"Wednesday at Okólnik" for the 100th Anniversary of the Polish Composers' Union

A unique intermezzo in the jubilee concert series organized by the Polish Composers’ Union will be “Wednesday at Okólnik” – a special event marking the 100th anniversary of the PCU, presented by the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. On November 5, 2025, at 7:00 PM, a program of symphonic works by composers connected over the past century with the Warsaw music academy and the Polish Composers’ Union will be performed.

The UMFC Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Rafał Kłoczko – a member of the PCU and Director of the Zielona Góra Philharmonic. The soloist will be Ryszard Groblewski, the first Polish violist ever to win a prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich.

Their performance will include masterpieces by Grażyna Bacewicz, Tadeusz Baird, and Witold Lutosławski. The concert will conclude with the Symphony No. 2 “In Memory of Dominik Połoński” by Ignacy Zalewski – Head of the Composition Department, Vice-Rector for Research at the UMFC, Chair of the Audit Committee of the ZAiKS Authors’ Association, and Secretary General of the Polish Composers’ Union.

Tickets: https://www.bilety24.pl/obiekt/uniwersytet-muzyczny-fryderyka-chopina-216.html

Detailed programme: https://100latzkp.org.pl/wydarzenia.php 

The event is co-organized by the National Institute of Music and Dance, with co-financing from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and the Capital City of Warsaw.

Co-organizer: Polish Radio Channel 2
Partners: ZAiKS Authors’ Association, Warsaw Philharmonic, Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Polish Music Publishing House

Media patronage: Polish Radio Channel 2, Presto Publishing, Waw4Free, Wolna sobota, NaM! naszemiasto.pl
Editorial collaboration: Polish Music Information Centre (POLMIC)

Program:

• Grażyna Bacewicz – Pensieri notturni for chamber orchestra (1961)
• Tadeusz Baird – Concerto lugubre for viola and orchestra (1975)
• Witold Lutosławski – Livre pour orchestre (1968)
• Ignacy Zalewski – Symphony No. 2 “In Memory of Dominik Połoński” (2018–2019)