30 Kalisz students, under the supervision of their music school educators, took part in a 5-day workshop in Weikersheim, Germany. Under the guidance of teachers from both schools, the young people had the opportunity to polish their technique, working together in an international group. Many hours of playing and joint choir rehearsals united the group of more than 200 musicians and showed that music is a universal language.

The visit concluded with two concerts at the Tauberfilharmonie in Weikersheim, culminating in a performance by the combined concert bands of the Kalisz and Hamm schools conducted by Wojciech Musiał and Jan Nanut. Recordings of the concerts can be found HERE and HERE. The repertoire included not only Polish classics, such as the polonaise from "Pan Tadeusz," but also hits of contemporary film and pop music.

From May 17 to 21, Kalisz will host musicians from Hamm, who will come to showcase their skills to the Kalisz audience as well. The H. Melcer State Music School invites all interested to a joint concert on Monday, May 20, when the combined forces of the two schools' brass bands will sound once again. Details will be announced soon.

The project was financed by the Deutsch-Polnisches Jugendwerk, Polish-German Youth Cooperation organization, and developed by Magdalena Nowak, principal of the H. Melcer State Music School in Kalisz, and three of the school's educators - Tobiasz Michna, deputy principal, Wojciech Musiał, conductor of the school's brass band, and Milena Antoniewicz, in cooperation with Matthias Brakel, principal of the Hamm Municipal Music School.