We are sad to announce that on the 16th of March, 2023, Alina Sawicka-Baird passed away at the age of 93.
She was a symbolic figure for the Polish Composers’ Union and she bound her whole life with it. From 1953, she worked for the Union, first as a spokesperson, then as office director. Here she met her husband Tadeusz Baird, one of the greatest Polish composers of the 20th century. She had her friends in the composing and musicological circles associated with the Polish Composers’ Union, and she also made friends with outstanding musicians-performers across the Polish Composers’ Union. After formally leaving her job, she kept in touch with the Union, took part in our general meetings, concerts and festivals. For years, she funded the main prize of the Tadeusz Baird Competition for Young Composers. She was the alpha and omega in the field of union history, often solving issues about which written sources remained silent. We always acted with the awareness of her closer or further presence. It will be harder for us without her.
