The year 2025 will be a special one for the Polish Composers' Union, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the association of Polish composers.
A century ago, the Polish Composers' Association was established, with Karol Szymanowski himself involved in its creation. The association also functioned during the war, helping its members. In 1945, President Adam Wieniawski presented the report on the activities of the Association at the Polish Composers' Congress convened by the new authorities in Cracow. Contrary to the community's hopes for the continuation of its activities, the association was dissolved, and the communist authorities established a new Polish Composers' Union. In 1948, musicologists joined the composers, with the expectation that their role, as dictated by the communists, would be to oversee the adherence to socialist realism in composers' works. However, the Union’s community resisted such pressures and, after the Stalinist era, functioned autonomously, at times contesting the actions of the authorities not only in the field of culture.
Today, despite the departure of communism, Polish composers and musicologists remain united in the same association, to their mutual benefit. The Polish Composers' Union is one of the most important organizations in Poland's musical life and holds a recognized position in the European composers' community. The International Festival of Contemporary Music "Warsaw Autumn," organized by the ZKP since 1956, enjoys worldwide renown. We consider ourselves the successors of Karol Szymanowski's work, which was to elevate Polish national music to the level of European universalism. This was the vision of the Polish Composers' Association a hundred years ago, and it remains the goal of the Polish Composers' Union today.
We have extensive plans to celebrate the anniversary, which we will reveal later. We can only announce a concert already agreed upon with our friendly Warsaw Philharmonic on November 14, 2025, which will conclude the 100th anniversary celebrations. The program will feature three iconic works by the greatest Polish composers of the last century. First, a work by Karol Szymanowski – the father of new Polish music and one of the founders of the Polish Composers' Association: Stabat Mater. Next, the Concerto for Orchestra by Witold Lutosławski, in which the composer's genius overcomes the socialist realism imposed by the communists at the time. Finally, Krzysztof Penderecki – Honorary President of the Polish Composers’ Union – will be represented by The Awakening of Jacob. The Warsaw Philharmonic's ensembles will be conducted by one of the most prominent Polish conductors, Antoni Wit.
In addition to the anniversary celebrations, the Polish Composers' Union will continue its traditional tasks of promoting contemporary music, documenting the works of Polish composers, popularizing contemporary pieces, and analyzing Polish musical culture. These activities include the annual 54th Polish Composers’ Union Musicological Conference titled "Music, Memory, History," which will focus on the issues of the 100th anniversary.
In May, the 66th Tadeusz Baird Young Composers' Competition will be concluded. This long-standing event, organized by the Polish Composers’ Union since 1958, has been the starting point for the careers of the most prominent Polish composers. This year's competition focused on a single-piece work or a cycle of miniatures in one of two instrumentation categories: trumpet and piano, or solo violin, viola, or cello. The response was overwhelming, with over 40 scores submitted!
Another important event to mention, although it will be an "internal" obligation, is the General Assembly of Union’s members, which will take place in 2025. This will mark the end of the current administration's two-year term, and the assembly will review the activities of the Union in recent years, outline plans for the future, and elect new leadership.
We hope for the continuation of good actions and support for valuable ideas.
So, Happy New Year 2025!
Mieczysław Kominek
