29 Music, Sound and Creative Technologies Degree Programs in Poland

The Department of Symphonic and Opera Conducting is currently a research and teaching unit of the Faculty of Composition, Conducting, Vocal Performance, Music Theory and Artistic Education. It is composed of conductors who, in addition to their artistic activities appreciated abroad, have been heading numerous Polish artistic institutions. The Department is engaged in conducting artistic and research activities in the field of conducting, as well as organizing courses, conferences and events aimed at promoting and developing the art of conducting.

Master in New Media Music Composition – students work on their own mature creative language by implementing advanced art projects including interactive music, sound installations, audiovisual compositions and activities in virtual spaces. They also delve into programming in sound art, artificial intelligence, generative art as well as extended and virtual reality (XR, VR). The course prepares students for careers in the professional markets of contemporary music, media and new technologies, but also further academic and artistic activity.

The purpose of establishing the Department of Song and Vocal Chamber Music was to provide students with a creative space for the interaction of singer and pianist, which is one of the most important forms of collaboration within the Institute of Vocal Studies, both in the sphere of student training and in the broader artistic sense. Vocal chamber music, along with the art of opera, is one of the cornerstones of the teaching process at the Institute of Vocal Studies. The creative interaction between the instructor who teaches the major (solo singing) and the pianist who accompanies and educates the student in the classes offered by the Department shapes the technique and artistic personality of the singer.

Electroacoustic Composition invites you to explore music at the crossroads of art and technology. You’ll create with both acoustic instruments and electronics, showcase your work at concerts and workshops, and build the skills for exciting careers in music production, sound design, and media arts.

Established in 2015, the Department of Jazz Performance and Interpretation (formerly known as the Department of Jazz Instrumental and Vocal Performance) currently operates within the structure of the Institute of Jazz and Popular Music. Its main tasks include initiating and conducting artistic, research, academic and teaching work of the associated pedagogues. One of the most essential elements of its activity is organizing concerts, academic conferences, master classes and open lectures conducted by its members as well as invited artists from Poland and abroad. The Department also collaborates with secondary music education, organizing workshops, methodological courses or providing substantive supervision for pilot subjects in jazz and popular music.

The Section of Accordion and Contemporary Music Interpretation, established in February 2020, is an academic organizational unit operating within the Institute of Instrumental Music.

The Medieval and Renaissance Music Lab was established in December 2020 by Rector prof. dr hab. Hanna Kostrzewska, and is operating within the Department of Historical Performance Practices. It was originated and founded by prof. dr hab. Maria Banaszkiewicz-Bryła, Head of the Department. The activity of the Lab is focused on the didactic, educational, artistic and academic areas. It is aimed at broadening of knowledge and improvement of practice in the art of playing the lute and other instruments of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, as well as broadly understood performance of early music.

The Department of Percussion at the I. J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, the first of its kind in Poland, is a leading center for percussion education and performance. With a tradition dating back to 1957, it offers versatile training across classical, jazz, and contemporary music, enriched by master classes with world-class artists. Students regularly perform at concerts and festivals, take part in the prestigious National Jerzy Zgodziński Percussion Competition, and achieve top prizes in international contests, making the Department a hub of excellence and innovation in percussion.

The Section of Opera Music is composed of academic teachers from the group of research and teaching academics as well as teaching staff, whose subject of activity, artistic or academic interest coincides with the tasks of the Section. It was established in order to organize and pursue artistic and research work in the broadly understood problem of interpretation of the large forms of vocal and instrumental music.

The Harpsichord and Basso Continuo Lab was established in December 2020 by Rector prof. dr hab. Hanna Kostrzewska, and is operating within the Department of Historical Performance Practices. It was originated and founded by prof. dr hab. Maria Banaszkiewicz-Bryła, Head of the Department. The activity of the Lab is focused on the didactic, educational, artistic and academic areas. It is aimed at broadening knowledge and improvement of practice in the art of harpsichord playing and basso continuo performance, as well as broadly understood performance of early music.

The Institute of Instrumental Music is the largest institute in terms of the number of teachers and students at the Faculty of Instrumental Studies, Jazz and Popular Music. Students have the opportunity to study two majors: Instrumental Music and Historical Performance Practice and thirty-one specialties within seven departments.

The Section of Brass Band Conducting is a substantive unit of the I. J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań. It began its activities in 2019 as part of the Conducting major. The impetus for the establishment of the Section was the dynamically developing specialty of brass band conducting, functioning since 2010 at the then Department of Choral Studies. Its graduates serve as conductors of military orchestras in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, and also conduct various types of brass bands affiliated with local cultural centers.

The education program (DS CPP Educational Programme) allows doctoral students to carry out their own artistic and research projects and to develop skills useful both in academic environments and in artistic or professional practice. The attractive and specialized program is regularly updated to meet the needs of doctoral students. By choosing optional courses, students can build their own path and develop personal artistic and academic interests.

The Department of Piano is one of the departments operating within the Institute of Instrumental Music of the I.J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań. The statutory task of the Department is to organize and carry out artistic, research and academic work as well as supervise teaching in the field of piano performance in order to ensure the highest quality of teaching. At the invitation of the Department, piano master classes for students were conducted by such pianists as Đặng Thái Sơn, Philippe Giusiano, Bruno Canino, Martin Hughes, Tim Owens, Ronan O’Hora, Viera Nossina, Etella Czupryk, and Andrzej Jasiński.

The Department is made up of pianists from the Department of Piano who lead chamber ensembles, accompanists who work on a daily basis with students of other specialties, and teachers who lead chamber ensembles together with the pianists.