prof. dr hab. Zofia Helman

She studied musicology at the University of Warsaw (1954–1959). In 1967 she defended her doctoral thesis entitled “Sound techniques in the works of Karol Szymanowski” (supervisor: Prof. dr hab. Zofia Lissa), in 1980 she obtained a post-doctoral degree (on the basis of the book Neoclassicism in Polish Music in the Twentieth Century), and in 1991 she became professor. In 1976 she went to Paris on a scholarship from the French Government, and in 1988 to Mainz on a DAAD scholarship.

In 1959–2007 she worked at the Institute of Musicology, University of Warsaw, from 1967 as assistant professor, from 1981 as docent, from 1990 as associate professor and from 1996 as full professor. From 1979 she served as the head of the Music Theory and Aesthetics Unit. In 1979/80–1986/87 she was deputy director of the Institute of Musicology, University of Warsaw (in 1980/81 – six months as acting director). In 1991–1995/96 – director of the Institute of Musicology. Since 2008 professor emeritus.

She has given guest lectures at the Department of Musicology, Jagiellonian University; Department of Musicology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań; Kraków Academy of Music, as well as at universities in Mainz, Düsseldorf (Hochschule für Musik), Ljubljana, Geneva (Institute of Musicology and Conservatoire) and Beijing Conservatoire. In addition, she has taken part in numerous musicological national and international conferences (Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Russia, Austria, Germany, France and Ukraine). She was the supervisor of Krzysztof Penderecki’s honorary doctorate (University of Warsaw, 1993), and reviewer of honorary doctorates of Alexander Tansman (Academy of Music in Łódź, 1986), Krzysztof Penderecki (Jagiellonian University, Kraków 1998), Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (Jagiellonian University, Kraków 2000). At the Institute of Musicology, University of Warsaw, she has supervised 62 MA and 11 PhD students. She has taken part in many conferment procedures for doctoral and post-doctoral degrees as a reviewer.

Since 1981 she has been a member of the Committee of Art Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, and since 1996 – member of the Board of the Karol Szymanowski Foundation. She has taken part in the work of editorial boards of Encyklopedia Muzyczna PWM, Polish Art Studies, Théâtre, Opéra, Ballet (Paris), Przegląd Muzykologiczny, Polski Rocznik Muzykologiczny as well as Musicology Today (editor-in-chief in 2004–2008). Member of numerous musical and musicological associations, including Robert-Schumann-Gesellschaft in Düsseldorf, Gesellschaft für Musikforschung in Kassel, Société Internationale d’Histoire Comparée du Théâtre, de l’Opéra et du Ballet, Polish Composers’ Union, Fryderyk Chopin Society in Warsaw and Karol Szymanowski Music Society in Zakopane.

Her scholarly work has brought her numerous awards, including the Award of the Minister of Higher Education, 3rd class (1967); Award of the Minister of National Education, 2nd class (1986); Polish Composers’ Union’ Prize (1988); KLIO Award from the Faculty of History, University of Warsaw (2000); Karol Szymanowski Prize (2002); and Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (2008).

Prof. Zofia Helman’s research interests encompass the following topics: history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century music (Chopin, Szymanowski, Palester, Lutosławski, Penderecki; neoclassicism in twentieth-century music, twentieth-century stage music); analysis and interpretation of musical works; history of eighteenth-twentieth-century music theory; music editing.