"Musical Paths of Wrocław" – NFM Choir Season Finale

Wrocław is a space where music from different eras and traditions creates a coherent story: sacred and secular inspirations, humor and reflection, locality and universality intertwine into a single, polyphonic narrative. This is perfectly illustrated by the selection of pieces: from Wacław of Szamotuły and Salamone Rossi to contemporary composers such as Paweł Łukaszewski and Per Gunnar Petersson. Their works will be performed during the NFM Choir's season finale concert on June 23, 2026 at 6.00 pm. The musicians will be led by the ensemble's artistic director, Lionel Sow, with Jean-François Zygel at the piano.

The concert will open with The Old Town Market Square performed by the pianist and composer. Jean-François Zygel combines composition, improvisation, and interpretations of well-known repertoire. The artist performs in various projects with musicians from all over the world, appearing at the most prestigious institutions across France, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. At the Paris Conservatory, he teaches a piano improvisation class, which he founded in 2002.

Next, the audience will hear Two Humorous Songs (Dwie pieśni żartobliwe) by Romuald Twardowski, a composer deeply attached to tradition. He ironically described himself as a living monument to history and referred to his style as neo-archaism.

In Andrzej Koszewski’s Ad musicam, the choral ensemble builds a unique vocal orchestra, hissing, whistling, clapping, and making a variety of surprising sounds. The composer is considered one of the leading figures of 20th-century Polish choral music. Paweł Łukaszewski, meanwhile, is an acclaimed contemporary composer, conductor, and educator. His Hommage à Edith Stein, written in 2002, is based on German liturgical texts and consists of three movements.

The program will also feature works by Salamone Rossi, Wacław of Szamotuły, Charles Villiers Stanford, Tōru Takemitsu, and Per Gunnar Petersson.

Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC is the media patron of the National Forum of Music's 2025/26 concert season.

More information: https://www.nfm.wroclaw.pl/component/nfmcalendar/event/12615