Prof. Szymon Pietrzak was born in Katowice, Poland. He received his early musical education at the Stanisław Moniuszko Primary Music School in Katowice, in the class of Prof. Michal Mitko, and graduated with honours from the Karol Szymanowski Secondary Music School in Katowice, where he studied with Prof. Katerina Wieczorek.

In 2007, he enrolled in the Karol Szymanowski Music Academy in Katowice, where he obtained his first degree, Master of Arts, in the class of Prof. Marek Nosal and Prof. Marcin Dylla. After graduating in 2012, he continued his studies at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where he obtained his second degree, Master of Music, in 2015, studying with Prof. Jukka Savijoki.

As a musician, he has performed in Poland, England, Finland, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Ukraine. He is a laureate of several international guitar competitions, including the most significant:

1st Prize at the International Guitar Competition in Żory (Poland, 2006)

1st Prize at the International Guitar Festival in Štramberk (Czech Republic, 2006)

2nd Prize at the Guitar Auditions in Zabrze (2006)

4th Prize at the International Guitar Competition in Kyiv (Ukraine, 2006)

Prof. Pietrzak was a member of The Silesian Guitar Octet, the only active octet in the world with a stable line-up. The ensemble performed in numerous cities across Poland and internationally (Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Slovakia, Sweden, Austria, Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom). In 2010, the Octet recorded the CD album "The XXth Century". The ensemble has recorded for BBC World Television and Polish Radio, and in 2009, it received a nomination for the "Fryderyk" award—Poland's most important music recognition.

He has worked as a guitar professor in Poland, Finland, and several music schools in Croatia (Delnice, Labin, Lovran, Fužine, and Buzin). He currently works as a guitar professor at the Vatroslav Lisinski Music School in Zagreb (since 2019) and at the Bonar Music School in Zagreb (since 2021).

Driven by a deep commitment to guitar pedagogy, he has successfully guided his students to significant success on the global stage. His students have achieved top results at some of the most prestigious international classical guitar competitions, such as the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) in the USA, Michele Pittaluga Junior in Italy, the International Guitar Competition in Katowice, Poland, and the Altamira Gorizia International Classical Guitar Competition. His students consistently achieve high results in national and international competitions across a wide geographical area, including Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, and the United States.

For his outstanding pedagogical work and student achievements, the Agency for Education and Training and the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia awarded him the highest Croatian recognition for "Excellence in Teaching" in the 2024/2025 school year.