The Department of Vocal Pedagogy

The Chair of Vocal Pedagogy was established in the 2019/2020 academic year. Its task is to supervise the educating of future singers in the field of opera theater, operetta, musicals and other vocal-theatrical forms, and to provide them with the widest possible range of pedagogical qualifications acquired during second-cycle studies. A particularly important form of work of the Chair is supervising the artistic and scientific activity of both students and teachers of Vocal Studies at the Faculty of Instrumental and Pedagogy, Music Education and Vocal Studies at the Białystok Branch of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music.

The traditions of building a vocal training center located east of the Vistula date back to earlier years. It was formed gradually, from the academic year 2004/2005 first as a solo singing class. Then, from the academic year 2006/2007 as a field of study carried out jointly with the Faculty of Vocal and Acting at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. The initiators of the project were: an outstanding Polish singer, teacher of many generations of singers,  at that time the Dean of the Vocal Faculty, prof. Urszula Trawińska-Moroz and  prof. Leszek Sokołowski, Dean of the Department of Instrumental and Pedagogy in Bialystok. It was supposed to be a small, but relatively dynamic center educating young adepts of vocal art for the needs of the then emerging opera house in Poland, the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic. Apart from the aforementioned prof. U. Trawińska - Moroz, ad. with the qualifications of the second degree Cezary Szyfman, ad. dr hab. Mikołaj Moroz, ad. dr hab. Anna Jeremus and ad. dr hab. Iwona Kowalkowska were invited to cooperate . Over time, the teaching staff was also supported by ad. Ewa Iżykowska and prof. Włodzimierz Zalewski. Among the pianists there were ad. Dr. Urszula Iżbicka, lect. Adam Kondratowicz, Ewelina Mucha - Kondratowicz, lect. Krzysztof Kiercul, lect. Elżbieta Uss - Jońska, ad. dr. Katarzyna Makal-Żmuda.

The composition of the teaching staff of the Vocal Studies faculty underwent a natural transformation. Courtesy of the authorities of the Vocal and Acting Department in the persons of subsequent Deans, prof. Ryszard Cieśla and prof. Jerzy Knetig and the Head of the Department of Vocal Studies, prof. Małgorzata Marczewska joined the group of singing teachers: ad. dr hab. Krystyna Jaźwińska - Dobosz and ad. Dr. Eugenia Rozlach. At the same time, thanks to the efforts of the Dean of the Department of Instrumental and Pedagogy, prof. Bożenna Sawicka, with the considerable support of the then Rector of the UMFC, prof. Ryszard Zimak, a long-term program of building faculty's own teaching staff was started.

Pursuant to the resolution of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music Senate of March 2010, the Chair of Vocal Studies is established, which begins its activity on October 1 of that year. By the decision of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (May 12, 2016) – Department of Instrumental and Pedagogy in Białystok, headed by prof. B. Sawicka, obtains the right to conduct first-cycle and second-cycle studies with an academic profile in the field of vocal studies from the 2016/2017 academic year. In the academic year 2017/2018, the Chair of Vocal Studies is transformed into the Chair of Vocal Pedagogy. From the beginning (2010) the unit has been headed by prof. dr hab. Cezary Szyfman. 

The result of several years of work both by students and those working with them educators-members of today’s Chair, there is a fairly extensive list of activities and interesting artistic undertakings, among which it is worth mentioning:

● concerts organized in Aula Magna of the Branicki Palace in Białystok, The Palace in Choroszcz - the Branicki summer residence and the Podlasie Museum in the Białystok City Hall;
● regular concerts at the Concert Hall of the UMFC branch in Białystok for the University of the Third Age,
● cooperation with the Białystok Singing Society of Stanisław Moniuszko  in Bialystok,
● realizations of opera performances and staged concerts
 ( Flis - St. Moniuszko - dir. N. Bobińska, The Marriage of Figaro - W.A. Mozart - dir. P. Aigner, Love and politics- dir. P. Chomczyk, The musical world of Gioachino Rossini - dir. P. Chomczyk, Cosi fan Tutte - W.A. Mozart - dir. P. Chomczyk, Love and death - dir. P. Chomczyk, Home Songbook - St. Moniuszko - dir. P. Chomczyk , Die Csárdásfürstin -I. Kalman - musical direction - H. Teliga, acting preparation - P. Chomczyk, choreography - J. Nowosielski, Apothecary - J. Haydn - dir. B. Redo-Dobber , New Don Quixote, or a hundred follies - S. Moniuszko, A. Fredro - dir. P. Chomczyk),
● organizations vocal seminars conducted by outstanding artist-vocalists (prof. K. Pustelak, prof. J. Artysz, prof. P. Kusiewicz, prof. K. Szostek - Radkowa, prof. L.A. Mróz, prof. U. Krygier, Olga Pasiecznik, J. Frakstein, J. Laszczkowski, dr hab. J. Janucik, prof. J. Rappe, prof. R. Karczykowski; prof. Włodzimierz Zalewski,  prof. Ewa Iżykowska-Lipińska),
● organization of the next editions of the National Scientific and Artistic Conference - Challenges of Contemporary Vocal Pedagogy,

Members of Choir

dr hab. Piotr Zawistowski, prof. UMFC – kierownik Katedry
prof. dr hab.  Adam Zdunikowski
prof. dr hab. Agnieszka Zwierko-Wiercioch
prof. dr Aleksander Teliga
ad. dr hab. Paweł Chomczyk – sekretarz
ad. dr hab. Marta Wróblewska
as. Olha Plyska-Pasichnyk