TOMASZ BETKA
Tomasz Betka – born and raised in Poland, composer, pianist and music producer. He begins to learn the piano at the age of seven and continues his music education until graduation as Master of Arts from Academy of Music. At the same time, while studying the classical music, his interest gravitates to different genres, including pop and even eletronic sounds. He starts to play and implement other instruments, however piano will always be the closest to express himself.
As a teenager, together with the group of like minded friends, he takes part in various music festivals and competitions. That’s the time when he starts to compose his own music. Shortly his tunes are used in commercials, independent movies and a cabaret.
While still in collage he visits the US for the first time and gives his first shows in Piano Bars or hotel lobbies, like the one in a legendary Drake Hotel in Chicago. It is Chicago where he is introduced to a local famous music producer Vince Lawrence, known for his collaborations with such stars as Michael Jackson, R.Kelly or John Legend. Thanks to that connection Tomasz comes back to Windy City quite often, and finally releases two pop singles in US. „White Single” and „Black Single” are released respectively in 2011 and 2012, by an indy label Grammophonica Records. All songs feature great Chicago vocalists, including house divas Andrea Love, Yvonne Gage and Sharay Reed – bass guitar genius. Vince Lawrence introduces Tomasz to Mira Black, Canadian artist, who has her song „Crazy” used in Madonna’s commercial and for who Tomasz records several remixes.
Sharing the time between US and Europe, Betka composes five songs for a Polish artist, classic opera singer, Alicja Węgorzewska-Whiskerd. Three of them – „Margherita” being the first single are arranged for an orchestra, mastered by Grammy Award Winner Bob Katz, recorded in 2013 and released as the „I Colori Dell’Amore” album by Sony Music Poland.
Throughout his career Tomasz enjoys many successful collaborations with a number of different vocalists and actors, both as a pianist and a composer, not forgetting about his solo recitals as well.
In January 2015 he is finally ready to record his first piano solo album. Locking himself in a Philharmonic Concert Hall and using Grand Steinway, during a few day and night sessions he records over ten hours of the new piano material. After careful selection and choosing right excerpts, the project is completed. Ten of his short compositions, in classical and cinematic style, with elements of improvisation and jazz harmony are ready. He calls his work the „Miniatures”.
2016 sees him travelling with his show to such an exotic places like Japan and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. 2016 is also a year when he starts his cooperation with a City Theatre in Leszno Poland, where he is responsible for music arrangments for a few spectacles.