Piotr Borkowski, a student of Bogusław Madey, was born in Warsaw in 1963 and graduated from the Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw with distinction for conducting the Warsaw National Philharmonic in diploma concert (1989), followed by a position of assistant professor in the Department of Conducting at his alma mater (1989–2000), and doctorate (PhD in Conducting, 1997). Earlier, Piotr Borkowski made his début as conductor at “Warsaw Autumn” Contemporary Music Festival (1986), and that time his professional career began. A few years later (1993) he studied conducting with Hans Graf in Vienna under a Meisterkurse für Musik scholarship. In 1995 his studies with Maestro Myung-Whun Chung and professor Ilija Musin at Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena fruited with a Diploma di Merito.

Borkowski regularly conducts many Polish orchestras (including Warsaw National Philharmonic and National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra Katowice, Polish Radio Orchestra Warsaw) and chamber groups as well as their French, Brazilian, Bulgarian, Italian (Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma), Slovakian, Swedish, North-American, German (Berliner Sinfoniker), South-Korean and Ukrainian counterparts. He has recorded for the Polish Radio, Katowice (NPRSO) and commercial outfits at home (eg Olsztyn Philharmonic, Gorzow Philharmonic) and abroad (eg Korean Chamber Orchestra, Podlasie Philharmonic, Beethoven Academy Orchestra). He recorded for “Polskie Nagrania”, “Polonia Records”, SPV GmbH, “Acte Prealable”, “SKARBO”, “DUX”, “Global Sound Media”, “Centaur Records”, “Musica Sacra Edition” and “NAXOS”. His recordings were several times nominated to the Polish phonographic award “FRYDERYK”, and in 2006 and 2008 received the award for the “Most Outstanding Polish Music Recording of the Year”.

Borkowski aspirated to the post of assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and was among the finalists in February 1995. The same year Piotr Borkowski participated in the “Antonio Pedrotti” competition with Diploma di Merito. In the years 1991–1994 he became the head of the Feliks Nowowiejski State Philharmonic Orchestra in Olsztyn (Poland) and later on its artistic director in 1994–1997. He toured France with the Olsztyn Philharmonic in 1993, South Korea with Chopin Symphony Orchestra (1997), Taiwan (2007) and China (2008, 2010) with University of Suwon Symphony Orchestra, Germany (2009 with Podlasie Philharmonic and 2012 with United Chamber Orchestra).

He was a guest professor of conducting at Taegu Keimyung University, College of Music (South Korea) and simultaneously guest conductor of the local Philharmonic Orchestra ia, at the Festival of Korean Orchestras in Seoul. Borkowski regularly conducts the major Korean orchestras, and opera companies including: KBS Orchestra, Korean Symphony, Suwon Philharmonic, Buchon Philharmonic, New Seoul Philharmonic, Gunpo-Prime Philharmonomic, Taegu City Symphony, Korea Festival Ensemble, Chonju Philharmonic and Cholla Buk Province Opera Company (2001 première of Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor”), as well as Korean Chamber Orchestra and “The Life and Dream Singers” – Chamber Opera Group (Asian premières of operas: “Mannequins” by Zbigniew Rudzinski”, “Ein fest fur Boris” by Sukhi Kang and “Aleko” by S. Rachmaninoff).

Since 1996 to 2001 Borkowski was a professor of conducting at the Hyosung Catholic University in Teagu and director of the university orchestra. In 2006–2007 Piotr Borkowski was appointed the conductor of Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra in South Korea. Since 2001 to 2011 he became the Associate Professor of Conducting and orchestra music director at the University of Suwon, School of Music where he also served as the chair of Orchestral Department. With the University of Suwon opera group he has been music director of several opera premières: WA Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”, “Così fan tutte”, “Marriage of Figaro”, “Magic Flute” and P. Mascagni’s “Cavelleria rusticana”.

Since 2008 Borkowski is a founder, artistic director and chief donductor of the Kyeonggi Festival Orchestra in South Korea. In August 2010, Borkowski was appointed the artistic director and chief conductor of The Gorzow Philharmonic in Poland, where he served until November 2012. Presently he is the music director of The United Chamber Orchestra based in Berlin.