One of Europe’s finest chamber ensembles, AUKSO – Chamber Orchestra of the City of Tychy, was established in Tychy, near Katowice, in February 1998 as a result of the joint initiative of Marek Moś and a group of up-and-coming musicians, students of the Karol Szymanowski Music Academy in Katowice. It was intended to be for them something more than a place of work; rather a space for artistic explorations and development, and of the joint creation of art of the highest merit. AUKSO means growth in Greek. The choice of name for the orchestra was therefore not accidental. It was an expression of the aspirations of its members, pointing to the direction of their professional path. It speaks of the need to strive for perfection, of determination, openness and readiness to face challenges. The young musicians, whose interests go far beyond the classical repertoire, put the emphasis on Polish music, particularly by contemporary composers. Many of them, such as Zbigniew Bujarski, Cezary Duchnowski, Wojciech Kilar, Aleksander Lasoń, Piotr Moss and Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil, have entrusted first performances of their works to AUKSO.

AUKSO performs regularly in Poland and abroad, working closely with such prominent conductors and soloists as Jerzy Maksymiuk, Marc Minkowski, Piotr Anderszewski, Andrzej Bauer, Kaja Danczowska, Władysław Kłosiewicz, Janusz Olejniczak and Olga Pasichnyk. It has performed at prestigious festivals (the Easter Ludwig van Beethoven Festival, Wratislavia Cantans, Warsaw Autumn) and has recorded several CDs with works by contemporary Polish composers (Grażyna Bacewicz, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Witold Lutosławski, Wojciech Kilar, Zbigniew Preisner). Blending classical music with jazz and rock, a play of contrasts and a clash of divergent musical idioms is among the hallmarks of the activity of AUKSO. It has performed and recorded with Leszek Możdżer, Tomasz Stańko, Urszula Dudziak, Michał Urbaniak, Motion Trio and Voo Voo. In 2000 the orchestra launched the annual summer festival in Wigry, north-eastern Poland, known as the AUKSO Philharmonic. It comprises concerts, workshops and masterclasses. Held in one of Poland’s most scenic regions, it attracts prominent musicians as well as numerous music lovers from all over Poland.

updated: 2018 (ac)