Katarzyna Myćka is a musician from Stuttgart with Polish roots, born in 1972 who discovered the marimba as her ideal medium for musical expression while studying at music academies in Gdansk, Stuttgart, and Salzburg. Numerous prizes and awards at international music competitions then followed, as well as performances at the most important marimba festivals, like those in Osaka, Linz and Minneapolis and soloists with famous orchestras around the world, such as the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, Bochum and Göttingen Symphony Orchestras, Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Sopot, Vienna and Prague Chamber Orchestras, as well as those from Heilbronn, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Israeli Camerata Jerusalem Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestras from Maribor, Neubrandenburg and Vogtland ... It all promoted Katarzyn Myćka to the pioneer and one of the leading musicians of this still young instrument. The large concert marimba has only existed in its current form since the mid-1980s.
Filip Merčep is an artist of a wide range of interests and activities. He graduated from the Academy of Music, University of Zagreb in the class of Professor Igor Lešnik, and has been active on the Croatian music scene since his students' days, performing at almost all major festivals such as the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, the Osor Musical Evenings, Music Biennale Zagreb, Zadar Summer Festival, Šibenik Summer Festival and Split Summer Festival. He has performed with a number of Croatian orchestras such as the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Croatian Radio Television Symphony Orchestra, Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Wind Orchestra of the Croatian Armed Forces and won some of the most prestigious awards: Croatian Musical Youth “Ivo Vuljević” Best Young Musician Award, Zagreb Philharmonic Best Young Musician Award, The City of Samobor Annual Award, the Yamaha Scholarship Award for Best Percussionist of the Zagreb Academy of Music, 2nd Prize in the “Universal Marimba Competition” (Belgium), 1st Prize in the “Boris Papandopulo” Competition (Zagreb) and the “Porin” Discography Award in the Best Classical Music Interpretation Category. Flip Merčep is an ardent advocate of Croatian music who frequently performs the works of Croatian composers at his European recitals which has greatly enhanced his popularity.
Katarzyna Myćka was Filip Merčep's first marimba role model to become a colleague and mentor later on. They are both members of the Marimba Quartet, and for a number of years Philip attended International Katarzyna Myćka Marimba Academy where he had the opportunity to work with the world's best marimba players and professors of percussion, and in 2015 upon invitation by Ms. Myćka taught as a chamber music associate professor of the International Katarzyna Myćka Marimba Academy.
Astor Piazzolla: Tango Suite N 1, Marimba Duo
Arkadiusz Kątny: Chain I - Marimba Duo
Arkadiusz Kątny: Chain III- Marimba Duo
Arkadiusz Kątny: Chain II - Marimba Duo
Astor Piazzolla: Tango Suite N 2, Marimba Duo
Anna Ignatowicz: Passacaglia for Marimba and Vibraphone
Anders Koppel: Toccata for Vibraphone and Marimba
Astor Piazzolla: Tango Suite N 3, Marimba Duo
Alejandro Viñao: Spanish Groove - Marimba Duo