58th International Organ Festival

The 58th International Organ Festival kicks off on July 5 and will last until the end of August. The event will include 30 concerts - nine at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Koszalin, and the rest at other churches in the region - Jamno, Mielno, Sarbinowo, Tychowo, Ustron Morski, Bobolice and Darlowo. The organizer is the Koszalin Philharmonic. It is one of the oldest festivals of its kind in Poland.

Since 1967 it has been held in the excellent organ-possessed cathedral in Koszalin, and for more than twenty years in other churches of Central Pomerania. Performers play on thoroughly restored antique instruments.
Each of the festival's concerts consists of an organ recital, which is usually the first part, and a second part, which is a different musical form: a performance by a soloist, choir, chamber ensemble or symphony orchestra. Sometimes, however, the concept of the concert involves a combination of both forms or the interweaving of organ playing with, for example, words or the playing of other instruments. This will be the case, for example, on August 5 in Sarbinowo, when an organ and cello duo called Cellorganic will be presented, or on August 7 in Darlowo, where the repertoire has been selected to combine organ, soprano and oboe parts.
The inaugural concert of the 58th International Organ Festival promises to be extremely interesting, in the first part of which Yu Hsiao-Yi from Taiwan will play on the cathedral organ - solo, and in one composition also for four hands with festival director Bogdan Narloch. The second part will be filled with Ryan Cayabyab's Mass, performed by the Philippine vocal ensemble choir and the Koszalin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Joel Aquino from the Philippines. That's on Friday, July 5, and next Friday, July 12, a treat for lovers of Jozef Skrzek, who will perform his original vocal and instrumental program entitled "Viator" after an organ recital by Eugeniusz Wawrzyniak.
An interesting highlight of the festival will undoubtedly be the Mozart Basethorn Ensemble, which, together with soprano Monika Sendrowska, will perform on July 19 after a recital by Lithuanian organist Irena Budryte-Kummer. For many years, a must-see item at each festival has been one early music concert. On July 26, the ensemble "Consortium Sedinum" will provide such. After an organ recital by Andrzej Chorosinski, he will perform a number of Renaissance works, ending with Dietrich Buxtehude's cantata "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied."