choir
O artyście
Mixed Choir of the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic in Cracow started its activity in 1945. In 1951, the Choir won the 1st prize at the 1st Festival of Polish Music in Warsaw. Ever since, the choir has been enjoying international acclaim, presenting a rich repertoire featuring oratorios and a cappella pieces, ranging from the 17th-century to contemporary music.
The choir has participated in several famous Polish festivals (Wratislavia Cantans, Warsaw Autumn) and abroad, for example, in Paris, Lyon, La Chaise-Dieu, Venice, Rome, Baalbek and Helsinki. As part of its numerous concert tours, the choir has performed almost all over Europe as well as in Iran, Canada, Lebanon, Turkey, the USA and Russia. The choir was the first Polish ensemble to perform at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
The choir has accompanied many European orchestras, among others, Wiener Symphoniker, Beethovenhalleorchester Bonn, Orchestra Sinfonica della Radiotelevisione Italiana di Roma, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia di Roma, Staatskapelle Dresden, Rundfunksinfonieorchester Berlin and Orchestre Philharmonique du Montpelier. Moreover, the philharmonic choir has participated in great international events, such as celebration of the 10th anniversary of the pontificate of John Paul II, concert in Berlin on the occasion of the Reunification of Germany in 1990, celebration of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in 1995 and the Canonisation Mass of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II in Vatican (2014).
The ensemble actively contributes to the popularisation of Penderecki’s music (the recording of St Luke Passion was awarded a Grand Prix du Disque). Other successful recordings of the choir are those of Wojciech Kilar’s music. The recording of compositions by Kilar (Krzesany, Angelus, Victoria) was nominated for a Fryderyk in 1997 (a prestigious Polish music award). The choir participated in the recording of Kilar’s music for the soundtracks for Francis Coppola’s Dracula and Tom Toelle’s A King for Burning. For many years, the choir has received approval of audience, reviewers and conductors. Numerous tours abroad have made the choir’s reputation as an ‘ambassador of Polish culture’.