He started his studies in the violin class at the Primary Music School in Łódź. At the age of 13, he began learning to play the French horn under the guidance of Professor Czesława Szczukowska, whom he deeply respected for her influence in shaping him as a horn player and instilling a love for the instrument. While in high school, he made his debut as a musician with the Łódź Philharmonic Orchestra and the Łódź Radio Orchestra. After graduating from the Secondary School of Music H. Wieniawski in Łódź, he continued his studies at the Academy of Music F. Chopin in Warsaw. During this time, he collaborated with various orchestras and chamber ensembles such as the Polish Chamber Music Ensemble “Camerata Vistula”, the Warsaw Chamber Opera, the Polish Radio Orchestra, the Menuhin Festival Orchestra conducted by Lord Yehudi Menuhin, and the Penderecki Festival Orchestra conducted by Professor Krzysztof Penderecki. From 1992 to 1998, he served as a full-time third horn player with the “Sinfonia Varsovia” orchestra, recording numerous albums with symphonic, film, and chamber music. In 1998, he became the first horn player of the international orchestra “Philharmonie der Nationen” led by Justus Frantz for two concert seasons. Following this, he joined the Grand Theater-National Opera in Warsaw as the first horn player-soloist, a position he holds to this day.
Horn
Tomasz Bińkowski
In addition to his work with the opera, he regularly performs with various Polish symphony and chamber orchestras, including the Krakow Orchestra “Sinfonietta Cracovia”, Pomeranian Philharmonic Ignacy Jan Paderewski in Bydgoszcz, Philharmonic Tadeusz Szeligowski in Poznań, Podkarpacka Philharmonic Artur Malawski in Rzeszów, Podlasie Philharmonic in Białystok, Philharmonic H. Wieniawski in Lublin, Toruń Symphony Orchestra, Wrocław “Leopoldinum” Chamber Orchestra, “Concerto Avenna” Chamber Orchestra, “Feel Harmony” Chamber Orchestra, Beethoven Academy Orchestra, and Capella Cracoviensis in Kraków. Outside of his orchestral work, he also has a strong passion for chamber music, performing with groups like the Wilanowski Quartet, Silesian Quartet, Paderewski Quartet, “Prima Vista” Quartet, and Wieniawski Quartet. He is the founder of the brass quintet “Chamber Brass” and created the ensemble “Ensemble de Narol” focusing on baroque and early classical music on modern instruments, later evolving into the chamber ensemble “Essentia Musica”. Additionally, he is a member of the contemporary music band “Chain Ensemble” and co-founded the “Gruppo di Tempera” formation, known for its unique combination of piano and classical wind quintet. Tomasz Bińkowski currently serves as a French horn lecturer at the University of Music F. Chopin in Warsaw.