A cross-section of Polish and European choral music will sound at the gates of Siberia. At the special invitation of the State Philharmonic in Chelyabinsk, conductor and choirmaster Janusz Siadlak and the Choir of the Częstochowa Philharmonic will present a cappella music during the prestigious festival "The Great Vocal Forum".
At the end of April 2018, the Częstochowa Philharmonic Choir "Collegium Cantorum" with its conductor Janusz Siadlak will promote Polish culture and the city of Częstochowa during very important cultural events in the distant cities of Russia – Chelyabinsk and Kopiejsk. Collegium Cantorum, at the invitation of the State Philharmonic in Chelyabinsk, will take part in the choral music festival "The Great Vocal Forum", giving two exceptional concerts presenting the richness of Polish and European choral music. Apart from concerts, the choir director Janusz Siadlak was invited to give a lecture during which he would share with the gathered audience – conductors and musicians from all over Russia, as well as students of Chelyabinsk music schools – his perspective on Polish choral music and its development.
Another extremely important element of the Collegium Cantorum tour will be participation in "Polish Culture Days" in Kopiejsk. Polonia Association "Solaris" organizes this multi-day event promoting Polish culture – art, literature and music in connection with the arrival of the Częstochowa ensemble. In addition, to celebrate this year's anniversary of the birth of Adam Mickiewicz, an exhibition of Polish books, excursions "Kopiejsk and traces of Poles in the history of the city", performances by youth groups presenting Polish songs and dances, and a press conference with the participation of Częstochowa musicians will take place.
During the concerts, the Częstochowa Philharmonic Choir "Collegium Cantorum" will present works by Szymanowski, Łukaszewski, Twardowski and Penderecki, showing the Russian audience the beauty, diversity and uniqueness of our music. Janusz Siadlak also stresses how important this cooperation is because of the growing Russian Polonia, which due to geographical and economic factors has no opportunity to experience Polish culture, especially the contemporary one.
The concert tour of the Częstochowa choir is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, as well as the Minister of Culture of the Chelyabinsk region.
