Jan Szyrocki

Jan Szyrocki founded the Academic Choir of the University of Technology of Szczecin, Poland, as a student in 1952. Since then he had been the conductor and artistic director of this internationally noted choir for 51 years. In 1968 he won a scholarship to the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and at the Conservatory for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. He graduated in 1975 with distinction in music theory, conducting, and composing at the Conservatory of Poznan under Professor Stefan Stuligrosz.

Jan Szyrocki has been the President of the Polish Choral and Orchestral Association for the area of Szczecin since 1965, and was co-founder of the annual International Choral Festival in Miedzyzdroje in 1966 and its artistic director until 2003. Professor Szyrocki was also co-founder and conductor of the Szczecin Boys’ Choir “Slowiki” (“Nightingales”).

He was the founder (1985) and head of the Department for Music and Culture of the University of Technology in Szczecin. He worked as a Professor at the Conservatory of Poznan, Szczecin campus, and was its headmaster until 1995. Between 1995 and 1998 Jan Szyrocki had been the conductor of the National Opera in Warsaw, Poland. He attended numerous national and international festivals and contests as an adjudicator, gave several seminars for conductors in Poland and other countries, and acted as an advisor for many foreign choirs.

Professor Szyrocki was honored for his merits with numerous distinctions and decorations.

In 1991 Professor Szyrocki was among the founders of the German-Polish Choral Academy “in terra pax“ and since then has been conductor and artistic director of the choir.

It is with deep regret to note that our decisive initiator and motivator passed away after a long standing illness on April 9th, 2003.