BIOGRAPHY
Violinist Margaret Dziekonski (pronounced "juh-KON-skee") has performed across Europe, the United States and Australia as both soloist and chamber musician. She has given concerti with American and British orchestras, and performed at London's Wigmore Hall, King's Place, St Martin in the Fields, St James' Piccadilly and St Peter's Eaton Square. Venues in the United States include the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia. An avid chamber musician, Dziekonski has given concerts alongside great international artists, including Valentin Erben, Hartmut Rohde and Gwyneth Wentink. Chamber music festivals include The Cully Classique Festival VIS-À-VIS (Switzerland), The Camilleri Festival (Malta) and The Crossroads Festival/Tour (Australia). She has performed in live radio broadcasts for stations in the United States and Australia, and recorded for the Toccata Classics label. Other solo highlights have been performing Strauss at the Richard Strauss Institut in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, and a performance on the 1714 Beechback Stradivarius at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, England.
Dziekonski completed her master's studies at the Royal Academy of Music, London, under Tomotada Soh, graduating with distinction. She also holds an undergraduate degree with honors from the same institution. Dziekonski's PhD, supervised by Professor Neil Heyde, was awarded by the University of London in 2017. Her primary mentor throughout her higher education was Professor Raymond Holden, AM, and her early violin studies were with Lee Snyder of the Settlement Music School, Philadelphia. She has received chamber music coaching from Thomas Brandis, Christoph Richter, Paul Watkins, Roger Tapping, Levon Chilingirian, Simon Rowland-Jones, Howard Davis, Martin Outram, and Garfield Jackson, amongst others. Dziekonski has received orchestral coaching from David Kim, Concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and currently receives regular coaching from Amy Oshiro-Morales of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Past achievements include an Edison Visiting Fellowship for 2013/14 at the British Library, London, an internship at the Royal Academy of Music for 2012/15, as well as awards from The Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust, The Seary Charitable Trust, The Polonsky Foundation, The Cosman Keller Art and Music Trust, The Winship Foundation, The Tom Cocklin Memorial Trust, The Overfield Trust and The John Wates Charitable Trust. Dziekonski is also a past recipient of the Royal Academy of Music Edna Seabright Award, Isabel May Walton Award, Sir John Barbirolli Memorial Prize, Cranshaw Corporation Award, Amadeus Scholarship and Alex Templeton Scholarship.
Dziekonski plays a 2018 Christopher Germain violin, made possible through the generosity of The Maestro Foundation.