Polish Music Scene: Simultaneo Vocal Octet

Simultaneo Vocal Octet will perform on April 8, 2026 at 7.00 pm at the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin as a part of "Polish Music Scene" project led by the National Institute of Music and Dance. The program will feature works by the 20th-century Polish composers: Stanisław Moryto, Roman Padlewski, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, and Roman Maciejewski.

The audience will be presented both with sacred and secular compositions inspired by folklore and liturgy, ranging from compact structures to more elaborative narratives. The central piece is Stabat Mater by Roman Padlewski, the longest and most complex work of the evening, and his Two Motets.

The second focus of the programme is the Kurpie folk songs, interpreted by Roman Maciejewski, Stanisław Moryto, and Henryk Mikołaj Górecki. Even though they all draw from the same source, their compositional approaches differ clearly: Maciejewski favours simplicity and subtlety, Moryto embraces narrative power, while Górecki offers condensed, lapidary expression. Shared roots become the starting point for three unique perspectives on tradition.

The ensamble consists of Daria Wasiluk (soprano), Alicja Giętkowska-Liguz (soprano), Ksenia Sawczenko (alto), Jagoda Staruch-Lorek (alto), Krzysztof Staruch-Lorek (tenor), Aleksander Kujawa (tenor), Paweł Nodzak (baritone), and Mateusz Kempa (bass). Karol Kisiel, ensemble’s artistic director and president of the board at the Polihymnia Foundation, which promotes vocal music, will conduct the performance.

More information: https://filharmonia.szczecin.pl/events/2449-Voices_from_afar