Ladies and Gentlemen,
In 2025, the Polish Composers’ Union celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding. A century ago, the Polish Composers’ Association was established, with none other than Karol Szymanowski present at its inception. The Association continued to function even during the war, providing support to its members. In 1945, its president, Adam Wieniawski, presented a report on the activities of the Association at the Congress of Polish Composers convened in Kraków by the new authorities. Contrary to the community’s hopes of continuing the Association’s work, it was dissolved, and the communist authorities established a new organization — the Polish Composers’ Union.
In 1948, musicologists joined the ranks of composers, with the expectation from the communist regime that they would help ensure composers adhered to the principles of socialist realism in their work. However, the PCU community generally resisted political pressure, and after the Stalinist period, the Union operated autonomously, often expressing dissent against state policies — not only in cultural matters.
Today, despite the fall of communism, Polish composers and musicologists remain united within a single organization, to their mutual benefit. The Polish Composers’ Union is one of the most important institutions in Polish musical life and holds a respected position in the European community of composers. The International Festival of Contemporary Music “Warsaw Autumn,” organized by the PCU, enjoys worldwide renown. Launched in 1956, it took up the mission envisioned by Karol Szymanowski — to elevate Polish national music to the level of European universalism. That was the vision of the Polish Composers’ Association a hundred years ago, and it remains the mission of the Polish Composers’ Union today.
We opened our Jubilee celebrations with the ceremonial 42nd General Assembly of PCU Members on June 13–14, 2025. The 68th International Festival of Contemporary Music “Warsaw Autumn,” taking place this year from September 19 to 27, will also be part of the centenary celebration. The main event of the centenary will be a festival co-organized with the National Institute of Music and Dance, scheduled for November 3–14, 2025, in Warsaw. It will consist of nine concerts prepared by regional PCU branches from across Poland. Each concert will feature a program reflecting both local contemporary composition and regional traditions. This will be a unique opportunity to present, in one place — in Warsaw — a broad cross-section of Polish contemporary music through the lens of local musical communities.
An additional highlight of the festival will be a showcase concert by the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music dedicated to the PCU, featuring works by composers associated with the Warsaw music academy over the past 100 years. The festival will conclude with a final concert on November 14, organized and financed by the National Philharmonic. The program will include three iconic works by Poland’s greatest composers of the past century: first, Karol Szymanowski’s Symphony No. 3 "Song of the Night", Op. 27 — the father of modern Polish music and a co-founder of the Polish Composers’ Association; next, Witold Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra, in which the composer’s genius transcended the socialist realism imposed by the communist regime; and finally, Krzysztof Penderecki, Honorary President of the PCU, represented by The Awakening of Jacob. The National Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted by Antoni Wit.
All events marking the 100th anniversary of the organized Polish community of composers and musicologists and their contribution to Polish culture will be announced on a dedicated website.
https://100latzkp.bibliotekazkp.org.pl
Znajdą tu Państwo również historię Związku Kompozytorów Polskich przedstawioną w czterech artykułach oraz inne materiały związane z Jubileuszem i ZKP. Będą także osobiste wspomnienia i trochę humoru.
Oddajemy Państwu w tej chwili portal Jubileuszowy 100-lecia Związku Kompozytorów Polskich in statu nascendi, będziemy go dopełniać i rozwijać aż do kulminacji jesienią tego roku. Zapraszam!
Mieczysław Kominek
President of the Polish Composers' Union
14 June 2025
