07/04/2026
I am very happy to share this post from our RMTA member Dr. Magdalena Adamek. I hope you will enjoy reading it!
Delighted to be featured in the RMTA (Richmond Music Teachers Association) Summer 2026 Newsletter’s ‘Meet Our RMTA Members’ series! 🎹.
“Music found me early. Growing up, my parents filled our home with classical music, and some of my most vivid memories are of doing homework late at night, listening to a Polish radio series hosted by musicologist Jan Weber, devoted entirely to historic recordings of Chopin. Those broadcasts quietly did several things at once: made the late hours feel a little less lonely, left me utterly mesmerized, planted in me a desire to explore Chopin's complete works, and to practice. I didn't just want to listen anymore. I wanted to explore all of Chopin's pieces, even if my fingers weren't ready.
What followed was years of a double life: public school by day, music school in the afternoon — practice, competitions, regional and national awards in Poland. That path led, in time, to the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw for my Master's in Fine Arts in Piano Performance, and later to the University of Alberta in Canada for doctoral studies in piano performance on full scholarship.
Canada gave me more than a degree. At the University of Alberta I taught applied piano and chamber music, and alongside that I maintained a busy private studio. Teaching privately made me more humble, and it shaped how I approach students to this day: leading with an unapologetic strength and empathy, setting them on a path of discovery, and nurturing excellence through consistent practice habits, performances, and local and provincial competitions. Those years reminded me that real teaching happens in the small moments, not just the formal ones.
In 2015, life brought me to Virginia, where I joined VCU's School of the Arts as Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano. I've since grown into my current role as full-time piano faculty and Coordinator of Keyboard Studies, where I teach applied piano and piano ensembles and oversee the piano program. What I've found here goes beyond the classroom: collaborating with students in recitals, performing alongside visiting artists, and being welcomed by RMTA, a wonderful organization that to this day invites me to present workshops and partners with me on community projects involving students at VCU and across the Richmond area.
Over the years I've performed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, and I've had the joy of recording five CDs on the Polish label Acte Préalable, featuring world premiere recordings of works by Polish composers, followed by Romantic Central Europe, a CD made in collaboration with the Wirth Institute for Central and European Studies at the University of Alberta. The most recent release, Spanish Meditations and Dances for euphonium and piano, where I partnered with Bob Powers, came out in summer 2025 and is available on many streaming platforms, including Apple Music Classical and Amazon Music.
One thing I feel strongly about is bringing the music of Polish composers to audiences—Maria Szymanowska, Grażyna Bacewicz, Karol Szymanowski, Stanisław Moniuszko, Ignacy Jan Paderewski. This music deserves to be heard, and I consider it part of my mission to make sure it is.
As a teacher, I'm very much a "read the room" person. I draft a few points before a lesson, but the moment I'm with a student, I know something will immediately go differently than planned. That's the part I enjoy most. The spontaneous exchange is what makes music human. Apps can generate lesson plans and practice schedules, but they can't replicate the alive, unpredictable thing that happens when two people are interacting in the same space.
I believe excellence is a habit, something you must choose every day. In my teaching, I value expressiveness and communication above all, and yes, I can be very direct, and a little wordy. But music is the most honest medium there is, and people sense that immediately. I wouldn't have it any other way.”
