Sikora, Jan

Born and lived in Mała Łączka, a "fraction" of Koniaków [SSE of Wisła]; Son of Michał, who taught him to play the Gajdy and violin; Still a child, he took the Gajdy from its hook when his father did not see it, and tried to play; Later they played together; As a teenager, he was already playing together with Jan Wolny of Mikszówka and violinist Paweł Sikora "Babcziok"; He replaced his father in the regional ensemble of "Koniaków", and inherited from him the only surviving Gajdy made by Jan Juroszek "Przigóniok"; When I met this friendly and very sociable man in 2000 (being introduced to him by Małgorzata Kiereś, then director of the Beskid Museum, Wisła), he still lived, alone, in the wooden cottage where he was born; When his health didn’t allow it anymore, he stopped playing; In 2014 he told Katarzyna & Maciej Szymonowiczowie that "he had hidden the instrument in a safe place, so that this valuable instrument (the estimated age of which was then approximately 100 years, and on which three generations of gajdosze had played) would not fall into the wrong hands"; NB: ➺ Rafał Wałach.