The Katowice City Singers’ Ensemble ‘Camerata Silesia’

The ensemble is a leading Polish chamber singing group, founded in 1990 by the charismatic and highly respected conductor Anna Szostak, who remains its director to this day. The group is valued for its precise performances of contemporary music and excellent interpretations of pre-classical music. Over the 30 years of its activity, Camerata Silesia has gained international recognition, promoting Poland and the city of Katowice during performances in the most prestigious concert halls in Europe and Asia.

The ensemble is a regular guest at international festivals, including the Warsaw Autumn, the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, Chopin and His Europe or Wratislavia Cantans. The quality of the group’s work on the international arena was appreciated by Krzysztof Penderecki, whose St Luke’s Passion, Polish Requiem and Seven Gates of Jerusalem were co-performed by Camerata Silesia many times under the direction of the composer himself, while during the Warsaw Autumn the ensemble took part in the performance of his Canticum Canticorum. In 2012, the extended ensemble was invited to participate in the performance and DVD recordings of the stage version of Krzysztof Penderecki’s St Luke’s Passion directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna. Through its close relations with many pre-eminent contemporary music composers, Camerata Silesia has premiered over 300 of the latest works, often composed especially for the ensemble.

Camerata Silesia has captured the attention of international music critics not only with its concert activity, but also through its recordings. The ensemble has published several dozen albums, five of which received the Fryderyk Music Award, with more than ten being nominated. The ‘Fryderyk’ award was also awarded to projects in which Camerata cooperated.

Since 2014, Camerata Silesia has been organising its own series of concerts at the seat of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, presenting a diverse repertoire, including both classical music and works that combine jazz and pop. Since 2024, the Katowice City Singers’ Ensemble ‘Camerata Silesia’ is the Culture Institution of the City of Katowice co-managed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.