The Academic Choir of Warsaw University began its activity in 1921, along with establishing the Academic Music Society. Eugeniusz Jarra, a professor of philosophy, became the first responsible for the society and acted as its guardian until 1939. The Academic Music Society, with its several sections (dramatic, orchestral, choral and solo ones), attracted the youth from all the departments of all the colleges and universities of Warsaw.

In 1935 the choir changed its name to 'Lira', according to professor Jarry's suggestion, who wanted to refer to the choir of that particular name having been established in 1915 at Warsaw University. Feliks Rybicki was still the conductor; then, for a brief period, he was succeeded by Jan Maklakiewicz, and shortly before the war Maklakiewicz was replaced by Tomasz Kiesewetter. The repertoire of the choir included mostly folk and patriotic songs, the main source of which was to be found in Piotr Maszyński's songbooks. Rybicki composed a few pieces especially for the choir itself.

The Academic Choir of the Music Society appeared onstage not only at home but also abroad. Among various keepsakes of the ex-members there was an invitation to the concert in Riga on 30th April 1936.

WWII put an abrupt end to all the cultural activities of the academic circles in Warsaw. The choir was reactivated at the beginning of the 1950s due to Stanisław Młynarczyk, a student of both the Polish Institute of Warsaw University and music school. The first rehearsals were held in a Student Club room in a building situated near the main university entrance, and later in the Auditorium Maximum rooms. The document prepared by the rector of Warsaw University for the Ministry of Higher Education, dated 30th March 1955 and giving information on the university artistic groups, includes the following details about the choir: 'an ensemble gathering the students of all the colleges and university institutes of Warsaw, established in March 1954, with circa fifty members. (...) a wide repertoire, but irregular attendance and the lack of an upright piano to accompany make it difficult to work'. Folk music was the main part of the choir repertoire although it was problematic to find the suitable literature, notation and choral arrangements. That is why Stanisław Młynarczyk arranged many pieces by himself. At that time songs praising the then political system were especially important, and in that case it was much easier to get notation and arrangements for a particular choir section. The choir performed Polish pieces as well as Soviet ones, which was indispensable especially during May Day ceremonies or the October Revolution anniversaries.

Edward Jozajtis, an experienced musician and teacher, became the first official conductor of the reactivated choir. Soon the choir came to be a vital part of academic life; it performed during academic ceremonies and international student camps, appeared onstage in Warsaw and other cities. The repertoire included the songs of M. Krzyński and P. Maszyński, and the works of Chopin and Brahms.

From 1960, for three years running, Zbigniew Soja, a distinguished musicologist and educator, acted as a choirmaster and conductor of the ensemble. At that time all the rehearsals were held at Miodowa Street, in a building of the Music School in Warsaw. The choir performed at various ceremonies at home, and in 1962 it made its first journey abroad - to German Democratic Republic. In May 1963 the choir won the 4th prize at the National Student Choir Competition in Gdańsk. The same year Mirosław Perz, a young musician and musicologist, an enthusiast of Old Polish music and twentieth-century works, became a choirmaster. It was highly natural for the choir to be strictly connected with the Institute of Music of Warsaw University. Rehearsals were held in the rooms of the Institute on the 8th floor of the Culture and Science Palace in Warsaw. The choir started to perform the works of such composers as G. De Machaut, H. Purcell, A. Scarlatti, C. Monteverdi, J.S. Bach, M. Gomółka, Wacław of Szamotuły, B. Pekiel and many others. At the turn of March and April 1964 the ensemble was on its first big tour of the former Yugoslavia. Due to intensive work, the choir won its first important prizes: the 1st prize at the Amateur Choir Competition of the Golden Laurel of Polish People's Republic (1965) and the 2nd prize at the National Student Choir Competition in Szczecin (1967). In October 1967 the choir was on tour of Finland.

In October 1968 Mirosław Perz went on a scholarship to Italy; the choir was taken over by Maciej Jaśkiewicz, a graduate of the Conductor Department at the State Music College (now: the Music Academy) in Warsaw. In April 1969, the choir went to Switzerland to participate in the International Choir Festival in Montreaux ,where it was awarded a diploma. The upcoming achievements included: the 3rd prize at the National Student Choir Festival in Cracow in May 1969; the 1st prize and the Bronze Lute Award at the 'Legnica Cantat 3' Competition in June 1969; the 3rd prize at the National Student Choir Competition 'Polish Contemporary Music' in Gliwice in April 1970; the Cup of the Rector of the State Music College at the Warsaw Student Choir Competition, and the 1st prize at the 'Legnica Cantat 4' Competition in June 1970; the 1st prize for the mixed choir and the Steel Tuning-Fork International Trophy Award at the International Choir Festival in Middlesborough, England in June/ July 1970. In 1971 the choir was given the award of the Ministry of Culture and Art. on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

