A new musical event is appearing on Poland's cultural map – the Open Classics Festival in Beskidy, which will take place from April 6-11, 2025, in Bielsko-Biała, Cieszyn, Wisła, and Skoczów. It will be a meeting with classical and improvised music, accompanied by digital arts, photography, and posters. Most of the events are free of charge, with reservations required.
"We want classical music to be open – open to everyone, not just experts and music lovers. I believe that our festival will allow more people to open up and perhaps even develop a taste for such sounds," says pianist Aleksandra Hałat, director of the Open Classics Festival. The "Open" in the event's name also signifies an inspiration from the region’s culture and an openness to intercultural dialogue, inviting partnership with representatives from the technological, digital, and academic fields from the Beskidy region and beyond.
During six concerts, compositions by F. Chopin, B. Smetana, A. Dvořák, B. Bartók, F. Nowowiejski, K. Szymanowski, W. Kilar, and M. Hałat will be performed. The audience will also have the opportunity to hear jazz, improvisations, and music for video games and applications. Augmented Reality animations will interact with the music, creating fascinating stories.
Performers include Jiří Vodička, Aleksandra Hałat, Marcin Hałat, Maciej Garbowski, Jakub Czekierda, Paweł Seligman, Tymoteusz Bies, and Filip Bies Duo.
The program will be complemented by workshops on creating artistic video games and designing music for games, led by Paulina Bielesz and Jakub Chojnacki.
The organizers of the Open Classics Festival in Beskidy are the Karol Rathaus Foundation, the Faculty of Art and Educational Sciences at the University of Silesia, the Institute of Musical Arts, and the Institute of Fine Arts in Cieszyn.
The festival has the honorary patronage of the Mayors of the following cities: Gabriela Staszkiewicz, Mayor of Cieszyn; Rajmund Dedio, Mayor of Skoczów; and Tomasz Bujok, Mayor of Wisła.
Co-organizers include: Stanisław Moniuszko State Music School in Bielsko-Biała, J. Śniegoń Public Library in Wisła.
Event partners include: ARP Foundation - Industrial Development Agency S.A., Silesian Philharmonic, Game Fest Music, Oddychaj Beskidami Foundation, Cavatina Hall, MCK "Integrator" – Municipal Cultural Center in Skoczów, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Ostrava University, Cieszyn Cultural Center "Dom Narodowy", Wisła Cultural Center, Czech Centre Warsaw, Oddychaj Beskidami Foundation, and I.G.S.PRODUCTION.
Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC
Detailed programme: https://karolrathausfoundation.org/open-classics-festival-in-beskids/
