On 8 and 9 April, concerts by the excellent European Union Youth Orchestra will take place in Lusławice and Warsaw. The ensemble will perform with the Jerzy Semkow Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra and the Polish National Youth Choir under Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki, featuring two soloists: Heidi Stober (soprano) and Małgorzata Walewska (mezzo-soprano). On stage, there will be about 200 performers. They will interpret the monumental Symphony No. 2 in C minor ‘Resurrection’ by Gustav Mahler, one of the primary inspirations of which was Adam Mickiewicz’s Forefathers’ Eve.

On 5 April, we invite you to Wrocław for a unique concert by the Chopin University Big Band led by Piotr Kostrzewa and the singer Natalia Muianga, who will take the listeners on a sentimental journey through the rich repertoire of Polish popular music. From ‘When I Fall in Love’ by Victor Young – a Polish composer popularising Poland in America – to hits by the Wasowski and Przybora duo and melodies composed by Jerzy ‘Duduś’ Matuszkiewicz.

In Zielona Góra, on 13 April, the Music Everywhere Choir, together with the Progress Chamber Orchestra and exceptional guests, will take us on a time-travel adventure by recalling legendary hits in unprecedented arrangements, such as ‘Dziwny jest ten świat’, ‘Biała Armia’ or romantic ballads, for example, ‘Czas nas uczy pogody’.

On 28 April, the Heroes Orchestra will perform at the Szczecin Philharmonic for the first time. During their concerts, the universe of computer games meets the world of classical music. The ensemble has been attracting crowds of fans of Heroes of Might and Magic for years. The orchestra will be led by Mateusz Alberski, whose piece Heroes Orchestra Combat will be premiered during the concert.

The month of May will start with a concert by the excellent Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra at the Warmia and Mazury Philharmonic in Olsztyn (1 May). The programme features compositions by composers in exile: Aleksander Tansman, Miłosz Magin and Andrzej Panufnik. The ensemble will be conducted by Michał Klauza, and the solo part will be performed by pianist Aleksandra Świgut.

On 18 May, the Klezmer Orchestra of the Sejny Theatre will take us into the world of culture of Ashkenazi Jews. During the concert at the Łódź Philharmonic, we are going to hear music played at weddings and other celebrations of Ashkenazi Jews. These are typical dance forms such as freilach, bulgar, horah, zhok, honga or wedding marches. A large part of the repertoire is constituted by niguns – prayers of various Hasidic dynasties, such as the Bobov, Chabad, Satmar, Boyan and others. Some of the pieces come from the repertoire of German Goldenshteyn, a famous Moldovan clarinettist. Together with Michael Alpert from New York, they were masters in one of the editions of the ‘The Musicians’ Raft between New York and Sejny’ project.

The concerts by young artists will end on May 23 in Katowice with The Best of Polish Alt-pop.