University people’s interests. Music in my heart
Why do we write today about Saturday’s concert of Piotr Rubik’s band at Wrocław’s Centennial Hall? Well, in the event, which will be held on 23 March under the title „Niech mówią, że to nie jest miłość”, we will see many familiar faces at the University of Wrocław.
During the concert we will hear, among others, the Wrocław Academic Choir conducted by Alan Urbanek. But for us, the concert has become a pretext to tell the story of Ms Jolanta Żukiewicz, head of the Secretariat of the Doctoral School at the University of Wrocław.
We asked her if she had already played in the Centennial Hall: – “I haven’t had the opportunity yet, which makes me all the more happy that I will be able to play in the Centennial Hall for the first time, and on top of that – in my home town,” – says Ms Jolanta, who is a cellist and collaborates on the „Niech mówią, że to nie jest miłość” tour with the musicians of the Lower Silesian Philharmonic in Jelenia Góra.
Her adventure with the cello began with her examination at the Karol Szymanowski Comprehensive Music School in Wrocław in 1990, where she studied for 12 years. And why the cello?
– A bit of a coincidence. – she laughs. – I was applying for the violin, and since there are always a lot of candidates for the violin, piano or guitar, I was offered the cello. Probably because I was a tall kid.
So she completed a musical primary school and a musical secondary school. Then she studied at the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław in the cello class.
– While I was still a student, I took up a job as a cello teacher at the Music School in Legnica. – she says.
In the meantime she had started a family and this made commuting from Wrocław tedious and quite demanding with two children. Then came the opportunity for a change, which was a job in the Office of Event Organisation Promotion at her alma mater, the Academy of Music in Wrocław. Then there was a pandemic, which made organising concerts and musical events very difficult, and then another opportunity for change arose – in December 2022, she started working at the UWr.
The work is demanding, as the team is busy preparing the documentation that organises the education in the Doctoral School. – However, as a task-oriented person, I like my job and enjoy working in a close-knit team – says the head of the secretariat of the UWr Doctoral School.
Music is certainly a break for her from her everyday duties. – I have associated my professional life with higher education, but music will always remain in my heart – says Jolanta.
Piotr Rubik’s music tour runs from February to June 2024 and includes Katowice, Olsztyn, Warsaw, Gdańsk, Szczecin, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poznań, Kraków, Wrocław, Lublin, Tarnów, Łódź, Rzeszów and Kielce. Tickets, although already in small numbers, are still available for some of the concerts. – We give concerts every week, and I also play in a chamber ensemble with some friends I studied with, so a lot is going on – says Jolanta.
What was the most amazing concert, musical event of her career?
– “Angels of Europe”, a concert that was part of the 25th Review of Actor Songs, and the event itself was dedicated to Poland’s entry into the European Union. – she says. – A huge undertaking, 300 artists on stage: well-known singers, a large orchestra, a large choir. The event was broadcast live on television from the Wrocław market square. Amazingly, this event was also conducted by Piotr Rubik.
And what does one wish for a cellist before a concert?
– Break a bow!
Interviewed by: Katarzyna Górowicz-Maćkiewicz
