About Us
The Grazyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music in Lodz was established in 1945, based on the pre-war musical traditions of Helena Kijeńska-Dobkiewiczowa’s Music Conservatory. Since its foundation, the Academy has consistently played a significant role in shaping the musical life of the city and the entire region. Its patrons are outstanding artists born in Łódź: the renowned composer and violinist Grażyna Bacewicz, and her brother Kiejstut Bacewicz, a chamber pianist, teacher, and the Academy’s longtime rector.
The Academy of Music in Lodz is a modern university with a rich heritage, open to new forms of development and promotion of culture and music education. The Academy’s high standard of teaching is proven by the numerous successes of its students and graduates, including prestigious scholarships and awards won at international and national music competitions. Every year, students of the Academy are involved in its concert life: in concerts by the symphony orchestra, string orchestra, wind orchestra, big band, choirs, chamber ensembles and rhythm ensembles, in opera and dance performances, and also in educational projects for children and youth.
The Academy’s rich educational offer includes several dozen specializations across four faculties, with such new additions as film music composition, music in the media, church music, jazz instruments, musical theater, vocal pop performance, choreography, and new post-diploma studies. Since the 2014/2015 academic year, the Academy has also been offering studies in English in some selected majors. The study program is complemented by master classes conducted by outstanding artists from Poland and abroad, as well as seminars, workshops, and miscellaneous lectures. During the summer holidays, the Academy organizes an event known as the Summer Music Academy, intended for students and graduates of secondary music schools, conservatories and music academies from Poland and other countries. An extension of this idea is the Youth Music Academy, where young musicians from outside the Academy can develop their skills under the guidance of its professors.
The Academy develops international contacts as a member of the European Association of Conservatoires and Music Academies (AEC). The Academy also participates in the Erasmus+ program which enables student mobility - the opportunity to study on a scholarship at one of over 100 partner institutions (including those in Italy, Lithuania, Slovakia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, France, and Belgium), as well as teacher exchange.
The international scope also applies to music competitions organized by the Academy: composition, oboe and bassoon, organ, saxophone, violin, along with Poland’s oldest competition dedicated to chamber music – the Kiejstut Bacewicz International Chamber Music Competition, with a history spanning 65 years.
The Academy is located in a historic palace, which adds to its timeless charm and creates a unique atmosphere for studying and performing. At the same time, the Academy is modernizing and expanding its infrastructure for the greater comfort of current and future students. In October 2013, the Academy’s newly built Concert Hall was officially opened, featuring excellent acoustics, a high-class sound reinforcement and recording system, a professional recording studio, and extensive teaching facilities. At the beginning of the 2015/2016 academic year, a modern building of the Regional Center for Culture, Education, and Music Documentation (ROKEiDM) was put into use, which significantly enriches the educational and cultural offer of the university, along with improving the quality of education. New investments are being carried out thanks to financial support from the Regional Operational Programme for Łódzkie Voivodeship, the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage..