In one of the most important churches for the people of Gdańsk, St. Nicholas Basilica, a unique concert from the series "Laboratory of New Sacred Music" will take place on October 19, 2024, at 8:30 p.m. The Polish Chamber Choir will perform world premieres of works by the winners of the prestigious International Composers Competition "Musica Sacra Nova," as well as a mystery play by Aldona Nawrocka. Admission is free!

This concert series, initiated in 2021 by Prof. Jan Łukaszewski, along with the competition, is united by the idea of revitalizing the process of creating valuable contemporary choral music. This year, the jury, deliberating in Warsaw, awarded works by Paolo Orlandi and Daniele Croce from Italy, as well as Janusz Krzysztof Korczak from Poland (Litaniae Pretiosissimi Sanguinis Domini Nostri Iesu Christi). The first performance of the winners' compositions by the renowned Polish Chamber Choir is part of the awarded prize.

A central highlight of the program will be the world premiere of Aldona Nawrocka's latest composition, Memento... puste noce (Memento... Empty Nights), written for choir, white voice, cello, and percussion. The use of the white voice is not merely an interesting timbre in the ensemble but is also a reference to the traditional custom known in several regions of Poland – "puste noce" (empty nights), a prayer vigil held for the deceased. This extended piece carries the symbolic traits of a mystery play and will feature accompanying lighting and stage movement.

It promises to be an extraordinary event, combining modern sacred music with tradition, spirituality, and art.

The concert is funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, through the Culture Promotion Fund, as part of the "Composers' Commissions" program, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

Additional information: https://www.polskichorkameralny.pl/pl/component/gridbox/koncerty/laboratorium-nowej-muzyki-sakralnej-2024?Itemid=0