The National Forum of Music announced the 2026/27 concert season

The Witold Lutosławski National Forum of Music announced the program of the upcoming 2026/27 season. As usual, the season will feature both canonical works and fascinating repertoire challenges, as well as new pieces performed by distinguished NFM ensembles and internationally renowned musicians.

In September, the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra will be the first to open the season, inviting the esteemed Latvian accordionist Ksenija Sidorova to collaborate with them. In addition to classical works, the artists will present Polish and Argentine tangos. Their second performance – ​​Tales of the Isles – will explore English works, while at the end of November, as part of an artistic grant awarded by the Mayor of Wrocław, they will premiere Mateusz Ryczek’s Strings of the City for trombone, orchestra, and electronics. Arvo Pärt’s famous Tabula rasa will also be interpreted on that evening.

The opening of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic season will be conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk. The program seems to be exceptionally exciting: Steven Isserlis will play the solo part of Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor op. 85, followed by Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 in E minor. In the coming months, the orchestra will also focus on the works by Johannes Brahms, whose 130th death anniversary will be commemorated in 2027. In October, the artists will present Brahms' Symphony No. 2 in D major op. 77 and the Violin Concerto in D major op. 73, with the distinguished Benjamin Beilman as soloist. In March, the audience will have a chance to listen to the Symphony No. 4 in E minor op. 98, featured alongside Karol Szymanowski’s Harnasie op. 55 (also in the context of Szymanowski’s 90th death anniversary).

Autumn will bring a confluence of anniversaries. In October, Radosław Pujanek will celebrate his 20th anniversary as concertmaster at the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic. The musicians will perform, among other pieces, a new composition by his brother Przemysław Pujanek and Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B minor op. 74, "Pathetique". The culmination of the joint celebrations of the 20th anniversary of Wrocław Baroque Orchestra and the NFM Choir, conducted by David Reiland, will be Felix Mendelssohn’s  monumental oratorio Elijah op. 70. Another treat will be Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem, which will be presented by the NFM Choir and NFM Wrocław Philharmonic.

Of particular note is the concert Rethinking the Well-Tempered Clavier, a dialogue between pianist Natalya Pasichnyk and the Leipzig cantor. Bach’s preludes and fugues will be combined with the singing of the Calmus Ensemble, resulting in a surprisingly refreshing emotional impact. Speaking of Johann Sebastian Bach, the audience is invited to enjoy coffee with the master in his Coffee Cantata at the beginning of the season, served by Maestro Andrzej Kosendiak and the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble. A month later, the musicians will travel through the Amber Road ranging from Venice to Gdańsk.

In November, following the finals of the 17th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition, the NFM will host a recital by its winner (in addition, the winner will also perform with the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic in March, and a finalist will appear on stage with the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra the same month). Piano enthusiasts will also find a program of interest, as Wrocław will host orchestral concerts featuring Lukas Geniušas and Piotr Pawlak. Two truly exceptional events have been scheduled for November. The trail-blazing Marcin Masecki will meet with the Lutosławski Quartet on Independence Day to perform impressions of Chopin’s Preludes op. 28. A day later, on November 12, audience favourites Bomsori Kim and Rafał Blechacz will perform, among others, a sonata by Ignacy Jan Paderewski. This year, one of NFM’s flagship festivals, Jazztopad, will take place for the twenty-third time – details of this year’s edition will be announced soon.

In early December, the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra and its Artistic Director Alexander Sitkovetsky, will focus on American music, including film scores. During the America and Movies concert, the listeners will listen to, among others, Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho Suite from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. It will not be the only night featuring the culture of the United States of America, a country whose declaration of independence was announced 250 years ago. A few days later, the American Dream concert will be played by the LutosAir Quintet, presenting works by Ruth Crawford Seeger and Valerie Coleman.

