The Polish American Congress, Western New York Division, Inc. will hold its installation of officers and directors on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021 at the 10 a.m. Mass at St. Casimir Church, 160 Cable St., Buffalo.
In addition, the Bronislaw Durewicz Memorial Award will be presented to Dr. Thomas E. Witakowski. The award is bestowed by the PACWNY upon Polish Americans it considers have made extraordinary contribution to Western New York Polonia.

New York State Supreme Court Judge Paul Wojtaszek will serve as the officiant of the installation. The individuals being sworn will be: James L. Lawicki II, president/national director (ex. officio); Irena Woszczak, vice president; Thaddeus Cwudzinski, treasurer; Isabel Komornicki, secretary; Hon. Deborah Chimes, director; Andrew Golebiowski, director, Rev. Czeslaw Krysa, director/chaplain; Richard Mazella, national director; James Serafin, director; and Michael Zachowicz, director.

Dr. Witakowski is a faculty member at Buffalo State College and a native of Buffalo who returned to Western New York to join the Buffalo State faculty after teaching in Ohio. He studied conducting at Indiana University with Robert Porco and Jan Harrington, early music performance practice with Thomas Binkley and Stanley Ritchie, and voice with Nicolo Rossi-Lemeni.

While at Indiana, he served as opera chorusmaster, undergraduate conducting instructor, and assistant to the Pro Arte Early Music Ensemble. He sang several leading roles with the Indiana Opera Theatre, including Alberich in Wagner’s Das Rheingold, Nick Shadow in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, and Bottom in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Eve.

As a graduate student, he was awarded an Exchange Fellowship to study at Warsaw University for a full year in order to complete research on his dissertation, “The Choral Music of Karol Szymanowski.”
Witakowski teaches studio voice and presents recitals both at Buffalo State and in the Western New York Community. He was the bass soloist for performances of Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Faure’s Requiem with area choral ensembles.

In 2004, Witakowski was elected the national director of the Polish Singers Alliance of America, a coalition of the leading Polish ethnic choirs of the United States and Canada. He also conducts the Chopin Singing Society of Buffalo and serves as the organist and choir director of St. Casimir’s Church in Buffalo.