Urszula Rucka

Adjunct Instructor of Music

Urszula Rucka is an avid performer and teacher in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and has held the harp faculty position with Texas Woman’s University since 2019.

Urszula was born in Szczecin, Poland, and attended the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. She has performed in the Witold Lutoslawski Concert Studio of Polish Radio, the Philharmonic Halls in Szczecin and Bydgoszcz (Poland), and the Concert Studio of Czech Radio in Ostrava (Czech Republic). As a solo and chamber musician, Urszula has won prizes at the National Competition for Young Instrumentalists in Bydgoszcz (Poland), Competition of Duos with Harp in Cieszyn (Poland), auditions of the Polish Artistic Education Center, and concerto competitions in Poland, Oklahoma, and Texas.

In her graduate studies, she had the pleasure of working with Paul Patterson on a performance of one of his works, Spider’s Web for Harp and String Quartet. During her time as a member and assistant director of the UNT HarpBeats, the ensemble was featured in a recital at the 13^th World Harp Congress in Hong Kong, China as well as the 2018 Lyon and Healy Summer Concert Series in Chicago, IL. As a freelance musician, Urszula performs extensively as a soloist and in symphony orchestras. She enjoys collaboration with others in a chamber setting, working on standard repertoire as well as new works.

Urszula is currently a doctoral candidate and teaching fellow at the University of North Texas under the tutelage of Dr. Jaymee Haefner. In her research, Urszula explores the development of the harp scene in North Texas with a focus on the history of the UNT harp department. As a board member of the American Harp Society in Dallas, she dedicates her time to supporting the local harp community.

Page last updated 4:05 PM, August 21, 2024