Zenon Kitowski is one of the most talented and recognized clarinet players of Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

. Born in Kartuzë (pol.Kartuzy

Kartuzy

Kartuzy is a town in the historic Eastern Pomerania region of northwestern Poland, located about west of Gdańsk with a population of 15,472...

), Mr. Kitowski considers himself a Kashub and although he’s lived in Warsaw

Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

 since the early 1980s, he can still speak the Kashubian language

Kashubian language

Kashubian or Cassubian is one of the Lechitic languages, a subgroup of the Slavic languages....

. When asked about the influence of Kashubism on his personal and artistic life, Kitowski unambiguously affirms that his success is a direct result of his Kashubian

Kashubian

Kashubian can refer to:* Pertaining to Kashubia, a region of north-central Poland* Kashubians, an ethnic group of north-central Poland* Kashubian language-See also:*Kashubian alphabet*Kashubian Landscape Park*Kashubian studies...

 upbringing which he equates to hard work and uncompromised goal pursuance. “Kashubians”, Zenon argues “are good, humble, and occasionally willful people. Historically, they had to face domination of both, Polish and German cultures, yet somehow managed to survive and sustain their culture. Moreover, there is evidence of many formerly indifferent Kashubians

Kashubians

Kashubians/Kaszubians , also called Kashubs, Kashubes, Kaszubians, Kassubians or Cassubians, are a West Slavic ethnic group in Pomerelia, north-central Poland. Their settlement area is referred to as Kashubia ....

 to re-embrace Kashubism today.”

After winning the Kurpiński International Clarinet Competition in Włoszakowice (Poland) in 1982, Kitowski accepted principal clarinetist position with Jerzy Maksymiuk

Jerzy Maksymiuk

Jerzy Maksymiuk is a Polish orchestra conductor.Maksymiuk studied violin, piano, conducting and composition at the Warsaw Conservatory. In 1964 he won first prize in the Paderewski Piano Composition. Conducting soon became his principal career...

’s Polish Chamber Orchestra and Sinfonia Varsovia. As a renowned musician, Zenon has appeared frequently as soloist with the Polish Radio and Television Orchestra in Warsaw where he has been holding the principal clarinetist chair since 1993. Zenon Kitowski also collaborates with various chamber ensembles and while his playing captivates with agility and ease, his rich and warm tone combined with incredible control which affords him with the superior skills needed to express full dynamic and emotional range of any orchestral or soloist work.

Kitowski is also an accomplished clarinet teacher. A student of late Władysław Świercz, Zenon not only inherited his warm, wooden clarinet tone but also developed the unique ability to convey years of his professional experience to students who often share some of these qualities.