About the school
For over half a century, the Feliks Nowowiejski General Music School I and II Level has stood, alongside the Academy of Music in Gdańsk, as one of the leading institutions for music education in northern Poland. Its origins can be traced back to the pre-war music schools in Gdynia, the Polish Conservatory in the Free City of Danzig (Gdańsk), the Gdańsk Institute of Music founded in Sopot in 1945, and the State Higher School of Music established there in 1947 – today known as the Academy of Music in Gdańsk.
The present-day school was among the first in Poland to implement a dual-curriculum model, combining general education with specialist music training.
Its history is directly linked with that of the former State Primary Music School in Gdańsk and the State Secondary Music School in Sopot.
The Symphony Orchestra
The Symphony Orchestra offers students in Years IX to XII the opportunity to apply their instrumental skills in an orchestral setting – a vital and enriching stage in their musical education. For some, it becomes a true vocation; for others, it forms an essential part of their broader artistic development, enabling them to gain valuable experience and practical ensemble skills. The orchestra has been active for over 30 years.
Following the distinguished tenure of Professor Elżbieta Wiesztordt, who led the ensemble from 1977, the orchestra has been directed by Monika Stefaniak, Waldemar Górski, and Sylwia Anna Janiak-Kobylińska. Its current conductor is Jagoda Wyrwińska.
Each year, the orchestra and soloists from the secondary school perform in the concert hall of the Academy of Music in Gdańsk. The ensemble has performed successfully at international festivals and events in the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Russia. It has also taken part in the European Meetings of Young Musicians in Świeradów-Zdrój and collaborates closely with cultural institutions across the Pomeranian region, as well as with universities and artistic groups in the Tri-City area.
The orchestra has enjoyed notable success at the La Folle Journée de Varsovie festival and has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Adam Makowicz, Adam Sztaba, and Paweł Rydel.
In November 2017, a group of students initiated the formation of a new ensemble – the Chamber Orchestra – which went on to win second prize in March 2018 at the 1st National Competition for String Orchestras, organised by the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz and the I. J. Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic.
Students take an active role in preparing concerts for a wide range of audiences. One of their most recent ventures was an orchestral exchange with the J. Gruodis Conservatory of Music in Kaunas, Lithuania.