Aram Khachaturian, Mykola Diadiura, Juozas Domarkas, Kazimierz Kord, Jan Krenz, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Leopold Stokowski, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Eugene Tzigane – the Pomeranian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra has collaborated with these and many other legendary conductors. This internationally acclaimed ensemble has been performing regular concerts since 1946, building a reputation both at home and abroad.
Artistic directors of the Symphony Orchestra:
Roman Mackiewicz (1952–1954)
Robert Satanowski (1954–1958)
Zbigniew Chwedczuk (1958–1972)
Witold Krzemieński (1973–1974)
Antoni Wit (1974–1977)
Renard Czajkowski (1978–1980)
Tomasz Bugaj (1980–1984)
Artistic directors and conductors:
Mieczysław Nowakowski (1984–1988)
Jerzy Salwarowski (1988–1991)
The first guest conductors and heads of the Symphony Orchestra:
Michael Zilm (1990–1991)
Marek Pijarowski (1992–1994)
Simca Heled (1995–1996)
Roman Kofman (1997–2000)
Tadeusz Wojciechowski (2002–2014)
Eugene Tzigane (2009–2013)
Kai Bumann (2015–2020)
Paweł Kapuła (2021–)
Mykoła Diadiura (2022–2025)
Raoul Grüneis (2026-)
Conductors who have worked with the Orchestra:
Ernest Ansermet, Roberto Benzi, Łukasz Borowicz, Benjamin Britten, Aram Chaczaturian, Riccardo Chailly, Jakub Chrenowicz, Sławomir Chrzanowski, Mykoła Diadiura, Juozas Domarkas, José Maria Florêncio, Rosen Gergov, Krzysztof Herdzin, Jacek Kaspszyk, Jerzy Katlewicz, Michał Klauza, Kazimierz Kord, Jan Krenz, Witold Lutosławski, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Krzysztof Penderecki, Kurt Redel, Witold Rowicki, Jerzy Semkow, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Mariusz Smolij, Saulius Sondeckis, Leopold Stokowski, Tadeusz Strugała, Antoni Wit, Carlo Zecchi and others.
Pomeranian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra concerts
The orchestra has toured extensively, performing in Cyprus, Denmark, France, Spain, South Korea, Germany, Russia, Scotland, Switzerland, and Italy, among other countries. It has also appeared on numerous occasions at major music festivals globally, including: Wratislavia Cantans, Warsaw Autumn, Berliner Festwochen, International Summer Festival Ljubljana, Schweriner Musiktage, Frankfurter Festtage der Musik.
Milestones and Key Events:
2000: Performed at the Primate’s Archcathedral in Gniezno to mark the 1,000th anniversary of the Congress of Gniezno, a historic event attended by the presidents of seven European nations
2001: Headlined nationwide musical celebrations honouring the Year of Ignacy Jan Paderewski
2002: Featured at the prestigious Festival of Polish Philharmonic Orchestras, organized by the Warsaw National Philharmonic to commemorate its centenary
2005: Embarked on a successful concert tour of South Korea and performed at the famous Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen, collaborating with the world-renowned New York City Ballet
2007: Celebrated the 30th anniversary of the orchestra's collaboration with the Berliner Cappella choir through joint jubilee concerts at the Bydgoszcz Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic
2008: Performed a special commemorative concert marking Poland's May 3rd Constitution Day at the Palace of Arts in Budapest
2008: Inaugurated the 1st Amber Baltic International Music Festival in Międzyzdroje
2009: Represented Poland at the Polish Spring – Scottish Tides Festival in Perth, Scotland
2010: Inaugurated the official Chopin Year in Hungary with a grand concert in Budapest, which was broadcast globally by DUNA TV and aired on MR3-Bartók Rádió
2011: Partnered with the Berliner Cappella and Singakademie Frankfurt (Oder) choirs for a series of high-profile concerts at the Musikfesttage an der Oder Festival in Frankfurt (Oder), the Konzerthaus Berlin, and in Brussels to mark the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union
2013: Delivered a performance in the world-renowned Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna
2015: Commemorated the 40th anniversary of the fruitful collaboration between the Pomeranian Philharmonic and the Berliner Cappella choir with a concert at the Berlin Philharmonic
2018: Performed at the Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw on the 77th anniversary of the death of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, serving as a centrepiece for the national celebrations marking 100 Years of Polish Independence 2019: Presented the prestigious world premiere of Krzysztof Herdzin’s Requiem
2019: Partnered with the Singakademie Frankfurt (Oder) choir for a series of moving commemorative concerts marking the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, held across Potsdam, Bydgoszcz, and Toruń.
2020: Concert dedicated to the memory of Giya Kancheli at the Berlin Philharmonic.
In response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in March 2020, which forced the closure of concert halls worldwide, the orchestra pivoted to new artistic formats. The ensemble embraced digital outreach, recording numerous filmed concert productions that were broadcast to global audiences via the Pomeranian Philharmonic’s YouTube channel.
2023: Launched a major series of events celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Pomeranian Philharmonic alongside the official Andrzej Szwalbe Year in Bydgoszcz.
2024: A concert tour spanning Rzeszów, Frankfurt, and Bydgoszcz, which culminated in another performance at the Berlin Philharmonic.
