The Symphony Orchestra of Zabrze Philharmonic was created in spring 1950 as the Miners’ Trade Union Philharmonic Society. Initially the main goal of the newly founded ensemble was to promote and popularize music – in the broadest sense of the word – among the working class of Silesian industry. Another direction in the Orchestra activity, which has been particularly cherished up to the present, has been to organise the series of conceptually edited concerts for children and teenagers. The first years of the Orchestra were dominated by the lighter music presentations. They performed pieces from operettas, operas, popular music tunes as well as well-known classical compositions. As the time went by the artistic profile of the Orchestra was evolving. Its repertoire included e.g. symphonic pieces and more demanding masterpieces. The huge work done by the musicians and its results were appreciated by the authorities in the mid-1980s. The “Coal Mine” disappeared from the name but it gained the status of State Philharmonic Society, which meant the appreciation of its achievements.
The 60 years of Zabrze Philharmonic concerts featured the most outstanding artists performing with the Orchestra: Wiesław Ochman, Andrzej Hiolski, Zdzisława Donat, Paulos Raptis, Bernard Ładysz, Gary Guthman, Laszlo Baranyay, Iyrkki Myllarinen, Shiro Hatae, Ernest Werner Seiler, Ciro di Giovanni and others. Apart from performing in all the significant Polish concert halls, Zabrze Philharmonic has performed several times in Russia, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany and Japan.
It has participated in International festivals such as Gaude Mater in Częstochowa, Viva il Canto in Cieszyn, Festiwal Gwiazd in Międzyzdroje (Festival of the Stars) and also took part several times in the Michał Spisak International Music Competition as a competition orchestra.
The Orchestra has recorded several CDs and registered a series of documentaries for the Polish public television TVP. These TV-specials included appearances of the most renowned Polish artists. Moreover, the Orchestra has been awarded with: Zabrze Mayor Cultural award, the award of the World Foundation “Health, Reason, Heart” – the Leader of Polish Culture Promotion (second orchestra behind the National Philharmonic), the award “Zabrze Ambassador”, the Golden Badge of Merit for the Development of Silesia Province.
The Orchestra repertoire focuses on classicism and romanticism, but there are also contemporary works, especially those of Silesian school composers. Stage performances of operettas and operas are presented on a regular basis. The repertoire of the orchestra consists of various programmes filled with popular, light, movie, musical and jazz music. The Symphony Orchestra of Zabrze Philharmonic consists of 60 musicians, and since 1990 Sławomir Chrzanowski has been its Managing and Artistic Director.
