The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Cracow invites you to participate in the 16th National Scholarly Conference in the series “Music in the Face of the Poetry and Teaching of Karol Wojtyła and John Paul II”, held as part of the 20th John Paul II Days under the theme “(Un)certainty”. The conference will take place in the Prof. Mieczysław Tomaszewski Senate Hall of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Cracow, on November 3–4, 2025.
Since 2010, the sessions in the series “Music in the Face of the Poetry and Teaching of Karol Wojtyła and John Paul II” have been part of the events initiated by the Cracow academic community within the framework of the John Paul II Days. Initially, the project focused on research into music directly related to the figure of the Polish Pope, but over time it evolved into interdisciplinary meetings addressing the thought of John Paul II—expanded to include other humanistic perspectives—concerning above all the role of culture, art, and Christian values in the modern world.
This year’s edition of the John Paul II Days is titled “(Un)certainty”. Such a broadly defined theme opens up numerous opportunities for reflection on the relationship between art (especially music) and spirituality, the presence of existential questions about meaning in art, the spiritual condition of today’s world, and the resonance of these issues in musical works.
As in previous years, part of the conference will traditionally be devoted to religious musical creativity and to the role of the sacred in contemporary music and culture.
The session is co-financed by the Cracow Scientific Conferences program.
Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC
