KARŁOWICZ FEST

Celebrate with us the 150th birthday of Mieczysław Karłowicz – patron of the Szczecin Philharmonic.

Karłowicz Fest is the first festival in Poland dedicated to the music of Karłowicz. The programme will also feature works by other composers of his era. Festival passes are now on sale!

Karłowicz Fest | 11 December – 19 December 2026 | Szczecin Philharmonic

ALL FESTIVAL CONCERTS

11.12.2026 – Festival Opening Concert
Alexandra Conunova – violin | Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra | Przemysław Neumann – conductor

12.12.2026 – UP-Down – being Karłowicz
Musical theatre performance for children and their caregivers

13.12.2026 – Young Music Lovers’ Academy | Sounds of Mountain Peaks
Educational concert for children and their caregivers

14.12.2026 – Songs
Izabela Matuła – soprano | Tomasz Rak – baritone | Mateusz Słowikowski – piano

15.12.2026 – The Eternal Songs
Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra | Przemysław Neumann – conductor

16.12.2026 – Returning Waves
Sinfonia Iuventus | Antoni Wit – conductor

17.12.2026 – An Episode at a Masquerade
Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra Łódź | Paweł Przytocki – conductor

18.12.2026 – Symphonic Monuments
Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra | Przemysław Neumann – conductor

19.12.2026 – Festival Finale
Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra Gdańsk | Piotr Pawlak – piano | Daniel Smith – conductor

ACCOMPANYING EVENTS

13.12.2026 – Film Screening
The documentary Mieczysław Karłowicz – A Solitary Journey, directed by Tomasz Knittel

13.122026 – Panel Discussion
A discussion exploring the relationship between art and the experience of solitude.

11-19.12.2026 – Mieczysław Karłowicz's Mountain Photography
A selection of reproductions of surviving photographs taken by Mieczysław Karłowicz.

Festival passes and tickets

Karłowicz Fest passes are now on presale. Purchase a pass and save up to 50% on tickets*

• 5 or 6 different concerts of your choice -50% on tickets

• 3 or 4 different concerts of your choice -30% on tickets

* Applies exclusively to symphonic and chamber concerts presented as part of Karłowicz Fest and does not include concerts for children and their caregivers. Limited number of passes available.

Single-ticket sales:

• from 12 June 2026 – concerts for children and their caregivers
• from September 2026 – all concerts within Karłowicz Fest.

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Mieczysław Karłowicz was one of the most outstanding Polish composers in history. Yet, despite the unquestionable value of his music, his work remains unfamiliar to many music lovers. We have decided to change that.

Karłowicz Fest offers a unique opportunity to discover the remarkable music of the patron of the Szczecin Philharmonic. During the festival, audiences will hear almost the complete symphonic output of the composer. The programme spans from his youthful Rebirth Symphony and the Violin Concerto-after the premiere of which Karłowicz was called back to the stage no fewer than seven times by an enthusiastic audience-to mature masterpieces such as the symphonic poems Stanisław and Anna Oświęcim and A Sorrowful Tale.

Karłowicz was born on 11 December 1876. Exactly 150 years later, the opening concert of Karłowicz Fest will take place in the Golden Hall of the Szczecin Philharmonic. Our festival will not only present his music, but also introduce audiences to Karłowicz the man. We will explore his passions for mountaineering in the Tatra Mountains and photography, as well as the dramatic story of his life.

The composer died tragically in an avalanche on 8 February 1909 at the age of just 32. Yet he left behind music of extraordinary emotional depth and expressive power. Within it, listeners will find joy and youthful energy, but also hope, sorrow, love, and reflections on the most profound questions of human existence.

Alongside almost all of Karłowicz’s symphonic works, the festival will also feature music by composers who inspired him or who were his contemporaries. The programme includes works by Schumann and Richard Strauss, as well as Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

Join us in celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mieczysław Karłowicz!