THE ACADEMIC CHOIR
OF THE SILESIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY IN GLIWICE

The Choir was established in 1945 by former employees and students of Lvov Technical University who used to sing in Lvov Technical Choir (that is the reason why Academic Choir celebrated its 100-th Anniversary in the academic year 2004/05 as a continuation of this tradition).

Academic Choir gives approx. 40 performances a year in Poland. On their numerous tours (over 30) to almost all European countries, Siberia, Canada, the USA and South Korea they gave over 100 concerts. They gained over 50 musical awards as well as honourable mentions for their social activities, including: Prize of the Minister of Art and Culture, Prize of the President of Gliwice City in 1996 and 2005, Decoration of Merits for Services for Silesian University of Technology granted by University Authorities in 1998 and Medal on Occassion of 60-year Anniversary of University in 2005 as a recognition of merits for development of University.

Since 1980 the Choir has been organising national festival under the name of Choir Meetings in Gliwice City - Gliwickie Spotkania Chóralne (this year, a jubilee 30-th meeting).

They record for Polish Radio and Television. They have published 9 cassettes and 5 CDs as well as a book 50 Years of Academic Choir of Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice and three books of a magazine Silesian Singer - Śpiewak Śląski - which is published by Silesian Branch of Polish Association of Choirs and Orchestras (1-st and 2-nd book on the occassion of 55-th and 60-th anniversary, 3-rd one as Books of Lvov Technical Choir).
The repertoire of the Choir is very rich and various. The Choir performs works of early, classical and contemporary music of both Polish and foreign composers, folk music adaptations, as well as big instrumental and vocal forms, including pieces by: Beethoven, Elsner, Haendel, Mozart, Rossini, Rutter, Twardowski, Schubert, Viern.

Tomasz Giedwiłło has been the conductor and artistic manager of Academic Choir of Silesian University of Technology since January 2006. Before that, over the past 10 years this position was held by Professor Czesław Freund.
The most significant artistic achievements of the Choir over the past few years are as follows:
- Main Prize in the category of academic choirs in 28-th National Tournament Legnica Cantat ’97,
- Bronze Medal at 32-nd International Festival of Choral Songs in Międzyzdroje ’97,
- Gold Medal and Special Award in 2-nd International Competition in Riva del Garda in Italy ’97,
- First Prize in the category of lay choirs at 17-th International Festival of Orthodox Church Music in Hajnówka ’98,
- Second Prize at International Choir Festival Kathaumixw in Canada ’98,
- Grand Prix at Festival of Songs of Holy Mary MAGNIFICAT and Special Award granted by the Prior of the Sanctuary of Jasna Góra - Piekary ’2000,
- Three Silver Medals at 1-st Choral Olympics - Linz ’2000 - Austria,
- Concert at the Royal Castle in Warsaw at the invitation of Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland - 2000,
- Concerts at the Philharmonic, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and United Nations Organisation in New York ’2001 - USA,
- First Prize in the category of lay choirs at 20-th International Festival of Orthodox Church Music in Hajnówka ’2001,
- Three Silver Medals at 2-nd Choral Olympics - Busan ’2002 - South Corea,
- Three Silver Medals at 3-rd Choral Olympics - Bremen ’2004 - Germany,
- Grand Prix and Cup of the President of the Republic of Poland at 14-th National Festival of Polish Choral Songs - Katowice ’2006 - Poland,
- pre-performance of pieces of: Norbert Blacha, Edward Bogusławski, Andrzej Dziadek, Jan Wincenty Hawel, Benedykt Konowalski, Józef Świder i Romuald Twardowski.

In October 2006 Choir was on a tour in South America, giving concerts in Argentina and Uruguay.
In November 2006, Tomasz Giedwiłło recorded a CD with Polish Christmas Carols in a very interesting workout of Polish composer and organ player Henryk Botor living in Tychy.

The last successes of the choir:
- April/May `08 - concerts in Russia, in Novosibirsk,
- June `08 - Irish tournee and the participation at prestigious "PIPEWORKS FESTIVAL" in Dublin (Ireland)
- November `08 - recording material for the new CD “Missa Nova" - composition to the choir, soloists and the jazz band (authorship of Małgorzata Maliszczak - the pianist, the composer and the teacher of the Institute of the Jazz of Academy of Music in Katowice; first performance in April 2008),
- August `09 - 19th International Kodaly Sympodium - The Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music In Katowice, Poland,
- August `09 - Ohrid Choir Festiwal (finalist and the most points) and balkan tournee - concerts in Republic of Macedoni, Republic of Serbia, Greece, Republic of Albania.(diploma)