A New Chapter for Sinfonia Varsovia on Grochowska Street

Over 100 events across two festivals, orchestral concerts, chamber music, workshops, family events, an exhibition, performances, and world premieres of works by Polish composers. This is the program that the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra is going to offer residents and visitors to the Capital from September 11 to 27, 2026. The events will take place in the concert tent at 272 Grochowska Street and in the renovated spaces of the former Veterinary Institute, which now serves as Sinfonia Varsovia's headquarters. Ticket sales begin on August 18 at 11.00 am.

The first festival is titled "Sinfonia Varsovia – A New Chapter". From September 11 to 13, free semi-outdoor concerts will take place in the concert tent on Grochowska Street. On Friday, September 11, the orchestra and percussionist Aleksander Wnuk, conducted by Radosław Szulc, will perform the world premiere of Piotr Peszat's piece for solo gamepad, orchestra, electronics, audio playback, and video—PSV4. The program also features Kilar's Orawa (marking the 40th anniversary of its world premiere by the Polish Chamber Orchestra), Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with pianist Makoto Ozone as soloist, and Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. On Sunday, September 13, pianists Aleksander Dębicz, Hyuk Lee, and Kasia Pietrzko will take the stage. Sinfonia Varsovia, conducted by Christopher Austin, alongside the soloists, will interpret works connected to Warsaw: Bacewicz's Overture, Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto, Szpilman's Concertino for Piano and Orchestra, Lutosławski's Variations on a Theme by Paganini for piano and orchestra, as well as a special arrangement of David Bowie's Warsaw, commissioned for the occasion and arranged by Christopher Austin. Between these concerts, on Saturday, September 12, the Sinfonia Varsovia Brass ensemble will present a program of jazz, popular music, and classical arrangements for brass ensemble.

The following September weekend will feature Sinfonia Varsovia concerts in more intimate chamber setups, with the orchestra's own musicians taking on the main roles as soloists and leaders. String ensembles led by concertmasters Jakub Haufa (September 20) and Adam Siebers (September 18) will perform twice; the woodwind section will also have its own performance (September 20). Friday's and Sunday's string ensemble concerts will connect original works commissioned by Sinfonia Varsovia’s founder, Yehudi Menuhin. Adam Siebers and Zofia Endzelm will be the soloists in Malcolm Arnold's Concerto for Two Violins and String Orchestra, while the solo part in Andrzej Panufnik's Violin Concerto will be performed by Jakub Haufa. Harpist Zuzanna Elster will also take the stage as soloist in Debussy's Danse sacrée et danse profane for harp and strings. The main highlight of the weekend will be the concert on September 19 featuring Krzysztof Jabłoński—laureate and juror of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw—performing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor (with Sinfonia Varsovia led from the music stand by Jakub Haufa). The pianist will also give a solo recital at noon on Sunday, September 20.

As part of the festival, visual artists will fill Sinfonia Varsovia's new spaces with their avant-garde works and performance art, loosely referencing the Orchestra's activities. The Polyphonies exhibition will reflect an openness to the intertwining of different voices: a meeting of the mastery of a classical orchestra with a repertoire more known to the local Praga community. Starting September 11, visitors on Grochowska Street will be able to admire a jacquard work by Patrycja Orzechowska, a sound-spatial installation by Wojtek Blecharz and Ewa Maria Śmigielska, a highly abstract "portrait" of Sinfonia Varsovia by experimental painter Tymek Borowski, sound compositions by Daniel Brożek, and photographs by Agnieszka Rayss depicting the building complex right before renovation works began. The exhibition will open with a performance created by Zorka Wollny in collaboration with Sinfonia Varsovia's staff—both musicians and the administrative team. The exhibition is curated by Aleksandra Kędziorek.

There will also be no shortage of concerts for the youngest audiences (including the beloved "Smykofonie" series and symphonic concerts featuring Malina Sarnowska and Bazylek the Dragon), accessibility events, nature, sound, and architectural walks, music and art workshops, as well as wordplay activities hosted by the Loesje Poland Foundation. Performing for the festival audience will be, among others, the Klancyk Improv Theater, the NaDęte workshop group, and ensembles from other Praga-based institutions: Miejsce Akcji PACA 40, the Museum of Warsaw's Praga, and Konopacki Palace.

The second festival—La Folle Journée—will also take place under the theme "A New Chapter" at Sinfonia Varsovia's headquarters on Grochowska Street and in the concert tent from September 22 to 27. The program will feature events in the newly opened spaces, including recitals, chamber concerts, and orchestral performances. Traditionally, young performers from ten music schools across Poland will showcase their skills on the main festival stage. Guest appearances will also be made by symphonic and chamber ensembles: Sinfonia Iuventus, NeoQuartet, Chopin University Big Band, Chopin University Batucada, Quatuor Elmire, and the Elias Vollmer Trio. Among the invited international artists are clarinetist Raphaël Sévère, violinists Diana Adamyan and Manon Galy, cellist Edgar Moreau, pianists Célia Oneto Bensaid, Nathanaël Gouin, David Kadouch, and Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, harpsichordist Pierre Hantaï, flutist Matteo Cesari, soprano Raquel Camarinha, as well as conductors Pier Carlo Orizio and Jean-François Verdier.

The festival program will also feature sensory-friendly concerts, held in an environment that fosters a comfortable music-listening experience. These will be complemented by an ambient zone—a dedicated quiet space for relaxation accessible to all attendees.

Festival's program available at: https://www.sinfoniavarsovia.org/