Dobrawa Czocher

Dobrawa Czocher is a Polish composer and cellist who was quickly hailed as “one of Europe’s most highly regarded contemporary cellists” (Loud & Quiet). She began playing the cello at the age of seven, and the instrument soon became an inseparable part of her life. The decision to devote herself entirely to music came naturally. She graduated from two prestigious institutions: the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, where she studied under Professor Piotr Hausenplas, and the Hochschule für Musik Detmold in Germany, where she refined her artistry with Professor Alexander Gebert. Between 2018 and 2023, she was a member of the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in Szczecin, serving as principal cello and section leader.

Czocher is renowned for expanding the sonic possibilities of the cello. Drawing on her extensive and acclaimed career as an award-winning soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer, she moves effortlessly between the worlds of classical music and contemporary, more experimental forms of expression. Her distinctive artistic voice combines impeccable technique with boundless imagination and profound emotional depth.

For many years, Dobrawa has collaborated closely with her friend, pianist and composer Hania Rani. In 2015, the duo released their debut album, Biała flaga, featuring interpretations of songs by Grzegorz Ciechowski. The album achieved remarkable success in Poland and paved the way for the international release of their first entirely original album, Inner Symphonies, issued in 2021 by the legendary Deutsche Grammophon label. With this release, Dobrawa Czocher and Hania Rani became the youngest composing duo in the label’s history.

In 2023, Dobrawa Czocher released her debut solo album, Dreamscapes (BMG/Modern Recordings), featuring her own compositions for cello. The album was met with critical acclaim and received six nominations for the prestigious German Opus Klassik Awards, including nominations in the categories “Instrumentalist of the Year” and “Composer of the Year.” Since then, she has performed her original music in leading concert venues across Europe, including appearances in London, Berlin, Leipzig, and Utrecht.

Since the release of Inner Symphonies, Dobrawa Czocher has further expanded her compositional portfolio, creating music for theatrical productions and artistic installations. In 2024, she was invited to collaborate on the site-specific opera D’arc, directed by Krystian Lada and produced by the Warsaw Rising Museum to mark the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. In the production, she portrayed the legendary Joanna, a young cellist dreaming of a solo career who is forced to confront the harsh realities of war. Not only did she bring this historical character to life through her performance, but she also composed the three-movement solo cello sonata Joanna’s Story, expressing her heroine’s fears, vulnerability, dreams, and inner strength.

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photo by Barbara Liro