Robert Kwiedacz – Classical Guitarist
Robert Kwiedacz — in Polish spelling Kwiędacz — is a guitarist from Radom in central Poland. After gaining his first experience in national competitions in Poland as a young guitarist, his international competition career began in 2015 with a distinction at the International Guitar Competition in Trzęsacz.
Radom: twelve years with two teachers
He took up the classical guitar at the age of seven with Zbigniew Woźny at the Oskar Kolberg Music School Complex in Radom. He later continued his studies at secondary level with Dr Paweł Kwaśny, remaining at the same institution for a total of twelve years.
Competitions across Europe
His prize list begins early and reaches well beyond Poland. Among his international results are a distinction at the competition in Trzęsacz (2015), second prize in Bratislava (2016), a distinction at the international competition in Weimar and second prize with a special award in Frýdek-Místek (both 2017), and third prize in Rust, Austria and a distinction in Żory (2018).
The year 2018 also brought the Grand Prix at the XXIV Słupeckie Musical Meetings.
The year 2019 brought two first prizes: at the inaugural international guitar competition in Katowice, and at the Radom Guitar Summit, where he also received the Grand Prix.
At the International Guitar Festival and Competition in Krynica-Zdrój, he received second prize in 2020, competing in the youngest age group. He returned to the festival in 2022, this time competing in the older group, where he received third prize ex aequo, as the youngest laureate in the group.
At the International Guitar Course and Competition in Olsztyn, he received third prize in 2021 and third prize again in 2023.
In 2022, he achieved one of the most significant milestones in his artistic development, winning the Grand Prix at the CEA Music Competition, the nationwide competition organised by the Centre for Artistic Education (Centrum Edukacji Artystycznej) for students of Polish art schools. Considered one of the most demanding and prestigious competitions within Poland's music-school system, the award marked an important recognition of his development as a young guitarist.
That same year, he also received fourth prize at the International Guitar Competition in Kutná Hora, Czech Republic. The result was particularly significant given that he was among the younger participants in his age category.
His artistic development has also been supported by several scholarships and forms of recognition, including the Alfred und Cläre Pott-Stiftung, the Krajowy Fundusz na rzecz Dzieci (National Fund for Children), the President of the City of Radom, the Prime Minister's Scholarship, and the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage scholarship for students of art schools.
Alongside his competition experience, Kwiedacz has participated in numerous masterclasses and international guitar courses in Poland, Germany, France, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
European Bach Guitar Award 2025
His result at the European Bach Guitar Award 2025 stands among his most significant international achievements to date. The competition began with 27 participants, from whom 15 were selected for the second round, also held in video format. Following this round, the jury selected just six candidates to advance to the live semifinal. Kwiedacz was among them and ultimately received the 6th Prize.
Reaching the live semifinal of a competition devoted to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach is a particularly demanding achievement. With only six places available in the semifinal, the selection placed him among the strongest participants in the competition. A Bach competition offers little room to rely on virtuosity alone: everything rests on voice-leading, articulation, phrasing and the ability to make complex polyphony audible on a single instrument.
Our Bach repertoire guide covers the works this repertoire is built on. Another guitarist from our channel, Kanahi Yamashita, took third prize at the same competition in 2022.
NRW Gitarrenpreis "Stephen Goss"
At the Internationales Folkwang Gitarrenfestival in Essen in 2025, Kwiedacz won the 1st Prize at the NRW Gitarrenpreis "Stephen Goss".
The award also opened the door to a new artistic opportunity: an invitation to record at Siccas Guitars, where he recorded several works.
At Siccas Guitars
In 2026, following his 1st Prize at the NRW Gitarrenpreis "Stephen Goss", Kwiedacz was invited to record at Siccas Guitars. His first published recording from his work with Siccas features the Preludio en Do menor by Agustín Barrios Mangoré, performed on a 2025 guitar by Daniele Chiesa.
The choice of repertoire says something. The Preludio is not one of Barrios' virtuoso showpieces but one of his quietest: a melancholy line winding through arpeggiated harmony in the unusual key of C minor, closer to a song without words than to a study. Choosing it means trusting tone rather than technique to hold a listener. Our article on his recording of the Preludio looks at the performance in detail, and our introduction to Agustín Barrios places the piece in the composer's output.
Poland and the guitar
Poland has built one of Europe's most productive guitar cultures, carried by a dense network of music schools, festivals and competitions — the events in Olsztyn, Katowice, Żory and Krynica-Zdrój that shaped Kwiedacz's early years are only part of it. The Kupiński Guitar Duo is another product of that system.
Kwiedacz is at the point where a competition record turns into a career. What he brings to it is a decade of unbroken schooling and, on the evidence of his Barrios, the patience to let a quiet piece speak for itself.
Discover more players in our profiles of great classical guitarists.
