Participants Universitas Cantat 2026
The Chamber Orchestra of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, POLAND
Conductor: dr Aleksander Gref
The Chamber Orchestra of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
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The Chamber Orchestra of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan was founded in 2004 by its founder and conductor, Aleksander Gref. For over two decades, the ensemble has been an important part of the university’s artistic life, providing the musical backdrop for the most important academic ceremonies, whilst also actively participating in cultural and social projects, representing the Adam Mickiewicz University both at home and abroad.
The orchestra performs regularly at concerts organised by the university authorities, including the traditional New Year’s and May concerts, which are a permanent fixture in the university’s calendar of events. Another key area of the ensemble’s activity is collaboration with artists and ensembles – both Polish and international – which allows it to expand its repertoire and undertake a variety of artistic initiatives. In 2010, the orchestra took part in the production of a music video promoting the activities of the ‘Dar Szpiku’ Foundation, thereby supporting efforts to help those affected by blood cancer.
The ensemble’s repertoire is characterised by great stylistic diversity. It encompasses both works belonging to the classical music canon and pieces inspired by popular and film music. The orchestra performs works by composers such as Frédéric Chopin, Piotr Tchaikovsky, Béla Bartók, Edvard Grieg and Johannes Brahms, as well as 20th- and 21st-century music, including pieces by Astor Piazzolla, John Williams and Jerry Bock.
Thanks to its versatility and open-minded approach to repertoire, the AMU Chamber Orchestra remains an ensemble with a distinct artistic profile, combining academic tradition with a modern approach to performance and the promotion of music..
Aleksander Gref Aleksander Gref – conductor, teacher and composer, born in Poznań. A graduate of the Academy of Music in Poznan, where he studied symphonic conducting under Prof. Renard Czajkowski and opera conducting under Prof. Antoni Gref. He graduated with distinction in 1999. He currently works at his alma mater as a lecturer, teaching at the Department of Composition, Conducting, Vocal Studies, Music Theory and Artistic Education.
Winner of the 2nd Review of Young Conductors in Białystok (1998), where he also received special awards for his artistic personality and conducting skill. He took part in the Grzegorz Fitelberg International Conducting Competition in Katowice (1999, 2003) and was a semi-finalist in the 4th International Conducting Competition in St Petersburg (2003), for which he was the only Pole to qualify.
Since 1999, he has been associated with the Stanisław Moniuszko Grand Theatre in Poznań, where he served as assistant conductor, head of the répétiteurs and, from 2003, conductor. From 2006 to 2009, he was the orchestra manager at this institution. He also collaborates with the Musical Theatre in Poznań, the Lublin Opera and, from the 2023/2024 season, the Wrocław Opera.
His achievements include over 500 opera, operetta and musical performances, as well as more than 220 symphonic and chamber concerts. He has performed both in Poland and abroad (including in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain and France), collaborating with numerous orchestras, including the Warsaw Philharmonic, the “Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife”, “L’Ensemble orchestral de Paris”, the “Sorbisches National Ensemble” in Bautzen, the “Symphonic Orchestra Academic Capella of St. Petersburg” and the “Symphonic Orchestra of the Theatre of Opera and Ballet St. Petersburg Conservatory”.
He has taken part in many music festivals, including the Vienna Music Festival in Jelenia Góra, the Poznan Mozart Festival and the Bydgoszcz Music Festival. Since 2004, he has been the conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.
In 2001, he inaugurated the opening of the “Kleist Forum” building in Frankfurt (Oder) with a performance of G. Bizet’s “Carmen”. He has collaborated with outstanding opera and stage artists, such as Małgorzata Walewska, Grażyna Brodzińska, Franco Bonisolli, Charles Aznavour and Roger Waters.
He is also a composer of music for documentaries, commercials and television productions. Winner of the Grand Prize in the 2008 National Composition Competition “Piosenka o Poznaniu”. In 2021, he composed the music for the film “Zabójstwo na East Endzie”, directed by Mateusz Ciemniecki.
He has been awarded, among others, the City of Poznań Art Scholarship (2002), the Second Degree Rector’s Award (2023) and the First Degree Rector’s Team Award (2024).
