Ryszard Tyborowski

• MMus, State College of Music (Wroclaw, Poland)
• Teacher's Certificate, University of Manitoba 

Tyborowski earned his Master of Music degree from the State College of Music in Wrocław, Poland, followed by a Teacher’s Certificate from the University of Manitoba. After completing his formal education, he continued his artistic development through intensive private study with Jerzy Koenig, one of Poland’s leading classical guitarists, renowned for his transcriptions of Frédéric Chopin’s piano music for guitar. He also studied with Costas Cotsiolis, one of the world’s leading classical guitarists, during advanced masterclasses in Greece. These studies had an important influence on his artistic development and interpretive approach.

As a concert artist, Tyborowski has performed extensively throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe. His performances have been broadcast nationally on CBC Radio and featured on classical music stations throughout North America. His celebrated performance of Stepan Rak’s Hora, recorded by Bravo! TV, brought his artistry to audiences across Canada.

Canadian composer Sid Robinovitch dedicated his concerto Ports of Call to Tyborowski and clarinetist Milan Milošević. The work received its world premiere in Belgrade, Serbia, in 2005.

Tyborowski has released five critically acclaimed recordings. His debut CD, Romantico, received outstanding reviews in Canada and abroad and was featured on CBC Radio’s Sound Advice. His second recording, Homage à Chopin, was described as “a magnificent recording.” Pearls and Yarn, recorded with the Milan Milošević Trio, received a five-star review from the Winnipeg Free Press. His fourth recording, Sefarad, featuring the chamber music of Sid Robinovitch, was nominated for a JUNO Award. His fifth solo recording, Memories, further demonstrated his commitment to the classical guitar repertoire. He also appears as a featured artist on Richard Gillis’s recording Devotion.

Tyborowski is also featured in Mel Bay Publications’ Master Anthology of New Classical Guitar Solos, an internationally recognized collection celebrating contemporary classical guitar music by distinguished composer-guitarists from around the world. His recording of Stanisław Mroński’s Hommage à Chopin Suite was selected for the anthology’s companion recordings, placing him among an international roster of distinguished classical guitarists featured in this prestigious publication.

Tyborowski is equally distinguished as a dedicated music educator. His guitar students have achieved exceptional success at provincial, national, and international levels, including receiving the Governor General’s Award at the Winnipeg Music Festival, the festival’s highest honour. His students have also won major national competitions and have been recognized as finalists in prestigious international guitar competitions, including the Guitar Foundation of America International Youth Competition. These accomplishments reflect Tyborowski’s longstanding commitment to developing young musicians from their earliest musical experiences through advanced university and professional-level study.

A passionate advocate for guitar and music education, Tyborowski served for many years as President of the Winnipeg Classical Guitar Society. Throughout more than thirty years of teaching, he has developed innovative approaches to classroom guitar instruction and has worked to make quality instrumental music education accessible to young students.

He is the author of Walking in Harmony and his newest educational work, Guitar Is My New Friend – Classroom Guitar for Early Years Programs, an innovative method designed to introduce young children to guitar and music through melody, ensemble playing, improvisation, creative music-making, and progressive musical development. His publications are the result of more than three decades of practical experience developing and teaching classroom guitar programs.

In addition to his work at the University of Manitoba, Tyborowski has devoted a major part of his professional career to public school music education in Manitoba. For more than thirty years, he has taught music and guitar to children in the public school system, introducing thousands of young students to active music-making through singing, guitar, percussion, movement, improvisation, and ensemble performance. His educational work during the COVID-19 pandemic was recognized by the Winnipeg Free Press.

He currently teaches music and guitar at West St. Paul School, where he has developed an outstanding elementary classroom guitar program. Under his direction, the Grade 3/4 Guitar Orchestra became the first elementary ensemble to win the prestigious Winnipeg Classical Guitar Society David Bellan Trophy, an award previously associated with much older, senior-level ensembles. The orchestra subsequently continued its success with consecutive trophy-winning performances at the Winnipeg Music Festival.

Through his performances, five recordings, international broadcasts, publications, educational methods, and more than three decades of teaching, Ryszard Tyborowski has made a lasting contribution to Canada’s musical life. His career uniquely bridges professional concert performance, university instruction, and public school music education, allowing him to influence musicians at every stage of their development—from children discovering an instrument for the first time to advanced university students and professional performers.