Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic Choir

Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic Choir wasestablished by Professor Violetta Bieleckaand Marcin Nałęcz-Niesiołowski in March 2006.At its core are the artists who used to sing inthe Cantica Cantamus Białystok Chamber Choir,whose conductor and artistic director wasProfessor Bielecka. The Choir works with theFryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw and everyyear participates in the Chopin and his EuropeInternational Music Festival. It was at that festivalthat, together with Europa Galante under FabioBiondi, the choir presented concert versionsof Vicenzo Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchiand Norma. The collaboration with the PoznańPhilharmonic Orchestra brought numerousconcerts and the recording of Feliks Nowowiejski’sQuo vadis oratorio conducted by Łukasz Borowicz.In 2009–12, the choir performed under MaestroKrzysztof Penderecki, performing a number of hiscompositions, including Symphony No. 7 “SevenGates of Jerusalem”, Symphony No. 8 “Songs ofTransition”, and A Polish Requiem. Cooperationwith the Ludwig van Beethoven Associationresulted in recordings and concert versions ofCarl Maria von Weber’s Euryanthe and GaetanoDonizetti’s Maria Padilla performed with the PolishRadio Orchestra under Łukasz Borowicz.The choir maintains a strong presence onPolish and foreign stages, and has performed infamous concert halls in Belgium, Belarus, France,Lithuania, Moldova, Germany, Romania, Ukraine,and Italy. It is invited to prestigious festivals,for instance Chopin and his Europe, WratislaviaCantans International Music Festival, and theLudwig van Beethoven Easter Festival.