Why I Chose Backun
"I chose the Backun Q Series Cocobolo bass clarinet because it impressed me in many ways: its remarkable tonal qualities, balanced sound, great responsiveness, ease of playing in the upper register, wide dynamic range across all registers, and outstanding craftsmanship."
About
Karol Sikora is a Polish clarinetist and bass clarinetist with the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra and a faculty member at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków. He maintains an active career as an orchestral musician, chamber musician, and educator.
A laureate of over 30 national and international music competition awards as both a soloist and chamber musician, Karol has been recognized across Europe for his artistry, versatility, and distinctive musical voice.
As a member of the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra, Karol performs regularly in prestigious concert halls around the world. His international tours have taken him to numerous countries, including France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, Serbia, Japan, China, and South Korea, among others.
Throughout his career, Karol has collaborated with many of the world’s most distinguished conductors, including Krzysztof Penderecki, Marek Janowski, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Andrey Boreyko, Eiji Ōue, Alexander Vedernikov, Neville Marriner, and Vasily Petrenko. He has also performed alongside eminent soloists such as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Rafał Blechacz, Nelson Goerner, Bruce Liu, Aleksandra Kurzak, Alena Baeva, Bomsori Kim, Makoto Ozone, Nelson Freire, Pinchas Zukerman, Dang Thai Son, and Alexander Kantorow.
As a versatile musician, he has appeared with many leading Polish orchestras, including the National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw, the Cracow Philharmonic, the Beethoven Academy Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Polish Radio in Warsaw, Sinfonietta Cracovia, and the Łódź Philharmonic.
Deeply engaged in chamber music, Karol is a founding member of several ensembles, including the reed quintet Reedbeat and the bass clarinet quartet Bassreeds. His musical interests range from classical and romantic repertoire to contemporary works and new compositions written for clarinet.
Karol has taken part in masterclasses with world-renowned clarinetists such as Florent Héau, Shirley Brill, Jonathan Cohler, Gábor Varga, Nuno Pinto, David Krakauer, Nina Janßen-Deinzer, Michel Lethiec, François Benda, Eduard Brunner and Jean-Marc Fessard.
Since 2022, he has been an artist collaborating with Chedeville Mouthpieces, and in 2025 he joins the roster of Backun Musical Services as an endorsing artist.
