Soloists

While Mieczysław Karłowicz’s music sits at the heart of the festival, his works will be paired with compositions by his contemporaries and figures he held in high esteem.

Karłowicz’s Violin Concerto in A major will be performed by Alexandra Cononunova – one of the world’s most admired violinists, boasting numerous international competition prizes and appearances on the world’s most prestigious stages.

Piotr Pawlak – one of Poland’s most versatile pianists and an audience favorite at the latest International Chopin Piano Competition – will perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

Karłowicz’s Songs – the works that brought him the greatest acclaim during his lifetime – will be performed by two stellar singers: soprano Izabela Matuła, who has graced major European opera and oratorio stages in leading roles, and baritone Tomasz Rak, one of Poland’s finest voices and a regular guest across prominent opera houses nationwide and abroad. They will be accompanied at the piano by Mateusz Słowikowski, a pianist associated with Poland’s premier opera stage, Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Warsaw.

Conductors

The festival’s concerts will unfold under the batons of renowned masters. The Philharmonic’s Golden Hall welcomes Antoni Wit – a living legend of Polish conducting. Maestro Wit has conducted worldwide at the helm of the most prestigious ensembles, leaving a legacy of over 200 albums and sales exceeding five million records – a rare feat in classical music.

Also taking the podium is Paweł Przytocki, Artistic Director of the Łódź Philharmonic. He has appeared with leading European orchestras and performed at major festivals such as Musikfest Stuttgart, Prague Spring, and Wratislavia Cantans. His recording of Rachmaninoff’s First Symphony earned high acclaim from the American magazine La Folia for its ‘rare intensity and musical commitment.’

We will also welcome Daniel Smith – laureate of four major international conducting competitions, including the Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors (Golden Baton and Orchestra Prize). He is a regular guest with top European ensembles, including the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai in Rome and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony.

Maciej Kotarba – First Prize and Special Award winner at the 2nd Polish National Conducting Competition in Wrocław – will take the baton as well. A semifinalist in the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition and the 10th Fitelberg Competition, he stands as one of Poland’s most gifted young conductors.

Last but not least, several concerts will be led by Przemysław Neumann – General and Artistic Director of the Szczecin Philharmonic, host, and creator of Karłowicz FEST. For years, Maestro Neumann has been dedicated to restoring Polish music to its rightful place on concert stages. His recording of Witold Maliszewski’s works with the Opole Philharmonic earned a Fryderyk nomination, while his brainchild, the ‘Forgotten Polish Music’ concert series in Opole, met with resounding acclaim. Maestro Neumann regularly guest-conducts Poland’s leading orchestras and mentors future generations of conductors at the Academy of Music in Poznań.

Orchestras

Karłowicz FEST also brings showcase performances from acclaimed Polish symphonic ensembles. Bringing fresh energy and talent to the stage is the Jerzy Semkow Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra – composed of Poland’s most gifted young musicians. A guest at festivals worldwide, the ensemble has collaborated with renowned soloists such as Aleksandra Kurzak, Alena Baeva, and Janusz Olejniczak.

We will also hear the Artur Rubinstein Łódź Philharmonic Orchestra, an ensemble backed by over a century of history. The orchestra has toured extensively abroad, gracing venues such as the Tonhalle Zurich, Sala Verdi in Milan, Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp, and the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. They have worked alongside legendary soloists – including Lang Lang, Piotr Anderszewski, and Garrick Ohlsson – under the direction of elite conductors.

Joining the lineup is the Polish Baltic Philharmonic – one of the country’s leading orchestras. Their catalog includes numerous radio, television, and studio recordings, notably Britten’s War Requiem under Sir Neville Marriner and albums with soloists like Alena Baeva and Maxim Vengerov. The orchestra has toured internationally, including major runs across China and the United States.

Naturally, audiences will hear – on multiple occasions – the Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble long committed to championing the music of its patron, Mieczysław Karłowicz. Marking nearly 80 years of history, the orchestra has toured widely across Europe, including two performances at the Herbert von Karajan Hall in the Berlin Philharmonie, the Konzerthaus Berlin, and recently the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. Their discography encompasses nearly all of Karłowicz’s orchestral repertoire alongside collaborations with world-renowned artists; in the past decade alone, they have performed with Bomsori Kim, Christian Tetzlaff, and Mischa Maisky.

Panelists & Experts

Karłowicz FEST extends beyond performance into dynamic encounters. During the panel discussion Between Mountains and Music, we will explore Karłowicz through his passions: music, mountain climbing, and photography. Joining the conversation is Andrzej Marcisz – a pioneer of sport climbing in Poland and a veteran Tatra mountaineer who established numerous extreme routes in the range.

The discussion will also feature Mateusz Ryczek – an acclaimed contemporary Polish composer whose works have been performed across Europe, Asia, and North America.

Also joining the panel is Przemysław Neumann, General and Artistic Director of the Szczecin Philharmonic. The session will be chaired by Piotr Wojciechowski – editor at Radio Chopin, associate of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, host of a podcast on Karłowicz’s mountain treks, and an avid mountaineer himself.

Actors & Presenters

Our educational programming for young festivalgoers features a family concert and a musical play – both centered on the figure of Mieczysław Karłowicz. Paulina Wojdyga will host a special festival edition of the hit educational series Young Music Lover’s Academy, guiding young listeners into the realm of Music from Mountain Peaks. Meanwhile, the musical play Up and Down – Being Like Karłowicz features actors from Szczecin’s leading theaters: Magdalena Wrani-Stachowska, Rafał Hajdukiewicz, Adam Kuzycz-Berezowski, and Wojciech Sandach, alongside Agata Kolasińska, who also penned the script for this unique production.