Polish Army Choir

The link between the choir and Scotland was the outstanding bass Lieutenant Marian Nowakowski (1912 – 2000). With his fellow compatriots-in-arms, he came to Scotland after the defeat of France and there he met the Director of Music at the Carnegie Music Institute, Dunfermline Trust, James Moodie, who encouraged his musical development. Moodie arranged both Polish and Scottish songs for Nowakowski who appeared regularly with the Polish Army Choir and feaured as a soloist on their records for for HMV.

Their recording of the Hebridean song, An Eriskay Love Lilt was among the six records chosen by Princess Elizabeth for Christmas 1947 in the B.B.C. series, Records I Like. He sang a great deal at Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline from 1940 onwards, including a memorable return visit in 1979.