He studied at the Academy of Music in Kraków: in 1971-74 – composition under Lucjan Kaszycki (graduation with honors), in 1972-75 – conducting under Jerzy Katlewicz, in 1974-74 – electronic music under Józef Patkowski. In 1982 he completed postgraduate studies in composition at the Guildhall School of Music in London under the academic supervision of Alfred Nieman and Robert Saxon, in 1986 he went on a computer training internship at the EMS in Stockholm under the supervision of Lars Gunnar Bodin and Tamas Ungvary, whereas in 1991 he was at the GMEB in Bourges at the invitation of Françoise Barrière.
Szeremeta’s co-operation with prof. Kaszycki resulted in his first graphic score (Tygodniówka, 1971), recorded at Telewizja Polska, the national TV broadcaster, in Kraków. The work was performed by a Cracovian jazz-rock group, Janusz Grzywacz’s Laboratorium under the baton of composer. This was an important step forward in the composer’s career and the first step to gaining recognition in Europe.
After graduation Szeremeta was member of the jazz quartet Novi Singers from 1977 until 1985 when the band split. During that period Szeremeta was one of the first Polish musicians to sing scat. The quartet performed both in Poland and abroad. While part of the group, Szeremeta transcribed and reworked numerous Polish folk music pieces, Christmas carols and Fyderyk Chopin’s mazurkas. The reactivated band performed at the Autumn International Festival of Contemporary Music in 2001.
In 1981 Szeremeta debuted at the Warsaw Autumn International Festival of Contemporary Music with the piece Advocatus diaboli conducted by Andrzej Markowski. In 1982 he completed postgraduate studies in composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under the academic supervision of Alfred Nieman and Robert Saxton. He cooperated with Polish Radio’s Jazz Orchestra Studio in Warsaw, led by Andrzej Trzaskowski. From 1985 to 1998 he was the manager of the Polish Radio Experimental Studio in Warsaw. At that time he also performed with the trio Crossover, founded together with Jan Pilch and David Pituch. He has been a member of the International Confederation of Electroacustic Music in Bourges since 1986. In the same year, he went on a computer training internship in Elektronmusikstudion in Stockholm under the supervision of Lars Gunnar Bodin and Tamas Ungvary. In 1987 he was given a Henryk Wars Award for lifetime achievement by the ZAiKS Association of Authors and Composers. In the 1990s he was a member of the Warsaw Autumn Festival’s Repertoire Committee of the Warsaw Autumn Festival International Festival of Contemporary and a vicepresident of the Polish Composers’ Union. Since 1990 he has been collaborating with Besta Film, ARD, ZDF, SDF, Arte, 3 Sat, as well as with the Swiss multimedia publishing company Arcadia Music Services International which has published his four monographic albums. He presented his works in New York (Lincoln Center) and Philadelphia (University of Pennsylvania) in 1991.
Ryszard Szeremeta is the winner of many composing contests. The most important prizes to be listed are: Grand Prix of the Tadeusz Baird Young Composers' Competition (1977), award in the Polish Radio Competition (1979), award in the Competition of Electroacoustic Music in Bourges (1981), award in the Competition of Electronic Music in Varèse (1984), award in the Competition of the International Electroacoustic Tribune in Oslo (1989) and the award of the European Broadcasting Union Tribune in Budapest (1995).
The composer’s outstanding achievements include nine world premieres at the Warsaw Autumn International Festival of Contemporary Music concerts. Triple Concerto for 3-tape exposition (1995), presented at the aforementioned festival, was awarded in the EBU contest and included by the jury of the International Society for Contemporary Music to the programme of the World Days of Music in 1997.