Conductors Inspire the Podkarpacie Community to Engage in Choral Singing
Over the past twenty years, conductors and vocalists employed at the Faculty of Music of the University of Rzeszów have undertaken extensive initiatives aimed at activating the Podkarpacie community—particularly members of local amateur choirs—to participate in professional artistic projects of international scope. Amateur choirs were consolidated and prepared by the conductors to perform concerts both in Poland and abroad (Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy).
As a result of these efforts, the following outcomes were achieved: an increase in the number of singers in individual choirs, a rise in the artistic level of amateur choristers, greater motivation for artistic activity, improved attendance at rehearsals and concerts, the creation of new vocal‑instrumental compositions, the development of social competences, and the formation of new social bonds. Additional substantive support for the choristers was provided during vocal workshops led by M. Gallas, G. Oliwa, J. Ścibor, A. Marek‑Kamińska, B. Stasiowska‑Chrobak, and K. Sobas.
The beginnings of activities focused on building and developing the amateur singing movement are connected with the participation of conductors from the Faculty of Music UR in the programs “Singing Poland” (since 2006, coordinated in Podkarpacie by G. Oliwa) and “Visegrad Choral Bridges” (2017–2024, coordinated by G. Oliwa and K. Sobas). The artistic projects were supported by the creation of compositions written specifically for the performance needs of particular choral ensembles. D. Lasota composed “Credo of the Cursed,” “Podkarpackie Mass,” “Stabat Mater,” and the musical spectacle “Music of a Thousand and One Nights.”
The culmination of the conductors’ achievements in this area were international concert cycles:
- G. Oliwa carried out the concert series “Musical Call for Peace,” inviting three amateur ensembles (around 85 participants) who performed in Poland and Germany.
- A. Marek‑Kamińska invited approximately 600 participants from 30 amateur choirs and vocal ensembles to her artistic projects, which were presented in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Italy.
- K. Sobas, within the project “Treasures Don’t Walk on Foot – A Musical Tale about Ignacy Łukasiewicz,” integrated and prepared choirs from first‑level music schools in Błażowa, Jeżowe, Ropczyce, Rymanów, and Strzyżów, who later performed at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice and at the Podkarpackie Philharmonic.
The choristers performed in exceptional places of worship (St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican—before Pope Francis, St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, St. Nicholas Church in Hamburg), in professional concert halls (Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice, Podkarpackie Philharmonic), and in concert halls of foreign universities in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.
Through the activities of the Faculty of Music UR staff, the musical heritage of the Podkarpacie region has been intensively promoted abroad. Both the original compositional output and the manner of its presentation by Polish performers have had a wide-reaching impact on the social environment.
Interview with Deputy Mayor Krystyna Stachowska available at the link: