Arts

The University Concert Hall
The University is involved in very animated concert activities. Concerts are both part of the process of education of young musicians and an outlet for the faculty’s artistic and scientific activity. The purpose of the concerts is to popularise the University’s achievements and to spread music among Warsaw’s music lovers. The University has regular Wednesday concerts — large symphony concerts, oratorios, recitals and chamber concerts, occasional student recitals and auditions and also student opera productions.
Several competitions take place at the University: The Tadeusz Wroński International Solo Violin Competition, the Wanda Landowska Harpsichord Competition and the Witold Lutosławski International Cello Competition.
The University also has its own Symphony Orchestra made up of students of the Department of Instrumental Studies (membership is compulsory). The Symphony Orchestra gives about 10 concerts a year. It has co-operated with many distinguished conductors: Krzysztof Biegański, Violetta Bielecka, Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk, Piotr Borkowski, Łukasz Borowicz, Andrzej Borzym jr, Tomasz Bugaj, Wojciech Czepiel, Henryk Czyż, Ryszard Dudek, Michał Dworzyński, Michael Gläser, Czesław Grabowski, José Maria Floréncio, Władysław Kabalewski, Szymon Kawalla, Jacek Kaspszyk, Michał Klauza, Benedykt Konowalski, Kazimierz Kord, Jan Krenz, Krzysztof Kusiel-Moroz, Pavel Lando, Larry Livingston, Witold Lutosławski, Bogusław Madey, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Maja Metelska, Wojciech Michniewski, Marcin Nałęcz-Niesiołowski, Michał Nesterowicz, Maciej Niesiołowski, Grzegorz Nowak, Mieczysław Nowakowski, Krzysztof Penderecki, Marek Pijarowski, Janusz Powolny, Janusz Przybylski, Paweł Przytocki, Wojciech Rajski, Arnold Rezler, Witold Rowicki, Zygmunt Rychert, Jerzy Salwarowski, Jerzy Semkow, Ruben Silva, Andrzej Straszyński, Jerzy Swoboda, Evgeny Volynsky, Bruno Weil, Tadeusz Wicherek, Kazimierz Wiłkomirski, Stanisław Wisłocki, Antoni Wit, Bohdan Wodiczko, Tadeusz Wojciechowski, Monika Wolińska, Sławek A. Wróblewski, Ryszard Zimak.

The University Choir
Another orchestra, the Chopin Academia Orchestra, was established in 1995. Jan Stanienda takes care of it. This 15-member string ensemble (which is enlarged if necessary) is made up of students. It plays baroque music (Bach, Corelli, Vivaldi), classical music (Beethoven, Mozart) and modern music (mostly by Polish composers).
The University Choir is made up of first and second year students from Departments 1, 2, 6 and part of Department 3, about 100 members in all. In the period of 1982–2006 the artistic director of the choir was prof. Ryszard Zimak; at present this function is held by prof. Krzysztof Kusiel-Moroz. Its major productions include: Magnificat and Mass in B Minor by J. S. Bach, Requiem by W. A. Mozart and G. Fauré, Stabat Mater by F. Poulenc and K. Szymanowski and many pieces a capella. The University has a chamber choir — the Chopin Vocal Consort — which specialises in early choir music from Renaissance to baroque. It also houses the Warsaw Boys Choir led by Krzysztof Kusiel-Moroz. The choir sings music from all historical periods. The choir is the place where students from Department 5 can practice and it also gives many performances.
Concert Bureau
Zofia Malcolm, Beata Fiugajska and Magdalena Kowalczyk from the Concert Bureau are always willing to provide information about current concerts, competitions and other similar events. The bureau is in room 207,
tel. (48 22) 827 72 41 ext. 235
e-mail: bk@chopin.edu.pl

