Instrument: Bassoon

Jaroslaw graduated in 1988 from the Academy of Music in Łódź, Poland with a Master's degree in Bassoon and chamber music. A year later, he was a laureate in the XXI Competition of Young Instrumentalists in Włoszakowice, while simultaneously winning the special award from the Wielkopolska Symphony Orchestra. 

He was appointed as principal bassoon of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (NOW) in December 2004. He assumed this role after a thirteen-year post as principal bassoon with the Basque National Orchestra, Spain. In his career Jaroslaw has played principal bassoon with the Nova Filarmonia Portuguesa, Łódź Opera Symphony Orchestra and in the Warsaw National Philharmonic.

He has been given the opportunity to play in almost all European countries and as far afield as the United States, Argentina, Chile and China – in over 300 venues including Wien Konzerthaus, Madrid Auditorio Nacional, Royal Albert Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Buenos Aires Teatro Colon, and Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts. He has played under the baton of such great conductors as Rudolf Barshai, Semyon Bychkov, Christoph von Dohnányi, Sir Mark Elder, Charles Dutoit, Richard Hickox, Vladimir Jurowski, Witold Lutosławski, Yehudi Menuhin, Tadaaki Otaka, Krzysztof Penderecki, Vassily Sinaisky, and Walter Weller.

During his career Jaroslaw has been a member of the European Jeunesses Musicales, Festival Orchestra “Sinfonia Helvetica” and played as a guest principal with the Dortmunder Philharmoniker, “Arthur Rubinstein” Philharmonic Orchestra, Łódź Radio Orchestra, Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Established in the British music scene, he is regularly invited to major as a guest principal including Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, BBC Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and London Symphony Orchestra.

His interest in chamber music has driven him to be a founding member of the ensemble “Quinteto Barroco” and the wind quintet “Alizé”. In the United Kingdom he was a member of BBC NOW Soloists and “Quintillion Ensemble”. In 2006 he recorded a CD with this group. 

He has participated in major European music festivals including “Warsaw Autumn”, “Prague Spring”, “Schleswig-Holstein”, and the BBC Proms Festival. He has also performed as a soloist in the recital for the acclaimed world’s oldest music festival, Three Choirs Festival.

He was responsible for the bassoon section in the Basque Country Youth Orchestra and the woodwind section in the Murcia Region Youth Orchestra. He has given educational concerts as a soloist with BBC NOW (D. Knotts – A mini-concerto for bassoon) and with chamber groups in various European countries. Along with teaching at the University of Bristol, he collaborates regularly with the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and works with the woodwind section of the Cardiff University Symphony Orchestra.