Katowice: a promising and happy ending to continue improving the world through music

Despite the pandemic and all the obstacles caused by COVID-19, Katowice managed to carry out a series of activities that allowed us to achive most of our Transfer Plan's goals previously defined within our participation in the URBACT OnStage project. Our transfer practice 'Katowice City of Gardens' finally restarted regular operations thanks to the rescue of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Thus, from September to December 2020, we carried out more than 160 hours of common playing with brass instruments! More than 250 people participated in our music and education classes that helped us increase the integration of the local community in the Murcki and Załęże districts. We accomplished 5 blocks of regular workshops as part of the Katowice Orchestral Folk University project:

1. Percussion workshops (cayon) for two groups of kids: 4-6 and 7-12 years 
2. Trumpet workshops for adults
3. Trumpet and percussion workshops for kids from two primary schools in Katowice (in Murcki and Załęże) 
4. Intergenerational improvistation workshops for brass players (through online methods)
5. Visiting workshops for kids from special schools and educational institutions in different districts in Katowice conducted by local orchestras

Our amazing URBACT OnStage journey ended in early December. We planned to hold a large common concert on December 4 (Santa Barbara Day - patron saint of miners), but the restrictions related to the pandemic forced us to change our plans to a safer version – so that we would meet in smaller groups and without public.

On December 11 – the fifth anniversary of Katowice's UNESCO City of Music title – we released a film of our final rehearsal. We wanted to share our joy with everyone in the community and also show them our progress, our way of interpreting the local musical heritage. Despite the pandemic and the difficult context, 'Katowice City of Gardens' has committed to buying the instruments that we used to play during the Katowice Orchestral Folk University project, so we have the first trumpets and cayons for our future local orchestras! Our University graduates cannot wait to play music together again in 2021; they are eager to meet and learn. Even COVID-19 couldn't stop them!

So finally, we are happy to have our music community that is really changing our close world nearby.

Text by Marlena Hermanowicz and images by Tomasz Makula - City Council of Katowice | For further information please contact at marlenahermanowicz@vp.pl