In August 1971 the choir toured Europe-the ensemble visited the former Czekoslovakia, Austria, Italy, France, German Democratic Republic and German Federal Republic giving many concerts there. In March 1972 Mirosław Perz, already a reader professor of musicology, became a choirmaster again. He worked with the ensemble for six years running and supplemented its repertoire with some Renaissance, Baroque and classicism pieces as well as with contemporary Polish music. That was the time of many concerts given at home and abroad. Perz acted as the choirmaster until 30th September 1977, and only once, in September 1975, being seriously ill, he let Jolanta Grzymska, the State Music College student, take over the choir during the tour of France and German Federal Republic.

In the academic year of 1977/ 78 the choir was run by Andrzej Chmielowiec, a young and talented conductor. In 1979 he was succeeded by Andrzej Banasiewicz, who introduced the works that had never been performed in Poland before, e.g. Mozart's Missa Brevis in D major . In May 1979, at the 'Legnica Cantat 12' Competition, the choir won two prizes: for the best mixed choir and for the best academic choir, and in December it was awarded a diploma at the 3rd Warsaw Choir Festival. In summer 1979 the choir went to Holland; the next year it appeared onstage in Spain. Everywhere the ensemble was winning praise from audiences and critics alike.


From April 1981 to March 1982 the choir was run by Andrzej Potapczuk. Due to martial law, between 13th December 1981 and March 1982 all the classes at the university were suspended and so were the rehearsals. In April 1982 the choir members could sing again, with a new choirmaster Mirosław Kapsa, a post-graduate of the Musicology Institute of Warsaw University. In November he was replaced by Kazimierz Bukat, a graduate of the State Music College in Warsaw. A new repertoire prepared by Bukat included, among others, the works of M. Gomółka, M. Zieleński, B. Pekiel, G.G. Gorczycki, H.L. Hassler, T. Tomkins, T. Morley, H. Purcell, H. Schutz, J.S. Bach, A. Scarlatti, K. Szymanowski. In May 1983, at the 'Legnica Cantat 15' Festival, the choir was awarded the Wacław Lachman Prize. In May 1984 the choir visited Italy and Spain and gave many concerts there. On the occasion of J.S. Bach's 300th birthday it performed his Magnificat in D major in the Auditorium Maximum and St John's Cathedral in Warsaw. In September the choir was on a three-week tour of Spain and performed mostly Polish music there.

In January 1986 Janusz Wiliński, a 5th year student of Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw, became another choirmaster. On the occasion of its 65th anniversary, the choir and the Baroque orchestra 'Concerto Avenna' performed Vivaldi's Gloria RV 589 and Bach's Gloria in Excelsis Deo BVW 191 at the Music Academy in Warsaw. In July 1986 the ensemble appeared onstage in Great Britain; in Poland, the choir performed with the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, the Szczecin Philharmonic and in the Oliwska Cathedral. In May 1987 the choir won the 1st prize for the best academic choir at the 'Legnica Cantat 19' Festival; the performance of Roman Palestra's Gloria from his Missa Brevis was acknowledged to be the best interpretation of a contemporary musical work. On 13th June 1987 the Academic Choir of Warsaw University and other ensembles performed during a solemn mass celebrated by the pope John Paul II at the end of the National Eucharistic Congress. In February 1988 the choir went to Finland to appear in twenty concerts in fifteen towns.

In April 1988 Kazimierz Bukat became the conductor of the ensemble for the second time in his career. He prepared the choir for the celebration of Bologne University's 900th anniversary. The programme of fifteen pieces included Old Polish music and the works of C. Monteverdi, J.S. Bach, H. Purcell, S. Wiechowicz, K. Szymanowski, K. Penderecki. The choir also performed in Noceto, Palestrina, Rome and in the Vatican, in St Peter's Basilica, where along with the Sistine Chapel Choir it performed during a mass celebrated by John Paul II.

