The European Union Youth Orchestra is a unique symphony orchestra, described by Jean-Claude Juncker as the ‘best ambassador of the European Union’. It is made up of young talented artists from 27 EU Member States who regularly perform in the most renowned concert halls and at festivals all over the world, such as the BBC Proms, Carnegie Hall in New York or the Musikverein in Vienna. The EUYO has collaborated with many world-renowned conductors and soloists, including Daniel Barenboim, Leonard Bernstein, Mstislav Rostropovich, and legends such as Claudio Abbado, Herbert von Karajan or Vladimir Ashkenazy, while its members are winners of auditions attended by over 3,500 young artists on an annual basis. Over the course of over 50 years, most of its 4,000 graduates have developed solo careers and joined the world’s most important orchestras. In recent years, the EUYO has won numerous awards, including the Medal of the President of Italy and the title of European Culture Brand of the Year. The orchestra, founded in 1976, connects generations and promotes European values, gaining recognition as an unparalleled populariser of European culture. Thanks to the support of the Creative Europe Programme and the 27 EU Member States, the EUYO implements innovative projects, such as ‘Towards 2030’ or the Frontrunners workshops, which enhance European cultural identity and the development of young talents. In recent years, the EUYO has won numerous awards, including the Medal of the President of Italy Sergio Mattarella for its performances at the Bolzano Festival Bozen in 2023, the Crystal Award of the Golden Prague Festival for the best television concert in 2022 and the title of European Culture Brand of the Year 2020. 

The Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra was established at the initiative of Jerzy Semkow, one of the most outstanding Polish conductors. The orchestra is made up of the most talented graduates of music academies up to the age of 30. It allows them to make an orchestral debut, prepares them for work in similar ensembles and gives them the opportunity to perform under the baton of world-famous conductors, such as J. Semkow, J. Krenz, K. Penderecki, A. Wit, T. Strugała, J. Axelrod, Ch. Dutoit, A. Duczmal, G. Nowak, J. Maksymiuk, M. Jurowski, M. Pijarowski, M. J. Błaszczyk, R. Silva, M. Wolińska, Ł. Borowicz and K. Herdzin. The ensemble also collaborates with excellent soloists, such as K.A. Kulka, P. Paleczny, I. Monighetti, K. Jakowicz, A. Kurzak, R. Alagna, J. Olejniczak, J. Plowright, E. Indjic, K. Jabłoński, O. Pasiecznik, T. Strahl, Ł. Długosz, A. Baeva, L. Możdżer, Y. Avdeeva, A. Szymczewska, J. Jakowicz or P. Pławner. The orchestra has performed on prestigious concert stages and at renowned festivals; it has also made a number of CD, radio and television recordings. 

The Polish National Youth Choir is an artistic and educational project addressed to singing youth; its originator and artistic director is Prof. dr hab. Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny. Established in 2013 by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, it is implemented as part of the Witold Lutosławski National Forum of Music in Wrocław. The choir focuses its activities on cooperation with pupils and students of vocal faculties of music schools and academies as well as with the best singers of Polish choirs. Selected young people work in a session system, participating in individual singing lessons, lectures, workshops and rehearsals. The choir has collaborated with world-renowned conductors, such as P. McCreesh, J. Kaspszyk, A. Kosendiak, B. Shwartz, B. Michałowski, M. Alsop, Ł. Borowicz, performing both vocal and instrumental pieces, such as The Creation by Joseph Haydn or Symphony No. 8 ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ by Gustav Mahler and several dozen pieces for a cappella choir. In 2024, an album featuring Edward Elgar’s oratorio The Dream of Gerontius was released, recorded by the choir and Gabrieli Consort & Players, as well as the album Universal Prayer presenting choral works by A. Panufnik

Susanna Mälkki is a Finnish opera conductor and cellist, the chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra as well as a guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She has also conducted the Wiener Symphoniker, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. The artist has performed with orchestras of the Berliner Philharmoniker, London Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, The Cleveland, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia, BBC Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, London Sinfonietta and Teatro La Fenice. She has also collaborated with the National Opera of Paris on several occasions. She is the first woman to conduct a performance at the Milan La Scala (2011). Susanna has conducted stage performances of such operas as Der Rosenkavalier by Strauss and The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart at the Finnish National Opera as well as Jenufa by Janáček at the Staatsoper in Hamburg.

Heidi Stober was hailed by the Opera News magazine as a ‘distinctly American lyric soprano that makes the rest of the world listen’. Known for her crystalline timbre and acting commitment, she has been performing on the greatest stages in Europe (Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Royal Opera House in London, Staatsoper in Dresden) and in the United States (Metropolitan Opera in New York, Lyric Opera in Chicago, Grand Opera in Houston). In recent years, her most important operatic achievements include the roles of, among others, Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Micaëla in Carmen and Marguerite in Faust. In the current 2024/25 season, she will debut at the Royal Opera House as Gretel in the play Hansel and Gretel. She will also perform at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin as Zdenka in Arabella and Pat Nixon in Nixon in China, while at the Dresden Semperoper she will interpret the role of Pamina in The Magic Flute. She is also an expressive and passionate concert artist and recitalist, performing with the best symphony orchestras in philharmonic halls around the world. She is a native of Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Małgorzata Walewska is one of the most recognisable Polish opera singers. She graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw in the class of Prof. Halina Słonicka. A prizewinner and finalist of a number of international competitions, including A. Kraus, L. Pavarotti, S. Moniuszko and Belvedere. After graduation, she made her debut as Polina and Carmen at the Vienna Staatsoper. In the following years, she sang at the Dresden Semperoper and the Berlin Deutsche Oper. In 2006, Małgorzata Walewska made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Dalila. Her other important debuts include the role of Azucena in the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden (2009), Nurse in The Woman without a Shadow at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico (2012) and Dalila in the Grand Théâtre de Genève (2012). In 2015, she expanded her repertoire with the role of Kundry in Parsifal. In recent seasons, the artist made her debut as Widow in Goplana at the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera and as Mistress Quickly in Falstaff and Auntie in Peter Grimes at the Opera in Cologne. In 2014, Małgorzata Walewska was appointed Artistic Director of the Ada Sari International Vocal Artistry Festival and Competition in Nowy Sącz. In 2016, she received the Gold Gloria Artis Medal, awarded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.