Born in 1951 in Ruda Śląska (Poland), he studied composition with Henryk Mikołaj Górecki and piano with Czesław Stańczyk at the Katowice State Higher School of Music (now the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music) in 1970-76. In addition to his commitments as a soloist and chamber musician, he teaches at the Szymanowski Academy of Music. From 1996 he has been a professor and the Director of its Composition, Conducting and Theory Department. At present he is Rector of the Academy.
He performs mainly 20th-century music repertoire as a pianist. His co-operation with the Silesian Quartet in 1980s resulted in many recordings. His performance of Vingt régards sur l'Enfant Jésus by Messiaen was recorded and released on cd by Vifon. He has given performances at the 'Warsaw Autumn', 'Saint Denis' (Paris), 'Octobre en Normandie' (Rouen) and Encontros Gulbenkian de Musica Contemporanea (Lisbon) festivals, as well as at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.
He has received many awards for his pieces including Third Prize for Concerto grosso at the Chamber Music Competition in Vienna (1977), First Prize for Corale, interludio e aria at the 'Young Musicians for the Young City' Festival in Stalowa Wola (Poland) in 1979, First Prize for String Quartet at the International Composers' Rostrum in Paris (1984). His honours also include the Stanisław Wyspiański Artistic Award, First Degree, for Islands (1985), 'Silesian Polyhymnia' Award for his chamber works (1985), membership of Katowice 'Leaders Lodge' for his operatic achievements (1997), Polish Composers' Union Award (1997) and the President of the City of Katowice Award (1999).
In 1988, to a commission from Gérard Monnaie, Director of the 'La Monnaie' Opera in Brussels, Eugeniusz Knapik embarked on an opera cycle, The Minds of Helena Toubleyn (text by Jan Fabre). The first opera, Das Glas im Kopf wird vom Glas was premiered in 1990 at De Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp, the second - Silent Screams, Difficult Dreams - was presented during 'Documenta IX' in Kassel. The premiere of three scenes from the third part of trilogy, La libertà chiama la libertà, was held on the closing night of the 'Warsaw Autumn' 1996.
Knapik's collaboration with Jan Fabre resulted also in four ballets, staged in 90s in Frankfurt, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, Salzburg, Ottawa, Antwerp and Tokyo.

Selected works (since 1980): String Quartet (1980), Partita per violino e pianoforte (1980), Hymn for clarinet, trombone, cello and piano (1980), Versus for organ (1982), Islands for string orchestra (1984), Strophes for baritone, horn and organ (1985), opera trilogy The Minds of Helena Troubleyn to a text by Jan Fabre: section I - Das Glas im Kopf wird vom Glas (1987-89), section II - Silent Screams, Difficult Dreams (1990), section III - La libertà chiama la libertà (1993-96), Quando la terra si rimette in movimento, balet, libretto Jan Fabre (1995), Three Solos, ballet, libretto by Jan Fabre (1995), Up into the Silence, songs for soprano, baritone and orchestra to a text by edward e. cummings and Jan Fabre (1996-2000), Tha' Munnot Waste No Time for three pianos and clarinet (1998), I Come to You for soprano and chamber orchestra, to words by Edward Stachura (2001).

The piece Corale, interludio e aria was written in 1978, i. e. a year after my debut at the 'Young Musicians for a Young City' Festival in Stalowa Wola. The aim of the composers' competition organized on that occasion was to bring out what was characteristic of the music of our generation and what would be representative of its ideas and artistic views on freedom, independence and originality in art.
It was a time when the unfulfilled hopes of modernism were dying out, to be replaced by a post-modernist hybrid. Few people remembered then the famous idea of Boulez 'no longer to make music out of harmony, melody and rhythm.' We know today that it was a time of re-valuation and search for an alternative to the then binding musical reality.
Written under such circumstances, Corale, interludio e aria for flute, harpsichord and strings is a reflection of the spirit of the Stalowa Wola Festivals. The two main movements of the piece are studies of harmony (corale) and melody (aria). Corale is constructed entirely from elementary harmonic units - dyads. The play of tension resulting from the sequence of consonant dyads (from unison to major third) constitutes the basic fabric of this section. The aria, which follows after a brief interlude, is an apotheosis of melody and of the forces contained in the horizontal succession of sounds. In its entirety it is an unending melody, based on steadily pulsating sound matter.
Corale, interludio e aria won First Prize at the Stalowa Wola Competition in 1979. It was premiered during the same festival, by students of the Academy of Music in Cracow conducted by Stanisław Welanyk. The piece is dedicated to Krzysztof Droba.
Eugeniusz Knapik