Permanent members of the ensemble:
- Joanna Trafas – sopran
- Maria Klich – sopran, hurdy-gurdy
- Justyna Grabowska – harpsichord, virginal
- Mateusz Kowalski – viola da gamba
- Aleksander Tomczyk – renaissance nad baroque wind nad percussion instruments; artistic direction
The ensemble was founded in 1994. One of the co-founders, Aleksander Tomczyk remains its central figure until today, and leads the ensemble as artistic director. The leading throughline over the years has been presenting and bringing to the foreground Polish music of centuries past. The group uses historical instruments and historically informed performance technique as well as creates its own original arrangements inspired by folk music, world music and a collective licentia poetica. From the beginning, Floripari actively performs concerts all over Poland and abroad.
Over 20 years ago the ensemble began a collaboration with the Royal Castle of Wawel, bringing back tradition of royal music and court ensembles dating back hundreds of years. Floripari quickly became the castle’s leading musical attraction, performing at prestigious events honouring special visitors from abroad: the president of Portugal, King of Malaysia, Queen of Sweden, Prince of Monaco, NATO representatives, Norwegian government officials and many others
Floripari ensemble has gone on many international concert tours to promote Polish culture, its activities supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Poland’s leading national institution for promoting Polish culture abroad.
In recent years, the most important performances took place at internationally ranked festivals such as the Blackwood River Chamber Festival in Western Australia (2012), the 51st International Festival in Łańcut (2012), Stour Festival of Music in the UK (2010) as well as Via Gothica (Slovakia) and Festivalul de Muzica Veche (Bucarest, Romania). Beyond that, the ensemble was a guest at Kolory Polski festival, the 18th Early Music festival at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Festiwal Muzyki Niezwykłej (Kraków, 2017) , Muzyczne Lato z Telemannem, Aleksandrowski Międzynarodowy Festiwal Dwóch Cesarzy and at gala events for the Pro Publico Bono Foundation in Rome and Krakow and the European City of Culture celebrations in Vilnius.
Ensemble members have taken part in many early music master classes. Scholarships from DISS Dartington and the David Reichenberg Trust (1993-1995) were a crucial force in the development of the ensemble in its early stages. Over the years, Floripari changed and evolved as various members floated in and out of the group. New instruments were added and all members constantly further their abilities, growing as artists. Some have gone on to teach at the Krakow Academy of Music.
Floripari Wawel Musicians has recorded and published many albums, most significantly Kędykolwiek teraz jesteś. Love lyric of European courts of the 16th and 17th c. (Kędykolwiek teraz jesteś. Liryka miłosna dworów europejskich XVI i XVII w.) in 1995, Auditum de coelis – music of the Bright Mount (Auditum de coelis. Jasnogórskie muzykalia) in 2001, Christmas Music from the Bright Mount (Jasnogórska Muzyka na Boże Narodzenie) in 2005, and Musical Postcards from old Poland (Muzyczne Pocztówki z dawnej Polski) in 2012 . In 2016, FLORIPARI recorded its original arrangements of the famous Spanish medieval Cantigas de Santa Maria in a modern-day Polish translation. The album was published by the Dominican Friars Liturgical Centre Foundation, accompanied by a songbook, but is also available on Spotify.
Floripari conducts research, discovering unknown polish early music. Since 2006, it collaborates with the Rakow Land Friends Association (Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Ziemi Rakowskiej) and Kurozwęki Palace, performing and analyzing previously unknown post-reformation religious music of the Polish group of Protestants known as the Polish Brethren as well as the Catholic Rakow Capella, resulting in annual concerts and recordings.
Educating children and youth is an important area of Floripari activity. The ensemble performs for very young audiences, speaking about Polish Reneissance culture, instruments, customs and fashion alongside performing music of the so-called Polish Golden Age (16th and 17th c). Floripari has taken part in programs at the National Philharmonic, The National Opera in Warsaw and regularly cooperates with the Krakow Philharmonic Education Department.
updated: 2019 (ac)