Throughout the NFM season, the Wrocław Philharmonic will also present a range of contemporary works, looking forward to the spring Musica Electronica Nova festival. Among more recent works (yet already firmly established in the canon), pieces by Kaia Saariaho and Philippe Manoury will be presented. Of particular note is Henri Dutilleux’s cello concerto Tout un monde lointain…, in which under the baton of Pascal Rophé, world-renowned cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras will lead into a dialogue with the orchestra. Kolja Blacher will bring his Stradivarius to Wrocław just before Christmas. Autumn is also a time for chamber music: performances by the Lyatoshynsky Trio (with electronics!), the viola duo of Carola Fredes and Wojciech Kołaczyk, and the Trio Laflamme, the latter on period instruments. And that is not even the full story of the pre-Christmas period! The NFM invites the music lovers toattend a Bach concert by Andrzej Kosendiak with the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble entitled Baby Jesus or an evening of carols, during which the NFM choirs will join forces with Karol Mossakowski, director of the organ concert series held in the venue.

The winter part of the season will begin with extraordinary New Year’s Eve Concerts, taking the audience to the sea green waters of the Venetian lagoon. Mandolinist Avi Avital, along with soprano Núria Rial and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, will juxtapose the songs of the gondoliers with the immortal works of Antonio Vivaldi. The December 31 event will culminate in a ball. Also the interactive choral performance Emotions is worth mentioning - the NFM Girls’ Choir, NFM Boys’ Choir, and the "Rondo" Vocal Ensemble, led by Małgorzata Podzielny, will perform alongside the Art’n’Voices Ensemble. The program will feature works from the Pieces of Myself project, which won a Fryderyk 2026 award in the Contemporary Music category.

During the Carnival, the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic will once again invite the guests to an encounter with 20th-century works. The audience will listen to Gondwana by the legendary spectralist Tristan Murail and Jonathan Dove’s cello concerto In Exile, which addresses the theme of emigration. In Dove’s work, the solo parts will be interpreted by Raphael Wallfisch and his son Simon Wallfish, a baritone. These works will be accompanied by pieces by Maurice Ravel and Ludwig van Beethoven. Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D minor op. 47, will be performed by Renaud Capuçon with the Wrocław Philharmonic. The NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra  will present music by popular contemporary artists: Pēteris Vasks and Giovanni Sollima. In January, Leopoldinum will be conducted by Richard Tognetti. Opera lovers cannot miss out on George Frideric Handel’s Radamisto, performed by Max Emanuel Cenčić and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, while the fans of the NFM Choir will enjoy the performance entitled Twilight. On February 12, the NFM Choir, along with the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, will perform Felix Mendelssohn’s  Symphony No. 2 in B flat major op. 52 "Lobgesang".

The series of chamber concerts at the beginning of the New Year will include a film music evening, Minimal Cinematic, and an encounter with the ancient sounds of Central Europe – the musicians will be accompanied by actor Mariusz Bonaszewski on the Way to Galicja. The LutosAir Quintet will invite the audience to Dance with Destiny, and the Polish Cello Quartet will appear on stage with Raphael Wallfisch. On January 21, the distinguished South Korean pianists, the brothers Hyuk Lee and Hyo Lee – participants of the 21st International Fryderyk Chopin Competition – will perform a recital for two pianos. The concert entitled Deep Listening, inspired by the deep listening technique of the renowned American composer Pauline Oliveros, will be held on Valentine’s Day. Shortly before that, an organ recital by Thomas Ospital will take place. Another important thread will be the Franco-Polish dialogue on the occasion of the Cultural Season planned for 2027 (details following soon).

