Festival of Music in Old Krakow

The 32nd Festival of Music in Old Krakow will be held from August 15-31 and will present a variety of works ranging from early music to contemporary compositions. The festival will feature some 22 concerts spread out over 17 days and will bring together “household names” from throughout the world.

Invited stars include Polish and foreign soloists, chamber groups and orchestras. Music lovers will have the opportunity to listen to what as been called the world’s finest vocal quartet, the Hilliard Ensemble. Other headliners include the guitar quartet Los Romeros, violinist Ida Haendel, pianist Awadagin Pratt and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra conducted by Ton Koopman. The festival will be inaugurated with Joseph Haydn’s oratorio The Creation. On August 19, Capella Cracoviensis will perform the concert version of Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi on the 400th anniversary of the performance of this first opera in history of music. The final concert will be devoted to Karol Szymanowski, one of the greatest Polish composers, on the 70th anniversary of his death.

The festival also will include two concerts of Romanian and Bulgarian orthodox choir music. The idea of the festival is to present music at the most beautiful sites of Krakow, such as churches, synagogues, museums, the Jagiellonian University and the Philharmonic Hall, depending on the character of the music being performed. The festival book includes not only the information about performing artists, composers and musical pieces but also the description of each historical site.

Festival of Music in Old Krakow is the brainchild of Stanislaw Galonski, artistic director of Capella Cracoviensis, Krakow’s eminent orchestra. This year’s edition of the festival is organized under the patronage of the mayor of Krakow, and is sponsored by the Municipal Council of Krakow. More information is available on: www.capellacracoviensis.pl