Hornet Quartet

Founded in 2012, the Hornet Quartet is currently one of the most dynamic brass ensembles in Poland. The group is characterized by a broad and homogeneous sound. Gabriel Czopka, Michał Szczerba, Łukasz Łacny, and Piotr Kowalski – soloists of leading symphony orchestras in Poland – actively contribute to the popularization of the French horn in Poland.

In 2015, they won the Silver Medal at the 7th International Music Competition for Soloists and Chamber Musicians SVIREL in Slovenia, and in 2017 they received first prize in the horn quartet competition organized by the International Horn Society in Natal, Brazil.

They perform in major music centers across Poland, including the National Philharmonic in Warsaw and the National Forum of Music in Wrocław. They have been invited to concerts as part of many significant festivals in Poland and abroad. They have appeared at prestigious events such as the 49th International Horn Symposium in Natal, Brazil, the 51st International Horn Symposium in Ghent, Belgium – accompanied by the Royal Symphonic Band of the Belgian Guides – as well as the Solidarity of Arts Festival in Gdańsk.

They collaborate with composers such as Kaz Machala, Paweł Pudło, Marc Papeghin, Paweł Tomaszewski, and Janek Stokłosa, who dedicated three compositions to the ensemble. The group also performs in an expanded lineup, inviting outstanding artists like Kerry Turner and Kristina Mascher to join them.

In 2024, an innovative composition by Paweł Tomaszewski for piano, electronics, and horn quartet was created, with the recording completed in September 2025. Together with Paweł Pudło, they organized the international educational and musical platform WarHorns – a combination of a historical lecture and a concert for 10 horns, composed as a tribute to the victims of World War II.

Hornet Quartet is the resident ensemble of CORNO – Brass Music Festival in Zielona Góra, the largest brass music festival in Poland.

The ensemble’s repertoire mainly includes classical contemporary, popular, and film music. They present compositions by Polish composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, frequently performing works originally composed for horn quartet.

In June 2018, the group recorded their first album in the Red Hall of the National Forum of Music in Wrocław.

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In the photo: Hornet Quartet, photo: Alina Żemojdzin