SLAVIC SESSIONS: Guitar Duo (Philadelphia)

America’s Leading Guitar Concert Series

Presents

Slavic Sessions

Performed by Mak Grgić & Mateusz Kowalski

What You’ll Hear

A program shaped around shared roots and contrasting voices — the Polish Romantic tradition beside the songs and dances of the Balkans, reinterpreted through a contemporary lens.
Music by Chopin, Bobrowicz, Dvořák, Pasieczny, and Tadić, alongside traditional melodies from Slovenia.

Mateusz Kowalski — Solo

Fryderyk Chopin — Mazurkas Op. 7 Nos. 1, 3 & 4 (arr. Bobrowicz)
Familiar yet reimagined — Chopin’s dances heard through the delicate timbre of the guitar.

Jan Nepomucen Bobrowicz — Variations on Mozart’s “La Ci Darem la Mano” Op. 6
A forgotten Romantic craftsman pays tribute to Mozart with wit and elegance.

Mak Grgić — Solo

Slovenian Folk Songs (arr. Leon First)
Shepherd’s Paths • The Mill
Quiet lyricism drawn from the hills and rivers of rural Slovenia.

Balkan Dances (arr. Miroslav Tadić)
Macedonian Girl • Chicho
Rhythmic, percussive, and free-spirited — folk material transformed into concert art.

Duo — Together on Stage

Fryderyk Chopin — Nocturne in B-flat minor Op. 9 No. 1
An intimate reworking of one of Chopin’s most lyrical works.

Antonín Dvořák — Slavonic Dances Op. 46 & Op. 72
Folk dance energy distilled into chamber music dialogue.

Marek Pasieczny — Polish Impressions
Contemporary snapshots — brief, vivid, and inventive.

Miroslav Tadić — Stana’s Lament & Walk Dance No. 2 for Two
New music steeped in tradition: spacious, expressive, and rhythmically alive.

About the Artists

Three-time GRAMMY® nominee Mak Grgić (Slovenia/USA) and Polish guitarist Mateusz Kowalski share a fascination with how tradition can evolve through new interpretation.

Grgić, praised for his range and imagination, has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Vienna Musikverein, and Suntory Hall, while teaching at both the University of Southern California and the University of South Carolina. Beyond the stage, he leads Notey Inc., an AI-driven music-learning platform, and co-founded the Virtual Guitar Orchestra, connecting musicians across continents.

Kowalski, described by Classical Guitar Magazine as “spectacular,” has appeared in more than 20 countries and on leading stages such as the Musikverein (Vienna) and Shanghai Grand Theatre. Winner of the EuroStrings International Competition, he is known for his groundbreaking performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto in F minor arranged for guitar, and for reviving the forgotten voices of 19th-century Polish composers through his recording Polish Romantic Guitar.

Together in Slavic Sessions, they explore how shared heritage and contrasting styles can shape a new musical conversation—intimate, refined, and deeply connected to their cultural roots.