Lidia Grzanka-Urbaniak is a cellist and teacher, connected with Wrocław since her childhood. She graduated with distinction from the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław under professor Zdzisław Butor. She developed her skills at master courses in Poland, Hungary, Germany and Switzerland with such cello masters as Michael Flaksman, Kazimierz Wiłkomirski and Milos Sadlo.
She is the winner of solo and chamber music competitions in Poland and abroad. She was the co-founder of the Leopoldinum Chamber Orchestra and its concertmaster till 1996. She cooperated as a cello concertmaster with many orchestras including Menuhin Festival Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Polish Chamber Orchestra and Sinfonia Helvetica. She is also the co-founder of the Wratislavia Chamber Orchestra, which she has worked with since 1996. She gives concerts as a soloist and chamber musician. She performed repeatedly in Spain, France, Italy. Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, Iraq, the USA, Canada, China, Japan and Mexico. She premiered many contemporary works and recorded music for TONPRESS CD, KOS RECORDS, ZUK RECORDS, DUX, SONORIS, OPUS, CD Accord and for the Polish Radio and Television. She teaches at the Instrumental Faculty of the Academy of Music in Wrocław, where from 1993 to 2005 she was also the Head of the Chair of String Instruments. Among her students there are winners of national and international competitions, graduates of postgraduate master studies, doctoral studies and the Karol Szymanowski General Primary and Secondary Music School in Wrocław. So far she has been the only ordinary professor of cello in Poland. She is invited to serve on a jury of national and international auditions and competitions. She lectures at interpretation master courses and workshops in Poland, Austria, the USA and Canada. She is the Vice-President of the Foundation for Wrocław Music Culture WRATISLAVIA.