Concert Activity
As a soloist Magdalena has performed in Europe, Canada and Israel. She has given recitals at prestigous festivals such as Salzburger Festspiele, Lugano Musica at LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura, Bachfest in Leipzig, Klavierfestival Ruhr, Resonanzen at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Festival Oude Muziek in Utrecht, Freunde Alter Musik Basel, Thüringer Bachwochen, Magdeburger Telemann-Festtage, Les Journées de Clavecin en France. She has given concerts on numerous historical organs, including Antegnati, Silbermann, Ebert, Nacchini and Callido instruments.
In addition to her solo appearances, she collaborates with various ensembles and orchestras, including Ensemble Claudiana (directed by Luca Pianca), La Cetra Barockorchester (directed by Andrea Marcon), Capriccio Basel, Bernvocal (directed by Fritz Krämer), La Scintilla, I Pomeriggi Musicali, I Madrigalisti Ambrosiani (directed by Gianluca Capuano), CordArte, and Il Profondo. She also works with the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Sinfonieorchester Basel, and Berner Symphonieorchester on contemporary and film music projects. She has performed in various Baroque opera productions at theaters in Basel and Bern. Between 2008 and 2011, she worked as a musical assistant to Andrea Marcon and as a harpsichordist in Baroque opera productions at the Theater in Basel.
She has adapted various orchestral compositions for keyboard instruments, including a selection of A. Corelli's Concerti Grossi Op. 6 for two harpsichords, as well as early orchestral works by Mozart for solo organ. These transcriptions have become a staple in her recitals in recent years and will soon be published as recordings and printed scores.
She is the co-founder and president of the Swiss association Tastiere Antiche, dedicated to promoting culture around historical keyboard instruments.
©Łukasz Krajewski
©Senso StampaTeaching
In addition to her concert activities, she contributed academically by teaching harpsichord as an assistant in Andrea Marcon's class from 2015 to 2023 at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, part of the FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland.
Alongside her busy performance schedule, she regularly teaches in masterclasses and summer courses. For example, in March 2024, she led a masterclass on Renaissance and early Baroque organs and organ music at the University of the Arts Helsinki - Sibelius Academy in Finland.
Education
Born in Warsaw, Poland, she studied harpsichord and organ in several countries, including Poland, Finland, Italy, and Switzerland. She graduated from the Academy of Music in Katowice, where she studied harpsichord with Marek Toporowski and organ with Julian Gembalski. During this period, she also studied with Miklós Spányi (harpsichord, clavichord) and Maija Lehtonen (organ) at Oulu University of Applied Sciences in Finland as part of the Socrates-Erasmus Exchange Programme.
She continued her studies in historical organ with Lorenzo Ghielmi at the Accademia Internazionale della Musica in Milan, Italy. In Switzerland, she was awarded a scholarship from the Swiss government to further her education. In 2010, she graduated with honors from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, in the harpsichord class of Andrea Marcon.
©Łukasz Krajewski
©Senso StampaRecordings
Magdalena’s discography features recordings for harpsichord, organ and chamber music:
- A. Corelli’s Concerti Grossi Op. 6, transcriptions for two harpsichords by Magdalena Malec, harpsichord duo with Andrea Buccarella.
- J.S. Bach’s Sonatas for flute and harpsichord with Claudia Gerauer and Toru Yamamoto.
- Austrian Baroque chamber music for violin and basso continuo with Jolanta Sosnowska, Mirko Arnone and Tore Eketorp.
- double CD “The Forqueray Family“ with harpsichord solo and chamber music.
- “L’Orgue d'Offwiller” documenting a historical organ in Alsace, France.
- Motets by Leopold von Plawenn, archival series ”Klingende Kostbarkeiten aus Tirol”, Institute for Tyrolean Music Research in Austria, directed by Jörg-Andreas Bötticher.
- Recordings for the radio stations WDR, ORF and Accent4.
Awards
Magdalena Malec has won numerous prizes and distinctions at the following competitions:
- 17th International Johann Sebastian Bach Harpsichord Competition in Leipzig 2010.
- Xavier Darasse International Organ Competition in Toulouse 2008.
- Paul Hofhaimer International Organ Competition in Innsbruck 2007.
- Gaetano Callido International Organ Competition in Borca di Cadore 2007.
- Francesco d’Onofrio International Organ Competition in Carunchio 2006.
- International Organ Competition in Fano Adriano 2005.
- Special Prize from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage at the Competition “Young Poland” for young Polish artists in Warsaw in 2005.
©Senso Stampa