This year's edition of the Fryderyk Festival was inaugurated on 8 March 2020 by the Classical Music Gala at the NOSPR Concer Hall in Katowice. The awarding ceremony was accompanied by performances of eminent artists. "Fryderyk" was awarded in ten categories of classical music, distinguished by the Phonographic Academy. Valuable awards were given to artists performing Polish music of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The thirty-sixty set 100 for 100. Musical Decades of Freedom published by PWM, which is a panorama of Polish music from 1918 to 2018, received two statuettes in the categories 'The Best Recording of Polish Music' and 'Album of the Year: Symphonic Music'.
Members of the Academy considered the album of pianist Rafał Blechacz and violinist Bomsori Kim Fauré, Debussy, Szymanowski, Chopin (ed. Deutsche Grammophon) as 'The best Polish album abroad'.
ProMODERN sextet nominated in three categories won one statuette for the Comfort Zone (DUX) album. This album awarded in the 'Album of the Year: Contemporary Music' category contains works by Krzysztof Penderecki, Rafał Ryterski, Jagoda Szmytka, Wojciech Blecharz, Aleksander Kościów, Witold Lutosławski and Piotr Tabakiernik.
Another album released by DUX – Emil Młynarski: Violin Concertos performed by Piotr Pławner and the Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra in Łódź under the direction of Paweł Przytocki – received the "Fryderyk" in the 'Concert music' category.
Songs of the fairy-tale princess op. 31 by Karol Szymanowski performed by Agata Zubel and Krzysztof Książek were featured on the Apparition album (published by CD Accord / Universal Music Polska), which received the award in the 'Album of the Year: solo recital' category.
The album with sonatas of Zygmunt Stojowski and Ludomir Różycki (FCUM – Chopin University Press) in the interpretation of Agnieszka Przemyk-Bryła and Tomasz Strahl was announced the 'Best album: chamber music'.
The Harpsichordist Alina Ratkowska was honored by the Phonographic Academy in the 'Album of the Year: Early Music' category for her double-album with compositions by Johann Gottlieb Goldberg (FCUM - Chopin University Press).
The "Fryderyk" in the category 'Choral and oratorio music' was awarded to the album Karol Szymanowski: Hagith (published by Polskie Radio S.A. – Music Agency), recorded by the Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw.
The Katowice City Singers 'Camerata Silesia' won the statuette in the 'Album of the Year: choral music' category for the Camerata Silesia Sings Silesian Composers (published by the Andrzej Krzanowski Society of Friends of Music). The singers, conducted by Anna Szostak, recorded songs composed by Wojciech Kilar, Andrzej Krzanowski, Edward Bogusławski, Andrzej Dziadek and Ryszard Gabrys.
"Golden Fryderyk" went to the hands of the great violinist Krzysztof Jakowicz.
Mikołaj Majkusiak was announced as the winner of the ZAiKS special prize for the best young composer.
