Paweł Chęciński, internationally renowned classically-trained pianist, died unexpectedly in his home of natural causes on June 24, 2025 at the age of 79.

Born in Lodz, Poland, Pawel began piano studies at the age of six, attending schools for the musically gifted. At the Music Academy in Warsaw, he studied under Zbigniew Drzewiecki and Ryszard Bakst, receiving a Master of Arts degree with honors. In 1971, he was awarded a Fulbright Grant to continue his studies at Juilliard, earning Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees under Mieczyslaw Munz, later working extensively under the guidance of his mentor, the legendary Claudio Arrau.

Throughout his long performing career, Mr. Checinski's public performances in recitals and as an orchestra soloist spanned five continents, including the countries of Poland, Hungary, England, Czechoslovakia, Germany, the Soviet Union, Brazil, Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, the Republic of China, Canada, and the United States. Among the venues where he delighted audiences were the Moscow Conservatory, London's Wigmore Hall, New York's Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia's Academy of Music, and Chicago's Auditorium Theatre and Orchestra Hall.

He received numerous awards in international competitions, including the Chopin International Competition in Warsaw; the Smetana International Competition in Czechoslovakia; the International Piano Competition in Sydney, Australia; the Rachmaninov Prize at the Second International Competition of Guanabara in Rio de Janeiro; and the Ravel Centennial Medal at the first Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition in Cleveland. He has been praised for his incisive interpretations of contemporary Polish music, particularly that of Karol Szymanowski, for which he received the Szymanowski Medal from Poland.

An influential music educator, Mr. Checinski's teaching history includes positions at Pennsylvania State University, the University of British Columbia, Columbia College (SC), and Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts (Artist-in-Residence). In addition to coaching professional pianists and teaching private lessons in classical piano, he conducted master classes in the United States, Poland, Canada, and across Asia.

Pawel leaves behind an entourage of those who have loved, admired, and cherished him over the years. These include his daughter, Aurika Hays, his two grandchildren, Dante Hays and Izabela Hays, his former wife, Bozena Checinska, and countless friends, students, and companions whose lives he has touched in immeasurable ways.