The Witels to Play the World's Smallest Concert for the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. The interest in the concert was high, and the fight between the bidders during the Charity's auction lasted until the last moment. In the end, the winner was Jarosław Bober, who had been bidding since the first day and made sure to win. Congratulations to the WITels and to the winner of the auction!

The WITels is our Faculty's “Beatles” band composed of: Prof. Andrzej Kucharski bass guitar, Prof. Paweł Wachel electric guitar, Prof. Tomasz Kajdanowicz, electric guitar, Dr. Marek Kopel, drums and Paula Sobok, vocals. The group formed at the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology took part in this year's money raising for the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity and achieved an impressive result. The donor offered PLN 769 for the band's concert.

– For me, and as far as I can see, for many, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity is one of the most beautiful things that have ever happened to us. Every year, this is my way to express my personal gratitude for the help we give each other. Medical equipment is for everyone. The subject of the auction was the world's smallest concert of the WITels band. Rock playing professors? I couldn't but notice it! – comments Jarosław Bober, the charity donor from Lubin, who has been living in Wrocław for years.

There was a fierce battle for the victory in the auction. – The competition was strong all throughout the auction. I was prepared to fight until the last moment and ... I succeeded – says the winner.

Jarek Bober already has an idea for the World's Smallest Concert, but it's too soon to talk about details. He only reveals that he would like the concert to take place when it is warmer, because he dreams of an outdoor concert, which will not only be a musical event, but also a charity event.

– I hope I’ll be able to further multiply the good things and if the professors from the WITels agree, I will have a proposal for them – says Jarek Bober mysteriously.

It's time to prepare for the World's Smallest Concert

The WITels are pleased with it – they are ready to start rehearsals for the World's Smallest Concert any day now. The dean, Prof. Andrzej Kucharski, admits that the beginning of the repertoire has already been developed on the occasion of the Days of Activity of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology in November 2022, but there is room for novelties and the winner's proposals.

 – We will play, among others, songs by The Beatles, Wojciech Gąssowski's songs from the TV series "Wojna Domowa", as well as something from the repertoire of Niemen and Elektryczne Gitary. Soon we will start rehearsals for the auctioned concert – we will try to expand the "set-list" with a few new songs. Discussions will probably be lively, because each of us admits to having slightly different musical inspirations and considers different things to be "classics". By the way, I would like to remind you that we are also waiting for the proposals of the auction's winner – we declare that we will learn new "pieces", as long as they are within our musical capabilities! – comments the dean of the Faculty.

One of the stars of the the band from our Faculty is also Prof. Tomasz Kajdanowicz. Although he is a guitarist in the band, he can also play drums or sometimes sings gospel. Recently, he started learning to play the violin. His versatile musical interests started in his childhood, but he claims that above all, for a scientist, making music is the joy of connecting with people.
 

– As a child, I had a great passion for music. It's because I had a small piano in our house – I played and spent long hours with it. Later, there came lessons on the piano, the trumpet, playing in a brass band in my hometown, fascination with the guitar, the need to play the drums at concerts in the neighbourhood, learning the violin together with my daughter. For me, making music is the joy of connecting with people – says the professor.

The WITels’ drummer is Dr. Marek Kopel. It is not his first experience related to playing in a band. As it turns out, our Faculty's researcher also played in other bands that started at Wrocław University of Science and Technology.

– The drums are my last instrument. The first one, since high school, was the guitar. As soon as I came to study in Wrocław, I wanted to play in a band. There were some bands at universities in Wrocław, but only vocal ones, i.e. choirs. And it was in the WUST choir, over 20 years ago, where I met my wife Agnieszka, as well as Paula Sobok, with whom we have been trying to create rock bands and other music projects (currently Owocówki) ever since then. In the meantime, in 2011, a big band was formed at Wrocław University of Science and Technology, which I joined immediately, and with time it gave rise to smaller bands, such as Quantum of Jazz or Jazz Dreamers, in which I also played. And quite by chance, after the reorganization at WUST, which took place a year ago, Paula and I have been working at the same Faculty, and hence we've played together in the WITels – says the band's drummer.

Paula Sobok is the vocalist in the WITels, but she is also fond of playing the guitar or ukulele. She likes it best when she can combine singing with playing an instrument.

– My voice is my first instrument of choice. Over time, I learned to use other instruments. Certainly, voice is a very demanding instrument and many external and internal factors influence it. Other instruments need to be tuned, plugged in, or simply opened or taken out of the case. Voice, however, has an advantage as it is always with you and you do not have to wonder how to transport it. When it comes to broadly understood entertainment music, I am most satisfied with the combination of playing and singing. It is not always easy and depends on the role of the instrument you are playing: whether it accompanies you or sets the tempo and rhythm, as well as on the nature of the song itself: its melody and rhythm – explains the singer.

The last member of the band is Prof. Paweł Wachel, the second guitarist. He is also an experienced musician and playing in a band is his daily bread.

 – I have been playing in the Tensor band for 15 years, but there, unlike in the WITels, we play shanties with a stronger rock sound, so the WITels are a different musical experience for me, a different repertoire and a different audience – says the scientist from our Faculty.

Wrocław University of Science and Technology supported the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity

This year, the GOCC final was held under the slogan "We want to win against sepsis! We play for everyone – the small and the big ones! The raised funds will be used to equip hospitals with devices which help speed up the diagnosis of infections. This will enable better treatment of sepsis through faster implementation of a targeted, effective antibiotic treatment. The declared amount of the money raised in the final is currently over PLN 154 million.

A training session with Prof. Arkadiusz Wójs, WUST rector, was the most popular auction at our University, sold for PLN 1,525. A ride in an off-road electric buggy, a four-wheeled electric vehicle built by students from the LEM Wrocław Motorsport Science Club, was auctioned for over PLN 1,000. Over PLN 1,000 was also paid by the winner of the auction for family workshops in a chemical laboratory.

However, it was Radio LUZ that was the big winner, as their flagship auction "Co-hosting the Audiostarter music programme" was auctioned for as much as PLN 2,550.

A total of PLN 7,420.17 was collected from all the auctions at WUST. PLN 5,705.16 from radio auctions.