Symphony Orchestra
The Academy’s oldest ensemble is the Symphony Orchestra, which performs about ten concert programmes a year. The breadth and depth of its repertoire ensures students acquire the best possible skills in performing as part of a group. The Orchestra has performed the premieres of works by composers associated with, among others, the Krakow Composers’ School: Krystyna Moszumańska-Nazar, Adam Walaciński, Zbigniew Bujarski, Marek Stachowski and Wojciech Widłak.
It has collaborated with many outstanding conductors, including Jerzy Katlewicz, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Antoni Wit, Helmuth Rilling, Tadeusz Strugała and Neville Marriner. In the past the Orchestra performed Krzysztof Penderecki’s own compositions under his baton.
The Orchestra’s recordings include albums featuring Symphony No. 5 by Piotr Tchaikovsky, Symphony in B minor “Polonia” by Ignacy Jan Paderewski, as well as works by Krakow composers. The Orchestra has a strong tradition of performing oratorios in collaboration with the AMKP Choir and various soloists – students of the Faculty of Voice and Drama.
In the past decades, the Orchestra was led by Krzysztof Missona, Wojciech Czepiel, Paweł Przytocki, Rafał Jacek Delekta, and Tomasz Tokarczyk. From October 2024, it is led by prof. dr hab. Rafał Jacek Delekta.