Guest Artist Faculty

Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron

is a renowned Polish pianist of Bulgarian origin. She studied with Alexander Jenner in Vienna and participated in masterclasses with Suzanne Roche, Dieter Zechlin, and Gyorgy Sebok. PopowaZydron has achieved success in national and international competitions and is known for her performances of diverse repertoire, including works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Debussy, Bartok, and Polish modern music. She has collaborated with esteemed soloists and ensembles. As a professor at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music, she has taught and conducted masterclasses worldwide. PopowaZydron is the President of the I. J. Paderewski Music Society in Bydgoszcz, organizing the Paderewski International

International Piano Competition and the Paderewski Piano Academy. Her students have excelled in competitions and become successful teachers and performers. She has received numerous national awards for her artistic and pedagogical achievements.

Peter Bithell studied with Gordon Green at the Royal Academy of Music and subsequently with Guido Agosti in Italy and with Maria Curcio in London. He won many prizes and awards at International Piano Competitions, notably Busoni (Bolzano), Reina Sofia (Madrid), Paloma O’Shea (Santander), Dudley, Marguerite Long (Paris) and the Rachmaninoff Prize in Italy. Bithell has played extensively in Europe and South America. He gives regular master classes, notably in Spain, and has served on the juries of several International Piano Competitions. He has been a professor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama since 1987.