8th International Music Festival Szczecin Classic"

This spring Szczecin will once again become a meeting point for distinguished artists and young musicians from all over the world. The 8th "Szczecin Classic" International Music Festival, the largest classical music festival in West Pomerania, will take place between April 26 and May 3, 2026. This year's theme—"Infinity"—refers to the timeless nature of classical music and the idea of a dialogue between experience and youth. This year also marks the 18th anniversary of the Baltic Neopolis Orchestra, the festival’s organizer.

This year’s edition will include such artists as Nancy Zhou, a San Francisco-based violinist with an international concert career; Daniel Stabrawa, the long-standing concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker; Janusz Widzyk, a double bassist of the Berliner Philharmoniker; Andriy Viytovych, a violist who collaborates with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Opera House in London; Konstantin Heidrich, a cellist and member of the Fauré Quartett; Piotr Szumieł, a violist and professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Rostock; and Janusz Wawrowski, a violinist who performs in Europe's most prestigious concert halls, including the Musikverein in Vienna, Wigmore Hall in London, and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.

During the opening concert, the Euphorie Quartet—this year’s ensemble-in-residence—will present a program combining Romantic expression with contemporary music, featuring works by Johannes Brahms, Toshio Hosokawa, and Aleksander Tansman. The event will be streamed online and broadcast on Polish Radio Programme 2.

Barbara Drazkov’s performance on April 28, titled "Flows: Preparo Piano", offers an encounter with the piano in a surprising new light—where the acoustic instrument occasionally sounds like techno, and the stage transforms into a sound laboratory.

An essential component of the program remains the Szczecin Classic Academy—an educational project dedicated to young instrumentalists from across the globe, who submitted their applications by the end of February. Each year, during masterclasses, participants work under the guidance of acclaimed educators and soloists, mastering their skills and gaining stage experience through chamber music projects and joint concerts. The repertoire will include, among others, the music by Grażyna Bacewicz.

The festival also supports the development of young creators. This year marks the second edition of the Composers’ Symposium, led by composers from Malta and Poland: Karl Fiorini and Ignacy Zalewski. Composers from Poland and China have been selected to participate: Alex Man-Wai Cho, Barbara Michalec, Julia Marczuk-Macidłowska, Dominik Radoń, and Po Hang Yuen. During the festival, the participants will work on their works under the guidance of mentors and in collaboration with the Neuma Quartet, which will perform their compositions on May 1. The main partner of the event is the Society of Authors ZAiKS.

The festival will end with the Grand Finale Concert on May 3 at the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin. During the evening, the festival artists, Szczecin Classic Academy participants, and invited soloists will perform a program featuring Mikołaj Piotr Górecki’s Overture and Concerto Notturno, among other works.

For years, Szczecin Classic has been accompanied by "Maltówka"—a name created by merging the Polish words majówka (May picnic) and altówka (viola). This year, the fringe event will take place on April 19 at the Baltic Cultural Port. Throughout "Maltówka", participants will have the chance to become co-creators of a unique composition. A sound engineer will be on-site to record short sounds—a voice, a whisper, laughter, singing, a stomp, or any other sound gesture. Everyone is invited to leave their mark. These collected sounds will be woven into a piece to be premiered that evening during the "Endless Plebiscite" concert. The concert itself is based on a pre-selected list of works. The audience will vote in real-time to decide what will be performed on stage at any given moment.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information: https://szczecinclassic.pl/