L. Barwinski-Brown
Leszek Barwiński-Brown is an internationally recognized cultural executive whose career has helped shape the worlds of classical music, music education, and international arts philanthropy.
For more than three decades, he has led landmark initiatives across Europe and the United States, collaborated with many of the world’s most distinguished artists—including Lang Lang, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Anna Netrebko, Cecilia Bartoli, Renée Fleming, Jessye Norman, Krystian Zimerman, Anne-Sophie Mutter, as well as renowned conductors Daniel Barenboim, Sir Simon Rattle, Seiji Ozawa, and Zubin Mehta, among many others—and built enduring partnerships among the world’s leading cultural institutions, universities, governments, and philanthropic leaders.
As Chief Executive Officer of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation®, he has become a leading advocate for expanding access to music education, nurturing exceptional young talent, and advancing music as a powerful force for cultural diplomacy.
Mr. Barwiński-Brown began his international career in the recording industry. In 1997, he joined the global headquarters of Philips Classics International in Amsterdam as Director of Creative Marketing, overseeing worldwide artist branding, creative marketing, and product development. During this period, he contributed to Great Pianists of the 20th Century, a landmark 200-CD collection that remains one of the largest collaborative recording projects in classical music history.
In 1999, he joined Universal Music Austria in Vienna as Director of the Classical and Jazz Division, leading the strategic development, marketing, and commercial growth of internationally renowned labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Philips Classics, Mercury Classics, Verve, Impulse!, Concord, MPS, and Amadeo. His work included the internationally acclaimed Concert for Europe at Schönbrunn Palace, collaboration with Austria’s national broadcaster Ö1 on the educational anthology Ö1 Klassiker, and the internationally successful Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert recordings.
In 2004, he co-founded Classical Clubbing, an innovative initiative that introduced younger audiences to classical music through a contemporary social format. In 2010, he became the first Casting Director of the Polish National Opera in Warsaw, helping bring internationally acclaimed artists, including Renée Fleming and Edita Gruberová, to perform in Poland for the first time.
In October 2011, at the invitation of philanthropist Sanford I. Weill, Mr. Barwiński-Brown relocated to New York to become Chief Executive Officer of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation®. Under his leadership, the Foundation has expanded its educational initiatives across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, creating educational opportunities for more than 250,000 children. Through concerts, educational programs, performances, digital initiatives, and public engagement, the Foundation’s activities have reached more than 2.89 million people worldwide.
He has strengthened the Foundation’s flagship initiatives, including Keys of Inspiration®, Young Scholars™, and Music Heals®, while establishing long-term collaborations with The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Royal College of Music, the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw), the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, the University of Cambridge, the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, the Aspen Music Festival and School, Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Cleveland Institute of Music, as well as leading orchestras, ministries of education, public school systems, and philanthropic organizations worldwide.
His contributions to international culture have been recognized with the Gold Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland, awarded by the President of the Republic of Poland for promoting Polish culture abroad, and the Manager of the Year Award presented by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.
Widely respected for his ability to unite artists, educators, cultural institutions, governments, philanthropists, and corporate leaders around a shared vision, Mr. Barwiński-Brown has become a prominent advocate for music education, cultural diplomacy, and international collaboration. His leadership reflects a lifelong belief that artistic excellence and educational opportunity should be accessible to every young person, regardless of background. Through his work, he continues to demonstrate how music can inspire talent, strengthen communities, and build lasting bridges across cultures.
In October 2011, he relocated to New York City to begin his work with the Lang Lang International Music Foundation®.
Throughout his career, Mr. Barwinski-Brown has worked with leading world artists such as: Lang Lang, Anne Netrebko, Rollando Villazón, Juan Diego Floréz, Cecilia Bartoli, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Jessye Norman, Magdalena Kozena, Edita Gruberova, René Fleming, Mischa Maisky, Alfred Brendel, Anne–Sophie Mutter, Krystian Zimerman, Wiener Philharmoniker, Lorin Maazel, Claudio Abbado, Zubin Mehta, Christian Thielemann, Seiji Ozawa.
In 2005, he was awarded a Gold Cross of Merit for his contribution to promoting Polish culture abroad by President of the Republic of Poland.
In 2006, he was awarded the title of “Manager of the Year” by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.
