37th International Festival of Orthodox Church Music „Hajnówka” will take place on May 16-20, 2018 at the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic in Białystok.

The Festival has been organized by the „Orthodox Church Music” Foundation in Hajnówka every year since 1982. The aim of the event is to present the great artistic and spiritual values of Orthodox Church music. The Festival’s program also creates an opportunity for discussions, meetings, an exchange of experiences, and establishing new relationships between participants coming from different environments — thus, it becomes enriched with aesthetic and educational objectives.

The Festival is organized as a competition, with participation of amateur and professional choirs from around the world, regardless of their religion: Catholics, Greek Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Old Believers, as well as Muslims, Buddhists and Jews. Almost from the beginning of the Festival, the jury has been chaired by Romuald Twardowski, an outstanding Polish composer and teacher.

The festival will begin on May 16 with the inaugural concert "Spirituality of the Republic in the Orthodox Church Music" performed by the Khreschatyk Chamber Choir from Kiev (Ukraine). This year's edition will feature 30 ensembles from 11 countries: Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Russia, Moldova, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Latvia and Poland. In addition, the choirs from Great Britain and Lebanon will perform for the first time. After three days of competition, on May 20, the verdict of the jury will be announced and the awards will be given at the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic.

The festival is a few days of concerts and competition auditions in Bialystok, but also a dozen accompanying concerts: at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Center in Lusławice, in Warsaw, Kraków, Legionowo, Sokole, Narew, Hajnówka, Bielsko Podlaski, Wasilków, Michałów, Krynki, Białowieża, Ciechanowiec, Sejny, Czeremcha, Szczuczyn and Studzianka.

The Festival is organized under the Patronage of the President of Poland as well as the Patronage of the Polish Minister of Culture, under the Artistic Patronage of prof. K. Penderecki and under the Patronage of the President of Bialystok.

More information at: http://festiwal-hajnowka.pl/