Mateusz Molęda is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and remarkable personalities among today’s developing young conductors. Ever since his first appearance conducting an orchestra at the age of 19, he has surprised his audiences and critics alike with exceptional interpretations of discerning concert programs. In October 2023, he won the 1st Prize and the Orchestra's Special Prize at the 3rd Edition of the prestigious and distinguished International Sergei Kussewitzky Conducting Competition.
Analyzing intensively both the music and the composer, it enables him to create captivating and profound interpretations of a wide variety of musical styles, to then display an exciting presence and energetic conviction on the podium. In this context, the Bavarian Broadcasting channel BR-Klassik, which accompanied Mateusz' rehearsal work with the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra for several days, reported: “(…) When working he is focused and determined. He perfects the accentuation, tightens the pace, emphasizes importance to the greatest orchestral differentiation and sophistication. (…)”.
In the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons Mateusz will make his debuts with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Hungarian National Symphony Orchestra, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra in Canada, among others. Re-invitations will lead him to the London Mozart Players, with whom he will tour Germany in May 2024.
Mateusz received important musical impulses from his mentor Marek Janowski, who had a profound influence on the artistic development of the aspiring young conductor over many years. At his personal request he also worked as an assistant with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, and the Dresden Philharmonic. He received further valuable inspiration as a cover conductor in collaboration with Teodor Currentzis and the SWR Symphony Orchestra, whom he accompanied on several European tours.
Born in Dresden, Mateusz is rooted in German and Polish traditions. He studied initially the piano at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media with Prof. Arie Vardi, one of the world's most distinguished music pedagogues of the last decades. He continued his studies also in the area of Early Music and Historically Informed Performance Practice in cooperation with Prof. Zvi Meniker, one of the last pupils of Nikolaus Harnoncourt. As an accomplished concert pianist, Mateusz performed both in recitals and as a soloist with renowned orchestras in over 25 countries around the globe, and released several CD recordings.
Engagements as a guest conductor have taken Mateusz to numerous countries around the world over the past years, including the UK, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Albania, Japan, South Korea, and South Africa. He has worked with the London Mozart Players, the Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin, the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, the Heidelberg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, the Odense Symphony Orchestra, the Warsaw Symphony Orchestra, the NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic, the Hungarian National Symphony Orchestra and the Albanian Radio TV Symphony Orchestra, among others.
As an enthusiastic European, Mateusz gives in addition to his work as a conductor lectures throughout Germany on the topic of “United in diversity – How music strengthens the bonds between the Europeans”. He is fluent in German, Polish, English, French, and Russian and received in 2021 his PhD from the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Cracow with a thesis on polyphonic compositional techniques in Sergei Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 2. Since 2022 he holds a teaching position at the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts.