His student years were particularly fruitful. Numerous competition titles culminated in a Magna cum Laude medal for best student at the university, as well as the title of Cultural Ambassador of Tychy. Earlier awards include 1st prize at the National Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition (2018), 2nd prize at the 1st Karol Szymanowski International Music Competition in Katowice, and 3rd prize at the 1st International Competition of Polish Music in Rzeszów. These were followed by even more prestigious successes. In 2022, Krzyżowski became the first Pole ever to win 1st prize at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski International Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz, where he also received special awards for the best performance of a Mozart concerto and for the best performance among Polish contestants. Commenting on his playing, critic Agata Nowakowska-Gumiela wrote:
‘Undoubtedly, what distinguishes this pianist – apart from excellent technique – is his deep sensitivity and beautiful, rounded tone’.
In addition, he received 1st prize in the Warsaw Piano Grand Prix 2023 (along with a qualification for the main competition in Dubai) and in the 12th Artur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz, winning special prizes for the best performance of a work by Karol Szymanowski and for the best concerto performance. Last but not least – in 2021, Krzyżowski reached Stage III of the 18th International Chopin Competition, and in 2025 he successfully qualified for the 19th edition.
Unlike many of his peers in the Chopin Competition, Krzyżowski’s affinity for the composer came relatively late – something he believes has contributed to the freshness of his interpretations. As he shared with Twoje Tychy magazine in 2021:
‘I’ve always enjoyed listening to Chopin’s music, but... I hated playing it. I only started playing him two years ago, when I decided to enter the competition. Looking back, I think it was a good thing – I wasn’t “contaminated” by other interpretations, and I could bring something personal to the pieces’.
Asked about the reason behind his initial reluctance, he added:
‘I felt terrible playing this music. Someone once told me, years earlier, that I was completely unsuited to playing Chopin – and that stuck with me. [...] It was in middle school. I don’t remember their arguments, but I remember exactly who said it and when. It clearly made an impression, because it blocked me for many years’.
His many competition wins have opened doors to concert tours and recitals, leading to performances at major venues such as the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, the Silesian Philharmonic, and the Cracow Philharmonic, as well as internationally in the United States, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. On his relationship with music competitions, Krzyżowski told Radio PiK:
‘[…] I’ve done my fair share of competitions and I’ve learned how to manage my energy and approach each performance with the right mindset. Am I a “competition soul”? I do enjoy them, because I don’t feel that sense of competition – not because I feel I’ll win or that I’m better, but because nowadays the atmosphere among competitors is actually very friendly. People no longer come just to win – it’s more like a festival approach. Pianists from around the world gather around a shared idea, around music, aiming to play as best they can and to recreate the composer’s intentions as faithfully as possible. It’s not at all like sport, mentally speaking’.
In addition to his solo achievements, Krzyżowski has recorded three albums of chamber music: Peine et Plaisir (Opus Series) – a collection of songs by Polish composers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries; as well as Interwar Retrospections and The Most Beautiful Songs (Sarton Records), featuring works by Robert Schumann, Karol Szymanowski, Maurice Ravel, and Francis Poulenc.
