19th "Silesian Music Summer"

"Silesian Music Summer" is the second flagship initiative of the Jerzy Heller International Music Masterclasses Society, alongside the International Music Masterclasses in Opole. The 19th edition of the festival, taking place from August 4 to 8, 2026, will be hosted in Opole, Pokój, and Brzeg. All events are free of charge, making first-rate music accessible to a wide audience.

Since 2007, the festival has continuously enriched the summer cultural offer of the Opole region, remaining the only recurring classical music event organized in the region during the summer period. The initiator and artistic director of the event is the renowned violinist and Opole native, Prof. Tomasz Tomaszewski, with the programming concept co-created by pianist Katarzyna Ewa Sokołowska, who is also from Opole.

The mission of the festival is to popularize classical music and composers connected with Silesia. The main theme of the 19th edition will feature the piano and chamber works of Emanuel Kania (1827–1887), born in Uszyce in the Opole region, alongside the music of lutenist Esaias Reusner (1636–1679), a native of Lwówek Śląski.

The Festival will open with a benefit concert by the Ravel Piano Duo, celebrating their 30th anniversary of artistic activity.

Another highlight of the program will be a concert at the Museum of the Silesian Piasts in Brzeg, dedicated to the works of composers associated with the Association of Young Polish Musicians in Paris, organized to mark the 100th anniversary of its founding (1926–2026). Performed by the Polish String Quartet Berlin, the concert will feature Szymon Laks's String Quartet No. 2, Aleksander Tansman's Sonata for Two Violins, and Grażyna Bacewicz's Piano Quintet No. 1.

Works by Henryk Wieniawski, Michał Spisak, and Krzysztof Penderecki will be performed by the laureates of the "Young Ludwig" Competition at the Fryderyk Chopin State Music School in Opole.

Festival has been taking place thanks to the long-standing cooperation between the Jerzy Heller International Music Masterclasses Society and numerous institutional partners. A key role is played by the Fryderyk Chopin State Music School in Opole and the Opole Philharmonic. Local governments, cultural institutions, and regional partners are also actively involved in bringing the event to fruition. Honorary patronage: the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Center for Artistic Education, the Marshal of the Opole Voivodeship, and the Mayor of the City of Opole.

Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage within the Culture Promotion Fund, under the "Music" program implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance. Co-financed by the  Provincial Government of the Opole Voivodeship.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

Details available at: https://www.kurs.opole.pl/19-slaskie-lato-muzyczne