Dear readers!

In the autumn of 2025, Warsaw transformed into the world capital of piano. One could ride a tram in which a pianist played Fryderyk Chopin’s famous pieces as the composer smiled down at people from the bus stop ads for the 19th International Chopin Piano Competition. This extraordinary event, cancelled only for the duration of World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic, will celebrate its 100th anniversary in just two years.

This issue of Gazeta Monneta was chosen to be centred around Chopin and music as there were many school events organized this autumn dedicated to this theme. Not long ago, we managed to invite over Paweł Popko, an extraordinarily talented pianist, and we held a workshop on emotions combined with the screening of the film Pianoforte, which talks about the participants of the previous competition. Additionally, many students went to the cinema to see Michał Kwieciński’s biopic Chopin Chopin, and the school celebration of the Independence Day was accompanied with Chopin’s music.

What do we gain from listening to it? Can we better absorb information through music? How important are melodic sounds for our well-being? We and our students have tried to answer these questions over the past few months. Chopin’s music is both the quintessence of Polishness and part of humanity’s world heritage. It delights, just as Mr Popko’s performance of The Minute Waltz delighted our students.

During the three-week competition, I felt completely immersed in the music. I think this feeling rubbed off on at least some of our students. I recently heard a high school student perform the Revolutionary Etude on our school piano.

The newspaper received a number of articles related to both Chopin and the role of music in our lives in general. I’m glad we managed to bring the composer closer to our students. The next competition will be in five years. By then, it will be next generations of Monnet students who will be reminded of Chopin. Perhaps he will stay with us for years to come, softening our morals, helping us learn, and bringing us so much joy.

I hope this will be an inspiring read!

Aleksander Jarnicki

Editor-in-Chief of Gazeta Monneta

The front page was created by Zuzanna Bielińska

The image was created by Julia Basmaji