The 60th International Andrzej Markowski Wratislavia Cantans Festival will take place from September 4–14, 2025, in Wrocław and other cities in Lower Silesia, with the theme "Paradise Lost [?]." The detailed festival program will be published on the National Forum of Music (NFM) website on February 12, and tickets will be available for pre-sale online and at the NFM Box Office from February 19, starting at 11:00.
The artistic director of the jubilee festival is Andrzej Kosendiak, and the co-author of its main theme is Giovanni Antonini. In addition to Miltonian references, the theme is a response to current global events: "Unfortunately, man often brings hell to earth himself," said Andrzej Kosendiak in an interview with Polish Radio Two. "But sometimes, he reveals his greatness and is able to build paradise here." For this year's festival, a new work has been commissioned from Zygmunt Krauze. His Requiem is not a strictly liturgical funeral mass. On the contrary, the music is based on poetic texts that refer to reality. The work is dedicated to the most innocent victims of wars – children.
The festival will feature performances by: Martha Argerich, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, and the NFM Choir conducted by Charles Dutoit, Sir John Eliot Gardiner with The Constellation Choir & Orchestra, Lionel Meunier with Vox Luminis and Freiburger Barockorchester, Christoph Eschenbach with the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, Giovanni Antonini with Il Giardino Armonico and the NFM Choir, Jacek Kaspszyk with the Polish Radio Choir – Lusławice, the NFM Girls' and Boys' Choirs, and Sinfonia Varsovia, Andrzej Kosendiak and Wrocław Baroque Ensemble, ensemble Peregrina, Agata Zubel and Ensemble Intercontemporain, Jonathan Cohen and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, Andrzej Szadejko with Goldberg Vocal Ensemble and Goldberg Baroque Ensemble, Théotime Langlois de Swarte and Thomas Dunford, Magdalena Hoffman, Tehila Nini Goldstein and Luise Enzian, Les Percussions de Strasbourg, and others.
There will also be events for children organized in collaboration with the NFM Educational Center.
Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC
Festival website: https://www.nfm.wroclaw.pl/festiwale/wratislavia-cantans
