Stanisław Moniuszko Primary & Secondary State Music School Complex in Bielsko Biała
Symphony Orchestra of the Stanisław Moniuszko State General Primary and Secondary Music School in Bielsko-Biała
Andrzej Kucybała conductor
Symphony Orchestra of the Stanisław Moniuszko State General Primary and Secondary Music School in Bielsko-Biała
The school Symphony Orchestra has attained significant artistic achievement. It has performed in Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic Italy, England and Cyprus. In April of 2014 musicians from the Orchestra joined the youth symphony orchestra at the 10th International Music Festival in Dubai. The repertoire of the orchestra, directed for the past 33 years by the principal of the school, Andrzej Kucybała, encompasses works of all music periods, from the baroque to the 20th century.
The orchestra receives invitations to perform at festivals in Poland and abroad. Since 2012 the orchestra has also been invited to perform at the La Folle Journée Festival in Warsaw and to the Polish Composers’ Festival in Bielsko-Biała. In 2013 the Orchestra won 1st place in the National Secondary Music School Orchestra Competition.
The school’s students are successful in terms of artistic and educational achievement. They are laureates of many national and international music competitions and have received scholarships from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
The school’s graduates perform on concert stages around the world as soloists and members of renowned symphony orchestras in Poland and abroad, including the National Philharmonic in Warsaw and the Berlin Philharmonic. They also teach at many music schools in Poland, the United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, France and England.
The Stanisław Moniuszko State Music School Complex in Bielsko-Biała opened on 1 September 1945, teaching all orchestral instruments, as well as organ, harpsichord and rhythmics. Since 2013 the school also educates future jazz musicians. Currently there are 385 students enrolled in the primary and general secondary school. This year, the school commenced primary music education for students who attend other general schools.
The school employs 113 teachers specialising in all areas of music and general education. In the school, there is a children’s orchestra for children aged 9-14, the School Symphony Orchestra, two choirs, more than ten chamber ensembles and a Big Band.
The music school in Bielsko-Biała is one of the best, highest-ranking music schools in Poland. In 2012 it has joined the Minister of Culture and National Heritage pilot programme for curriculum and organisational changes for artistic schools.
Andrzej Kucybała conductor
Principal of the State General Primary and Secondary Music School in Bielsko-Biała since 1982. Andzej Kucybała has been teaching for 47 years and principal of the State General Primary and Secondary Music School in Bielsko-Biała for 32 years.
Andrzej Kucybała is an exceptionally creative manager. During his long tenure at the school he was involved in the organisation of many important artistic events. In 1974-1979 he was one of the organisers of the “Young Musicians for a Young City” festival in Stalowa Wola. From 1975 he was employed by the Voivodship Office in the city of Tarnobrzeg, where he was responsible for artistic education and music culture, while simultaneously teaching in the Primary State Music School in Stalowa Wola. He worked in the Cultural Centre in Stalowa Wola as piano coach, then as conductor and artistic director of the “Lasowiacy” Song and Dance Ensemble.
In 1978–1981 he was involved in the organisation of the “Music Meetings” festival in Baranów Sandomierski. At the time, it was one of the most important music festivals in Poland. In 1976 he established and directed, until its dissolution in 1981, the Symphony Orchestra in Tarnobrzeg. In 1982 he became the principal of the music school in Bielsko-Biała. Under his direction, the school achieved the highest ever levels in both academic and artistic education.
Each year, students of the school win in national and international competitions, and also receive prizes for exceptionally talented youth. Only in the past three years 12 students have received “Young Poland” artistic scholarships from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
It is worth noting that each year, 75 to 80% of the school’s graduates get into music academies in Poland, as well as abroad. Students of the school have enrolled in the Royal Academy of Music in London and in music schools in Germany and Austria.
Kucybała must be recognised for his involvement in the construction of the school building. Since 2006, he has undertaken efforts to build a concert hall for the school. This effort was recognised in 2008 and the design developed by Mr Kucybała was accepted by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under Priority 11 – Infrastructure and the Environment. It is the first investment from this assistance program that was completed in accordance with the original deadline, in August 2010. The project, effectively in the works since 1995, has made it possible to establish optimal working conditions for teachers and students alike.
Andrzej Kucybała is an indefatigable organiser of concerts in the school’s new concert hall. Since 1 September 2010 there were more than 240 recitals and concerts featuring many renowned Polish and foreign artists, attended by approximately 40 000 music lovers from Bielsko-Biała. All the concerts and recitals were organised with funds obtained from city assistance programs, with the help of volunteers or sponsorship contracts.
As the conductor of the school symphony orchestra, Kucybała prepares several concerts each year for the Bielsko-Biała audience. Concert programs vary widely, from baroque music to 20th century contemporary music. These concerts arouse enormous interest of the public and the number of requests for invitations to these concerts often exceed the seating capacity of the concert hall. His artistic activity as the conductor of the school symphony orchestra, with which he has performed in the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Dubai and Cyprus deserves special merit. The orchestra’s artistry is top-notch and for these artistic achievements he has received the “Icarus” award of the President of the City of Bielsko-Biała, as well as medals awarded by the State, and by the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The orchestra under his direction has participated for several years in the Polish Composers’ Festival in Bielsko-Biała. In 2012 the orchestra was invited for the first time to perform at the La Folle Journée Festival in Warsaw. It has returned to the Festival in 2013.
In 2013 the orchestra won 1st place in the JURY category in the 1st National Secondary Music School Symphony Orchestra. at close of the competition it performed in the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio in Warsaw. Andrzej Kucybała received the following medals: Culture Activist’s gold medal of merit (1977), Bronze Cross of Merit (1977), Gold Cross of Merit (1987), Medal of the Commission of National Education (1995), Cavalier Cross of the order of Polonia Restituta (2005), the silver “Gloria Artis” medal (2010) and an individual award 2nd class from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (2013).
