The oldest choir festival in Poland, held continuously since 1966

In 1966, during the Polish People's Republic, when culture was strictly subordinated to the state, an idea was born that lasted for decades – the Międzyzdroje Choral Song Festival. At that time, choral singing was held in special esteem: it was accessible, collective, educational – it perfectly fit the ideological expectations of the system. Choirs functioned almost everywhere – in schools, factories, the army and parishes – singing both folk and patriotic songs, as well as the socialist anthems of the new order.

The year 1966 also brought a unique symbolic context – on the one hand, the Millennium of the Polish State celebrated by the authorities of the Polish People's Republic, on the other – the Millennium of the Baptism of Poland celebrated by the Catholic Church. Choirs participated in both of these celebrations – sometimes as a tool of propaganda, other times as a space of spiritual resistance and cultivating identity.

It was then, as part of the Szczecin Friendship Rally – also known as the Slavic Choir Rally on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of Poland on the Oder and the Baltic Sea – that the event that initiated the festival tradition took place. It was organized by the Szczecin branch of the Union of Polish Singing and Instrumental Ensembles and the Railway Workers' Union Choir "Hejnał", celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The event was also intended to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the death of Feliks Nowowiejski – an outstanding composer associated with Western Pomerania. His works, such as "Hymn o Bałtyku" or "Legenda Bałtyku", became a musical bridge connecting the national tradition with the maritime region, which from then on became forever associated with choral sound.

On 18–26 June 1966, exceptional choral concerts were held in the Szczecin Philharmonic Hall and in Międzyzdroje, in the band shell and the Spa House Hall.

Four teams from Poland performed:

• The Academic Choir of the Szczecin University of Technology

• Szczecin Boys' Choir "Nightingales"

• Mixed Choir of ZZK "Hejnał" from Szczecin

• The Male Choir of the Singing Society "Harfa" from Warsaw

and three foreign teams:

• The Mixed Choir of the Railway Rolling Stock Repair Plants "Lokomotiv" from Bulgaria

• Choir of Slovak Teachers from Czechoslovakia

• Mixed Choir "Glasbena Matica" from Yugoslavia

The event was enthusiastically received by the public and the press. As "Kurier Szczeciński" wrote (June 29, 1966):

The meeting of Slavic choirs on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of Poland on the Oder and the Baltic Sea became a beautiful accent of the Szczecin summer. The residents of Szczecin and Międzyzdroje do not often have the opportunity to listen to such excellent choral music. /…/ Let us emphasize the good organization of these musical meetings and the great binding word of editor Zbigniew Pawlicki…

The idea of continuing these meetings in the form of a festival soon emerged. As reported by "Życie Śpiewacze" (No. 10 of 1966):

The intended goals were fully achieved, /…/ individual groups immediately declared their participation in the next meetings, which in their opinion should be organized annually. /…/ it should be recognized that this serious cultural event serving to popularize the singing movement in Western Pomerania has fully passed its life test

…it became obvious that the Szczecin meeting is a sensible and necessary event. And that – what’s more – it should be a permanent event. Repeated every year or maybe every two years.

Since then, the event has been continued under the name of the Międzyzdroje Choral Song Festival.