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Poland's major international festival of contemporary music, and highly regarded worldwide, the "Warsaw Autumn" was for many years the only event of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. Organized by the Association of Polish Composers during the political thaw of 1956, the festival has been held annually (except for '57 and '82) ever since. Conceived by composers Tadeusz Baird and Kazimierz Serocki, the aim of the festival was to acquaint Poles accustomed to the dominant socialist-realist style of the Stalinist period (socrealizm) with international avant-garde music, and to introduce Polish contemporary music to an international audience. During the Communist years the festival played an extremely important role as a catalyst for both Polish composition and for exposure to contemporary world music not only in Poland but in other Communist countries, including the USSR.