Duo Post Scriptum explores music that was heard in Belgium at the turn of the 20th century, a rich repertoire in which recognised masterpieces coexist with unjustly neglected works. Founded in 2019, the ensemble brings together violinist Joanna Staruch-Smolec and pianist Krzysztof Potocznik. Their collaboration is rooted in a shared affinity for chamber music, nourished by a curiosity for lesser-known repertoire and historical performance practices, which they cultivate through artistic and musicological research.
At the heart of their work lies the desire to give voice once more to compositions that once resonated in Belgian salons, concert halls, and artistic circles at the turn of the 20th century. Their research has led them to rediscover a wide range of overlooked works, including pieces uncovered in Eugène Ysaÿe’s library such as the Sonata for violin and piano (1907) by Henriette Van den Boorn-Coclet.
This artistic exploration originates in Joanna Staruch-Smolec’s doctoral research (Université libre de Bruxelles – Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles), focused on the violinistic practices of Eugène Ysaÿe and completed in 2025. The collaboration between the two musicians began within this framework, shaping the identity of Duo Post Scriptum through an ongoing dialogue between research and performance.
Since its creation, the duo has performed in Belgium and internationally, with recent appearances at the Musiq3 Festival at Flagey and at the FNRS gala at BOZAR. The ensemble has also appeared at the Musique Femmes festival (Brussels), the Courants d’Airs festival (Musical Instruments Museum Brussels), the Performance Studies Network conference (University of Surrey, Guildford, UK), and the Early Recordings symposium (Guildhall School of Music, London, UK), as well as concerts organized by the Fondation Chopin Belgique, the LaM-Laboratoire de Musicologie (ULB), and the Journée de la Curiosité (CrB).
In 2025, Duo Post Scriptum was awarded second prize at the Génération Classique competition at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Charleroi. They will soon perform at the Musiq3, Midis Minimes, and Zomer van Sint-Pieter festivals.
Joanna Staruch-Smolec
Violinist and Doctor in Art et sciences de l’art, Joanna Staruch-Smolec completed her PhD in 2025 at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles (CrB) under a fellowship from the Fonds National de la recherche scientifique (FNRS). She conducted her research under the supervision of Valérie Dufour (FNRS-ULB), Véronique Bogaerts, and Vincent Hepp (CrB). Her research focuses in particular on the violinistic practices of Eugène Ysaÿe (1858–1931), combining performance-based experimentation with the study of historical sources.
A graduate of the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles (class of Léonid Kerbel, 2015), Joanna Staruch-Smolec is a laureate of the Premio Giminiani competition in Verona (4th prize), the Tadeusz Wroński Youth Competition in Tomaszów Mazowiecki (distinction), the Wernaers scholarship of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, and the prize of the Chopin Foundation Belgium. She further developed her chamber music practice with musicians such as Maxim Vengerov, Ivry Gitlis, Mark Messenger, Guy Danel, the Talich Quartet, the Debussy Quartet, and the Pražák Quartet, through programmes including Musica Mundi, Cordes en Balade, and Chamber Music for Europe.
She is a member of the orchestra iMusiciBrucellensis and the ensemble La Chapelle Sauvage since 2012, and was a violinist of the Madera Quartet from 2014 to 2017. She has performed as a soloist with the Orchestras of the Université libre de Bruxelles, of the Warmia-Masuria Region in Poland, and iMusiciBrucellensis.
She regularly gives lecture-recitals drawn from her research, participates in international conferences (Belgium, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Poland), and publishes both the scientific and artistic results of her work, notably in Early Sound Recordings: Academic Research and Practice (Routledge, 2023) and in the Revue Belge de Musicologie (2024, 2025).
A graduate of the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles (class of Léonid Kerbel, 2015), Joanna Staruch-Smolec is a laureate of the Premio Giminiani competition in Verona (4th prize), the Tadeusz Wroński Youth Competition in Tomaszów Mazowiecki (distinction), the Wernaers scholarship of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, and the prize of the Chopin Foundation Belgium. She further developed her chamber music practice with musicians such as Maxim Vengerov, Ivry Gitlis, Mark Messenger, Guy Danel, the Talich Quartet, the Debussy Quartet, and the Pražák Quartet, through programmes including Musica Mundi, Cordes en Balade, and Chamber Music for Europe.
She is a member of the orchestra iMusiciBrucellensis and the ensemble La Chapelle Sauvage since 2012, and was a violinist of the Madera Quartet from 2014 to 2017. She has performed as a soloist with the Orchestras of the Université libre de Bruxelles, of the Warmia-Masuria Region in Poland, and iMusiciBrucellensis.
She regularly gives lecture-recitals drawn from her research, participates in international conferences (Belgium, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Poland), and publishes both the scientific and artistic results of her work, notably in Early Sound Recordings: Academic Research and Practice (Routledge, 2023) and in the Revue Belge de Musicologie (2024, 2025).
Krzysztof Potocznik
He began his musical education at the age of seven in Poland where he completed the National Music School in Wrocław with highest distinction under the guidance of Katarzyna Kaczorowska. He then continued his piano studies at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where he graduated with 'grande distinction' under the tutelage of Professors Eliane Reyes and Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden. He also studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki (Finland) with Professors Erik T. Tawaststjerna and Thomas Hecht (Conservatory of Singapore), as well as at the Ingesund School of Music (Sweden) with Prof. Julia Mustonen-Dahlkvist.
A laureate of numerous international competitions held in Poland, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, and Belgium, Krzysztof notably won first prize at the 22nd International Chopin Competition in Rome, second prize and the Audience Prize at the 7th International Piano Competition in Collioure, second prize at the Andrée Charlier Piano Competition, a special prize at the 2nd Paris Competition-Festival, as well as first prize at the Juliusz Zarębski International Music Competition in Łomianki.
He has also been awarded distinctions by the Horlait-Dapsens Foundation and the Chopin Foundation in Belgium, received the Gerofi-Baschwitz and Pallemaerts prizes from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, the Wernaers scholarship from the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, as well as a scholarship from the Prime Minister of Poland for his artistic achievements.
In addition to his concert activities, Krzysztof performs regularly in concerts, festivals, and masterclasses led by renowned artists such as Andrzej Jasiński, Hans-Peter and Volker Stenzl, Janne Martonen, and Hyung-ki Joo.
Alongside his artistic career, Krzysztof teaches piano at the Academies of the City of Brussels.