Another special occasion to visit the NFM will be the 20th anniversary of the Lutosławski Quartet, during which the musicians will perform their own piece, Crossing. March will open with Le Concert de l'Hostel Dieu, the renowned Lyon-based ensemble specialising in early music. In the spirit of Women’s Day, the venue will host a piano recital by Tomasz Marut and a concert version of the 1960s hit, the iconic musical My Fair Lady, performed by the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic conducted by Wayne Marshall. An evening featuring six motets by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by the NFM Choir, promises to be equally exciting. March will take the audience to the world of chamber music. A rarely performed Septet in E-flat major op. 20 by Ludwig van Beethoven, and the Piano Sextet in D major op. 110 by Felix Mendelssohn will be presented. Traditionally, the Passion of the Christ will be commemorated with Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, interpreted by the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Jarosław Thiel. On Maundy Thursday, Andrzej Kosendiak and Wrocław Baroque Ensemble will perform Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki’s Missa Paschalis. The Waiting for the Light concert will feature works for an unusual line-up: Hanna Dys on the organ, accompanied by Szymon Zawodny on the saxophone.

Coming back to the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic’s repertoire, this spring the musicians will perform Aribert Reimann’s Finite Infinity, among other pieces. It will be an opportunity to immerse oneself in Emily Dickinson’s brilliant poetry thanks to soprano Marisol Montalvo, specializing in performing new music. The season’s themes will be complemented by Johannes Brahms’Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor op. 15. The capital of Lower Silesia will also be visited by Il Giardino Armonico and Giovanni Antonini with an all-Vivaldi programme, as well as Ensemble Polyharmonique, which, together with Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, will perform cantatas by Georg Philipp Telemann. Meanwhile, the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra will perform works inspired by Central Europe’s folk music during the Between Oberek and Csárdás concert, as well as join the NFM Choir on stage on April 16 to present pieces by Arvo Pärt and other Estonian composers. In May, the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, under the baton of Joseph Swensen, will perform Gustav Mahler’s Song of the Earth symphony. Additionally, there will be two concerts promoting new CD releases by NFM artists: an album by flautist Jan Krzeszowiec accompanied by pianist Tymoteusz Bies, and the premiere of Marc'Antonio e Cleopatra with Wrocław Baroque Orchestra and Bruno de Sá. Another highlight will be the joint project by Agata Zubel and Ignacy Lisiecki featuring 20th-century songs, taking place around the time of the Musica Electronica Nova festival.

The end of the season will be full of gems. The Leo Festival is a must-see. The NFM Choir will perform Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles, a musical retelling of the Road to Santiago, and – accompanied by the NFM Boys’ Choir and NFM Girls' Choir – the programme Voices United, featuring songs for children. Two more collaborations await the professional singers. In May, they will perform Gabriel Fauré’s Pavane in F-sharp minor op. 50, during an evening entitled Symphonie fantastique, along with the distinguished L’Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège. This will be an introduction to a performance of the famous Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor op. 22 by Camille Saint-Saëns, with Simon Trpčeski as soloist. In June, Wrocław Baroque Orchestra will revisit Bach’s Mass in B minor, with Jarosław Thiel conducting. On Children’s Day, another guest ensemble will appear on stage, namely Joshua Bell will conduct Verbier Festival Orchestra. An interesting experiment will be offered: two versions of Modest Mussorgsky’s famous Pictures at an Exhibition. In addition to the orchestral arrangement by Maurice Ravel performed by the Wrocław Philharmonic, the audience will listen to an interpretation by the Hexatonic sextet. The last chamber ensemble visiting Wrocław in 2026/27 will be the esteemed Cuarteto Casals. The NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, together with Giancarlo Guerrero, will conclude the season with symphonic poems by Ottorino Respighi, and works by Ferenc Liszt. Before the summer holidays, the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra will engage the listeners with Arvo Pärt’s Fratres and the Concerto for Three Violins and Orchestra by the acclaimed Finnish composer Olli Mustonen. The season will wrap up with a performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with all NFM choirs, and soloists. May this finale bring the harbinger of a beautiful summer.

                                                                                                                                                                    Press release

Detailed information available at the NFM website. 

Media patronage over the NFM 2025/2026 concert season is held by the Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.