In September 1989 Andrzej Borzym became a new choirmaster and conductor. At the turn of September and October the choir visited Spain and Portugal, where it performed the sacral and secular works of such composers as Wacław of Szamotuły, T.L. da Victoria, H. Purcell, A. Bruckner, T. Weelkes, J. del Ecina, K. Szymanowski, S. Wiechowicz. Between December 1990 and January 1991 the choir was on tour of Italy and performed in Mantua, Florence, Rome, Messina, Salina; the singers spent their Christmas and New Year's Eve on Scilly. The repertoire included the following works: Byrd's Ave Verum corpus , Zieleński's Vox in Rama , Thompson's Alleluia , Rachmaninov's Tebe Poem , Penderecki's Sicut Locutus Est, di Lasso's Echo , Debussy's Dieu Quil la Fait Bon and Poulenc's La Blanche Neige and Belle Et Resemblante.

In April 1991 the choir celebrated its 70th anniversary, and on the occasion of it the ensemble gave a concert in the St Cross Church relayed by the Polish Radio. Apart from the old pieces, the programme included the new a cappella works such as M. Flechy's La Negrina , G. Gabriel's Hodie Completi Sunt , I. Stravinsky's Pater Noster , and W.A. Mozart's Coronation Mass in C major.

In the following years the choir performed Mozart's Missa Brevis in C major , Great Mass in C minor and Requiem in D minor , Faure's Symphony no. 2, and Bach's The Passion of St John in such places as the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, the Beetovenhalle in Bonn, and co-operating with such orchestras as Collegium Musicum in Bonn, Wiener Akademische Philharmonie, Utrecht University Orchestra.

In October 1996 Andrzej Borzym was succeeded by Elżbieta Siczek, a 5th year student of the Music Academy in Warsaw. She took over the preparations for the choir's 75th anniversary. During the anniversary celebrations the ensemble performed its a cappella repertoire and Vivaldi's Credo (along with the 'Concerto Avenna' orchestra) in the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio. The same year the choir participated in the International Festival in Mainz (Germany) and appeared in the five performances of Mahler's Symphony no. 2 , all conducted by Michael Gielen. On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Warsaw as a capital city, the choir and other ensembles performed Bach's Symphony no. 9 . The concert was conducted by Kazimierz Kord.

At the turn of June and July 1997 the choir was on a three-week tour of Germany, France and Switzerland. After a year break Andrzej Borzym returned to the choir and prepared Mozart's Missa Brevis in B major (January 1998). In April the choir performed at the First University Choir Festival 'Universitas Cantat' in Poznań, and in May it went to Konstanz (Germany) to participate in the Polish Days Festival 'Internationales Bodensee-Festival' and perform Szymanowski's Stabat Mater along with Konstanz University Choir and the Konstanz Philharmonic. In March 1998 the Academic Choir of Warsaw University and Bonn University Orchestra 'Collegium Musicum' performed Debussy's The Martyrdom of St Sebastian - in St Anna's Church and the Witold Lutosławski Concerto Studio of the Polish Radio (broadcast live in the radio). In June 1999 the choir participated in the opening and consegration of a new building of Warsaw University Library. At the turn of June and July the choir was invited by the Spanish choirs, and appeared onstage in Madrid and Barcelona.

In October 1999 Andrzej Borzym was replaced by Szymon Paczkowski. In December the choir performed the three cantatas (I, IV, VI) from Bach's Weihnachts-Oratorium in the National Philarmonic in Warsaw and the new building of Warsaw University Library; Verdi's Requiem in the Berlin Philharmonic and the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio (February 2000), and in the Las Palmas Philharmonic (April 2001). In May 2001 the ensemble performed Handel's Juda Machabeus in the National Philharmonic in Warsaw.

In February 2003 the choir performed Carl Orff's Carmina Burana . In April the ensemble gave an a cappella concert in one of Warsaw churches; the repertoire covered the following pieces: Rachmaninov's Bogorodice Dievo , Szymanowski's traditional Kurp songs, Koszewski's Campana , and a Negro spiritual Elijah Rock . On the 3 rd of May 2004 the choir was invited to perform in the Presidential Palace to celebrate the National Constitution Day.
In the course of May the ensemble returned the compliment to Jagiellonian University Choir by participating in the third and last performance of Beethoven's 9 th Symphony . It also performed in Sankt Petersburg to celebrate the 300 th anniversary of the city. The concert covering Kilar's Exodus and Prokofiev's cantata Alexander Nevsky was given in the Sankt Petersburg Philharmonic Hall, and it was conducted by Jerzy Maksymiuk. During a one-week visit the ensemble had a chance to perform an a cappella concert at Sankt Petersburg University, and beat the university choir team at football.

Polish version by Janina Surowiec and Krzysztof Rostowski
(based on Gaudeamus: the 80th Anniversary of the Academic Choir of Warsaw University)

translated by Dagmara Łata
photos: choir's archive, Maciej Urlich