranked fourth in Poland’s Danuta Szaflarska Prize – Global-Local-Great Annual Ranking, and in 2024 he was awarded the Cultural Passport by the city of Nowy Sącz. His music is published by Donemus, Universal Edition Vienna, PWM Edition, BabelScores, and Arcomics, with recordings released on Ablaze Records and Albany Records. The documentary Conversations with Jakub Polaczyk, directed by Dennis Woytek, won Bronze at the 44th Telly Awards (2023). The same year, he was awarded the Bronze Medal “Gloria Artis” by the Polish Minister of Culture.
In 2024, Polaczyk was selected for the Universal Edition/Musikverein Mentoring Program under David Moliner. In 2024 he was recipient of the Medal of Town Council of Stary Sącz. The same year he was awarded the Gold Merit Cross by the President of Poland for his contributions abroad. The ceremony took place during Poland’s Independence Day celebration at the Polish Consulate in New York City.