About us
Formed in 2012 by Maria Gmyrek and Wojciech Trefon, the Trefon–Gmyrek Duo is the only continuously active saxophone and harp ensemble in Poland. For over a decade, the duo has been steadily building its reputation on the chamber music scene, earning dozens of top prizes at national and international competitions and performing in prestigious concert halls both in Poland and abroad.
In their very first year of collaboration, the ensemble captured the Grand Prix at the 22nd National Chamber Music Competition in Bystrzyca Kłodzka and secured First Prize at the 5th National Harp Duo Competition in Cieszyn. In the years that followed, their growing list of accolades came to include numerous top honors at chamber music competitions across Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Ukraine, and Russia, firmly establishing the duo as one of the most awarded and dynamic ensembles of their kind in Europe.
The Trefon–Gmyrek Duo has maintained a long-standing collaboration with Polish Radio Katowice and TV Katowice, taking part in numerous artistic projects—from their first professional recordings in 2014 and the music film Behind the Strings of the Harp... Years Later, to the Tango Nuevo stage production, created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Polish Harp Society. The duo is also actively involved in innovative, cross-disciplinary ventures, such as the audiovisual spectacle Katowice Eolienne—making them one of the most distinctive and forward-thinking ambassadors of the Silesian music scene.
The ensemble is regularly invited to major international festivals, actively participating in key musical events both in Poland and abroad. The Trefon–Gmyrek Duo has performed at the International Harp Festival at the Academy of Music in Katowice (Jazz Dress and Stress), sharing the stage with luminaries such as Park Stickney; at the 18th World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb; the 2nd Polish Saxophone Congress in Warsaw; and the 3rd European Saxophone Congress in Trento, where they gave the world premiere of Aureus II by Maciej Jabłoński.
In April 2024, the duo appeared at the Zurich Saxfest, and in June 2025, they presented a staged version of Mauricio Kagel’s Zwei Akte—featuring two actors—at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). In the summer of 2025, they were invited to the 22nd Szczecinek Saxfest, showcasing a broad and compelling selection from their repertoire.
The duo released their debut album Arabesque in 2017 and has produced two television programs for Jazz TV (in 2021 and 2024), both broadcast across a Central European international TV network.
Maria Gmyrek and Wojciech Trefon are multiple-time recipients of scholarships from the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage, and laureates of the prestigious Young Poland (Młoda Polska) program—recognitions that affirm their exceptional artistry and contribution to contemporary Polish music.