Meet Adam Kosmieja | Concert Pianist & Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adam Kosmieja and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adam, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
Persistence, regularity, daily practice routine along with creativity and open mindset. I believe that becoming a champion in one’s craft no matter if it’s music, fine arts, or sports, one has to be well organized. One has to learn how to save time and spend it efficiently. Thinking out of the box. Not following “how others” do it, but rather looking how and later doing it your own way. Being authentic is the key in my opinion. People feel it right away if you are pretending to be someone else, or copying someone’s ideas. But if you are trying to tell them your real story and share a part of your world which is authentic and truly yours – that’s what matters and that’s what get their attention.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a pianist, musician, performer. I am also a piano professor at the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz in Poland. I started playing the piano at the age of 6 so it has been 30 years of mastering this unattainable perfection. I performed in Asia, America and Europe in more than 15 countries including Carnegie Hall in New York City, Shenzhen Concert Hall in China, or Warsaw Philharmonic Hall. I play mostly classical and contemporary music compositions. I play solo recitals, perform with orchestras, play chamber music and new music concerts. I love new music and how composers today get inspired by new media and everything that technology brings into the field of music. I love challenges and these modern compositions are extremely challenging for a performer. It is like solving a puzzle, one has to find a key how to make every single element work and move slowly step by step. Only later come the visions, emotions and what I am trying to communicate through this piece of music.
As an interpreter I always want to communicate what composer wanted and intended for me to share through his compositions. It doesn’t matter if it’s Beethoven, Chopin or a living composer. Only later I am trying to share my own vision and voice in their music.
I love connecting with the audiences, sometimes even interacting in speaking to them during my recitals. I feel on such a deeper level when I feel that the audience is „with me” and speeach often helps to brake this silent barrier and connect better.
I also love classical and jazz music.
My recent album „Tribute to Gulda” pays and hommage to a legendary Austrian pianist and composer Friedrich Gulda, who was famous for playing both jazz and classicalI music and blending them together in his compositions.
So that was quite a challenge for me too. I had to learn the basics of jazz improvisation in order to master his complex compositions with classical form and structure.
I like to think out of the box, I always search for new repertoire, new challenges, unconventional projects and crossovers between different styles and musical genres.

What got me where I am today is passion, persistence and constant need of improving, growing and being a better and deeper musician. It is not easy to set your life apart and just follow your artistic goals, because everyone has to provide and at some point become financially independent. But if you set your priorities right and work hard for your art and craft the success will come sooner or later. One has to have an open mindset and cease every opportunity that comes our way. We need to be flexible. People need to know about our craft, art, vision. So promoting wisely one’s music is absolutely needed if we want to be heard today.

What I love and want to continue doing is having the possibility to take people into my world during my concerts and stop them for a moment from their daily routines to dive into the world of sounds. Today we all have no time for each other, we are rushing and falling behind with everything. The pace of living and our speed of working is constantly growing. The more I want my audiences to stop for a moment and contemplate, appreciate the beauty of music: appreciate a sweet, delicate melody, or to be shocked by a dissonance and dramatic, noisy clusters on the piano that they have never heard before – I want them to feel the „here and now”! I want them to bring home after the concert something new that they have never heard before.

I want the world to know that being a classical pianist in the 21st century has more to it than just playing beautiful melodies and well known masterpieces written for the piano throughout the last 200 years of history of music. We have to reach out to all groups of people, bring them together. Go places and play concerts in venues/streets where people are excluded from this opportunity. Have some impact on the society, promote living composers and present their compositions to the public. I think specially after the pandemic we realized how important it is to bond together in the real life and in my case as a musician – in a real concert hall. Not online, not on spotify, youtube and other music streaming services platforms, but in real life feeling and going through this musical journey together.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am not from Miami but I love the city and have been here a few times already. I would definitely take my friend for a nice day at the beach to see the legendary Miami Beach. After a nice swim and rest maybe a short walk/drive or skate (I love inline skating) through ocean’s drive with a small stop for a cafe cubano or some lunch (definitely seafood! probably lobster?). When i am in Miami I always stay in Brickell area, I really like the vibe of this vibrant and modern neighborhood. Certainly I would take my friend to Little Havana to get the vibe of Cuban heritage and culture. Probably finish with the party at iconic Ball & Chain with life music with terrific energy. Next day a lazy brunch in Brickell and a short trip to Miami Design District. Maybe a nice cruise in the evening to see the coast and the area from the sea. I would also plan a visit to the Keys. Rent a nice a car and drive all the way to Key West with its stunning views. After a visit to Hemingway’s house at the end of the day it would be sweet to sip a good drink and watch the setting sun on a hot day. Amazing!
At some point I would love to take him to Everglades and also see it fo myself as I have never been there yet.
As I said, I never lived in Miami for a longer period of time so I can’t really answer to that question, but I love the city and it’s vibe. Together with New York, Miami is definitely my favorite American city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have met many wonderful people along the road who helped me at particular moments of my career in many ways… The biggest shoutout though is to Bogdan and Hania Kardas, who are here for me for 15 years already. At the beginning they helped me financially with my studies at Manhattan School of Music in New York City. Later they helped me and got me a grand piano that I could practice on when I got back to Poland. This way I could master my skills and get ready for International Piano Competitions and professional engagements and concerts. They are always here for me and after all these years we are almost like a family. They always come to my important concerts, we visit each other, know our families etc.
Another big shoutout is to Marek Piechocki who helped me financially with releasing my so far most important album: “Tribute to Gulda” for Warner Classics label (2021). It was a huge undertaking and Marek with his clothing brand Reserved helped me in many other ways too, so I am forever grateful for this cooperation.
I am a lucky guy! I mean you have to work as hard as possible, but you need to also have a little bit of luck to meet certain people at the certain time.

Website: http://adamkosmieja.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamkosmieja/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Adam.Zbigniew.Kosmieja/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/daas999

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5GmDbn6AeswL6oTH64B0HL

Image Credits
Photos by: Bartek Barczyk Marcin Szpak Alicja Lesiak Grzegorz Mart Slawek Przerwa