For two days - from 19 to 20 April 2005  - the Zagłębie Palace of Culture in  Dąbrowa Górnicza was filled with music! It was due to the 1st Michał Spisak Festival  - organised to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his death - one of the most outstanding contemporary Polish composers, who found their place in  the world's music history.

The honorary patronage over the festival was assumed by: the Minister of Culture,  the Marshal of the Silesian voivodship and the Mayor of Dąbrowa Górnicza.

"We have not lost Michał Spisak-composer because his music lives in programmes of concerts and appeals to thousands of listeners." - said once Witold Lutosławski.

The organisers are convinced that the Festival has contributed to  the national identity reinforcement, promotion of the Polish music as well as to the development of musical education mainly of the young generation.

These were young musicians who presented Spisak's pieces at the Festival - students of the Music Academy in Katowice and final-year students of the music schools in the region. Teachers of the Karol Szymanowski Music Academy in Katowice and the Chamber Orchestra of Zagłębie Dąbrowskie also performed at the stages of the Zagłębie Palace of Culture. We heard among others: "Concerto for two pianos", "Aubade for small orchestra", "Humoresque for piano", "Andante and allegro for violin and piano".

The 1st Michał Spisak Festival crowned the week devoted not only to his artistic work but also to Władysław Szpilman's and Tomasz Kiesewetter's - composers from Zagłębie.

The competition of knowledge about life and artistic work of the above mentioned composers was adjudicated on 15 April 2005. The competitors were students of junior secondary and secondary schools. The most profound knowledge in the category of junior secondary schools was manifested by the team from the Sports Schools' Group (Zespół Szkół Sportowych): Agnieszka Czubala, Martyna Woźnica and Joanna Pruś, and in the category of secondary schools also by the team from the Sports Schools' Group: Joanna Niedbał, Marta Giza and Natalia Tokarska.

On 18 April 2005 the Music Schools' Group (Zespół Szkół Muzycznych) in Dąbrowa Górnicza was named after Michał Spisak!  During the  celebrations, the school's choir performed, among others, "Olympic Hymn" .

In addition, the 12th Silesian Competition - Brass Instruments was held here from 20 to 22 April 2005.  Out of older participants, Piotr Nowak, playing the trumpet, from the Music Schools' Group in Częstochowa won the Jury's widest recognition. Krystian Jarosz from the State Music School in Jaworzno and Wojciech Siwek from the State Music School in Żywiec were the winners in the younger age group. The roundup of the "Spisak week" was held in the theatre hall of the Zagłębie Palace of Culture on 22 April. There was a concert of the Silesian Competition laureates. The prizes were granted to the laureates of the competition of  knowledge about life and artistic work and to the winners of the competition for logo of the festival. The logo which was considered to be the best was the one designed by  Katarzyna Molicka from the State Secondary School of Fine Arts in Dąbrowa Górnicza.

Promotion of a monograph dedicated to Michał Spisak written by Prof. Leon Markiewicz added splendour to the 1st Michał Spisak Festival.
Prof. dr. hab. Leon Markiewicz, former rector of the Karol Szymanowski Music Academy in Katowice, used in his book, entitled "Michał Spisak 1914-1965",  many so far unpublished documents describing the composer's life.
In Poland there is a large collection of Spisak's correspondence with such celebrities like: Grzegorz Fitelberg, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Jan Ekier or  Stefan Kisielewski, stored in: the Archive of Silesian Music Culture at the Music Academy in Katowice, the Archive of Polish Composers at the Warsaw University Library or at the National Library. The Association of Polish Composers in Warsaw and the Polish Music Publishing House (Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne) were also of help. "Sztygarka" City Museum, in which there are mementos of the composer, had its contribution in the creation of the monograph as well.

"We hope that with this book we will  popularize the artistic work of this remarkable Polish composer of neoclassicism" - thinks Prof. Leon Markiewicz.