Józef Karol Lasocki, PhD (1953-1957)

Born in 1907, died in 1966, he was a conductor, composer and academic teacher. He graduated from the Department of Pedagogy and Theory at the State Conservatory of Music in Warsaw in 1932. Between 1940 and 1943 he took secret courses in conducting under Professor Walerian Bierdiajew.

In the pre-war period he was a teacher of musical subjects and an activist in Miedzyrzecz, Warsaw, Celestynów and Lutsk. In 1953-1964 he lectured at the State Higher School of Music in Wrocław, where he held the post of chair of the Department of Music Education (1961-1964) and taught subjects such as conducting, score reading, vocal and instrumental ensembles and the methodology of music education. In 1953-1957, he served as the rector of the Academy of Music in Wrocław, and in 1957-1963 as the dean of the Department of Music Education.

After leaving Wrocław in 1964, he worked at the State Higher School of Music in Łódź, where he held the position of Dean of the Faculty of Pedagogy. He was the author of numerous compositions and arrangements of choral songs. It was on his initiative that the periodical Poradnik Muzyczny was established, which he ran as editor-in-chief. He was the author of numerous articles, as well as scripts and textbooks in the field of musical education (including Solfeż).

Parallel to his didactic work, he was active as an organiser - among others as the artistic manager and director of the Wrocław Symphony Orchestra (1954-1957).