The Polish Radio Choir at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice is one of the most outstanding vocal ensembles in Poland. Composed of outstanding vocalists, young people, full of energy and unlimited imagination, and experienced singers moving through the meanders of the difficult art of vocal art with perfection and finesse.
Founded in 1948, for 75 years it has been performing a repertoire encompassing both a cappella music and vocal-instrumental forms. This is an ensemble drawing on the rich history of choral music, but also constantly searching – reaching for the traditions of various styles and eras, in a creative and modern way confronting them with its own vision of artistic language and its own, original and recognizable sound. The choir's participation therefore includes performances exploring the relations between sound, body and space, as well as traditional songs, or performances of complex melodic and harmonic structures, or dealing with the pre-classical compositional legacy. It is also no stranger to musical encounters with the world of jazz.
A particularly important area of the choir's activity is Polish music of the 20th century – it has premiered works by the most significant contemporary composers, including Witold Lutosławski, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Krzysztof Penderecki and Wojciech Kilar, as well as collaborated with creators of the latest Polish music, among whom in recent years have been: Agata Zubel, Aleksander Kościów, Paweł Łukaszewski, Andrzej Kwieciński, Szymon Godziemba-Trytek, Aleksander Nowak and Paweł Mykietyn.
The ensemble takes part in numerous festivals in Poland and abroad. The Polish Radio Choir – Lusławice regularly collaborates with the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, the Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, the New Music Orchestra and the Beethoven Academy Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Royal City of Krakow Sinfonietta Cracovia. The artistic director of the ensemble is Maria Piotrowska-Bogalecka.
Photo K.Hayder