Barbara Karaśkiewicz (pron.: car-ash-kiev-each) was born in communist Poland and took her first piano lesson at the age of five. She graduated with distinction in 1999 from the Academy of Music in Katowice. She further honed her skills in postgraduate studies under the famous Polish pianist Prof. Wojciech Świtała. In 2013 she completed her Ph.D. in piano performance, and in 2018 she received her post-doctoral degree (habilitation), both awarded by the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.

The artist is a laureate of numerous awards, including

• the 4th International K. Szymanowski Competition in Łódź (Award for the Best Pole funded by the Polish Ministry of Culture and Art);
• the Young Stage of the XXIX Polish Piano Festival in Słupsk and the Special Prize for the best performance of works by K. Szymanowski;
• the XXVII and XXVIII Competition for F. Chopin Artistic Scholarships in Warsaw;
• the 1st Polish National F. Chopin Competition in Warsaw;
• 20th Century Music Competition in Warsaw.

She has performed in almost all European countries, as well as in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Uruguay. Barbara appears both in solo recitals and as a soloist with symphony orchestras conducted by Stefan Bevier, Szymon Bywalec, Ernest Hoetzl, Ruben Silva, Jerzy Swoboda, Pavel Šnajder, Arvo Volmer, Józef Wiłkomirski, Monika Wolińska, Joseph Svensen. Her concerto repertoire includes Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Szymanowski Symphony Concertante, Mozart Piano Concertos in D minor KV 466 and in A major KV 414, Beethoven Piano Concertos No. 4 in G major and No. 5 in E-flat major, and Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals.

In 2014 she founded Huberman Piano Trio, Huberman Duo, Tcharek and Basia Piano Duo.

Karaśkiewicz is interested in music that is rarely performed. She recorded the complete piano works
of Roman Statkowski on three discs (2005, 2008, 2013). The works of this forgotten Polish composer
were the subject of her doctoral dissertation. She is also the editor of the first complete edition
of Statkowski’s piano works, published by Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne in Kraków to mark the
100th anniversary of the composer’s death.

She has also recorded a CD in a jazz/rock/folk/classical style by the English contemporary composer Michael Garrett. Following this release, Europa Edition published the complete sheet music, marking the first time Garrett’s works were made available in print. The volume contains all the pieces recorded on the album.

Beyond performance, she is interested in the interaction of the arts – music, painting, literature, and visual media – as well as in stylistic crossover in music. She experiences synaesthesia, which shapes her perception of sound through colors and images. She inaugurated and runs the multimedia concert series Art at the University. In June 2025 she organized the international conference Fusion and Influence. Classical and Popular Music Interactions in Slovakia, dedicated to the study of crossover between classical and popular music, music and the humanities, art and science, theory and practice. Each day of the conference concluded with concerts held in Nitra and in Bratislava. The event was held under the honorary patronage of the Polish Institute in Slovakia.

Barbara plans to carry out a scientific project investigating the activity of musicians’ brains during composition, practice, improvisation, and performance.

Barbara Karaśkiewicz has released nine albums:

1. Roman Statkowski – Piano Works vol. 1 (Acte Prealable, 2005);
2. Roman Statkowski – Piano Works vol. 2 (Acte Prealable, 2008);
3. Michael Garrett – Piano works (Acte Prealable, 2009);
4. Roman Statkowski – Piano Music (Divine Art/Naxos, 2015);
5. Karol Szymanowski – Piano Works (Divine Art, 2017); (nomination to Fryderyki 2018)
6. Institute of Music of the University of J. Długosz in Częstochowa (piano solo works, 2018);
7. 20th Century Polish Chamber Music as a pianist of the Huberman Piano Trio and of the Huberman Duo (Divine Art/Naxos, 2020) (nomination to Fryderyki 2021)
8. Bronisław Huberman – In tribute to the genius of the violin with violinist Magdalena Ziarkowska-Kołacka (Academy of Music in Wrocław, 2020);
9. Rachmaninov – Suites For Two Pianos, Works For Piano Trio with pianist Michał Rot and with Huberman Piano Trio: Dagmara Swystun – violin, Sergei Rysanov – cello (Divine Art/Naxos, premiere planned for May, 2023).

You may listen to Barbara’s albums in the Discography section.