Department of Composition and Theory of Music

The Department of Composition and Theory of Music runs teaching activity related to composition and theory of music. It focuses leading Polish composers and theoreticians. The Department’s aim is providing versatile education for its students, allowing for their independent creative and research work, thanks to equipping its graduates with composition, research and practical skills related to composition, orchestration, counterpoint, electronic music (group of subjects called “Electronic, Film and Theatre Music”), illustrative music (film and theatre music) and analysis of music pieces, history of music (Polish and foreign), and history of performance styles or history of theory of music.

Working under the supervision by experienced teachers, the Department’s students have an opportunity to actively participate in numerous concerts, conferences, courses and workshops organised by the units being part of the Department: Chair of Composition (Head: prof. dr hab. Paweł Łukaszewski), Chair of Theory of Music (Head: prof. dr hab. Marcin Łukaszewski, New Music College (Head: ad dr hab. Leszek Lorent) Chopin University Electronic Music Studio (Head: dr Wojciech Błażejczyk) and the new music ensemble functioning in collaboration with the Department of Instrumental studies known as Chopin University Modern Ensemble (Artistic Manager: dr hab. Ignacy Zalewski, prof. UMFC) and the Artistic and Academic Circle (Supervisor: as. Michała Malec). Both Chairs also have a number of major-focused labs which study the most significant topics related to music pieces in music culture. The Department gives its students an opportunity to appear on the music market on a wide scale thanks to their regular concert activity (possibility to take part in premiere performances during concerts of the Chair of Composition, New Music College and Chopin University Modern Ensemble) and collaboration with the publisher Chopin University Press (issuing scores and audio recordings). The showcase of the Department are its graduates, among them are such names as Witold Lutosławski, Paweł Szymański, Paweł Mykietyn, Andrzej Panufnik, Franciszek Maklakiewicz, Henryk Wars, Victor Young, Maciej Małecki, Augustyn Bloch, Marian Borkowski, Elżbieta Sikora, Zygmunt Krauze, Stanisław Krupowicz, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Bernadetta Matuszczak, Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz, Stanisław Moryto, Marta Ptaszyńska, Jerzy Kornowicz, Krzysztof Knittel, Kazimierz Sikorski, Tomasz Sikorski, Tadeusz Baird, Grażyna Bacewicz, Marcin Błażewicz.