The Shrines of Europe International Cultural Festival in Częstochowa (Poland) is a series of free events from the areas of music, dance, photography, film, painting and more....
The festival is open to the public and the organised events are held free of charge.
The International Shrines of Europe Festival will begin on Saturday 27 May in Częstochowa. The idea and organisation of the event is the result of cooperation between seven cities - the most important Marian centres in Europe, members of the Shrines of Europe Association.
The festival will feature artists from Poland, Germany, Austria, France and Portugal.
Most of the events will take place outdoors.
Performances are planned in the arbour of Staszic Park, in close proximity to the Jasna Góra Sanctuary, a place frequently visited by residents and tourists.
Some od performances will be staged on a small stage on the city's main street, Third Avenue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and on the main stage located on Biegański Square - the city's main square.
As part of the festival, the exhibition "Shrines of Europe the path of culture and spirituality" will be inaugurated on 27 May, allowing visitors to get to know the Shrines of Europe cities better, with their beautiful regions, monuments, traditions and culture. The event will be attended by representatives of the Municipality of Częstochowa, cultural representatives from the city and the region as well as local media.
On Sunday, 28 May, the Iluzja Film Culture Centre cinema in Częstochowa will host a presentation of a film of American-Portuguese production entitled "Fatima" that is telling the story of the Fatima revelations.
On the same day, at the headquarters of the Zachęta Regional Association of Fine Arts in Częstochowa, "Konduktorownia", the inauguration of the painting exhibition "Art in culture - culture in art" by the staff of the Faculty of Art at the Jan Długosz University of Humanities and Sciences in Częstochowa, developed especially for the occasion of the Shrines of Europe Festival, will take place.
The Shrines of Europe International Cultural Festival combines elements of: music, dance, painting, photography and is the result of successful cooperation between member cities over many years. The event is the next step of the 'Shrines of Europe' Association on the way to being certified as a Cultural Route under the auspices of the Council of Europe.
The association hopes to hold the event periodically in individual cities.
The Association, being an international representation of local communities, is fully aware that the preservation of the common heritage requires proper protection in a transnational perspective. Drawing on the heritage of older generations, it seems natural to renew and promote their traditions in order to preserve them for future generations. All this is based on genuine cooperation networks. In order to give expression to these natural processes, an initiative has been launched.
Wojciech Rot - violin
Paulina Kula - violin
Martyna Susek – viola
Marta Kotaszewska – cello
The Częstochowa String Quartet is made up of a group of musicians and friends who have been involved in stage activities in Europe and in the world for years, and started their musical path in Częstochowa - all members are graduates of the Częstochowa Music School Complex. Marcin Józef Żebrowski (generation 2011 and 2012) and the Academies of Music in Poland (Katowice, Łódź) and Italy (Conservatorio Claudio Monteverdi Bolzano). On a daily basis, they work in various places: as philharmonic musicians, teachers in music schools, or organizers of cultural events. The band was formally formed in 2021, although the musicians previously met during many joint projects. In 2022, the Quartet was honored with an artistic scholarship of the Mayor of Częstochowa.
fot. Martin Buza (MB Recording), Łukasz Zyska
The “Kapellplatz Musikanten” (Kapellplatz musicians) are a representative group of traditional Alpine folk music. Which is popular in Bavaria and the region around Altötting. The music group consists of lecturers and students from the Max Keller Vocational School for Music. During the concert, traditional pieces will be recited, which represent dance music. The name “Kapellplatz Musikanten” is based on the famous Kapellplatz in Altötting, where the vocational school for music is also located.
The school is a very special institution in Altötting, offering students a 2-year full time education with graduation as state-certified ensemble leader or a 3-year full time education with additional pedagogical or artistic qualification. Students can choose to study classical music, church music or folk music. Besides education, the Max-Keller-School is a vital part of the cultural life in Altötting, organizing regular concerts and workshops and participates actively in cultural activities organized by the city of Altötting.
The “Kapellplatz Musikanten” will enchant their audience by typical Bavarian music representing the following instruments: trumpet, trombone, frenchorn, harp, double bass and diatonic button accordion. Feel free to chime in and dance along to the tunes.
Agnieszka Frączyk, Wojciech Turbiarz, Damian Kluźniak-members of the Makabunda band from Częstochowa playing interwar music, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. The musicians are also associated with other projects and bands (e.g. Habakuk, Kołdra). In an intimate line-up - vocals, violin, guitar, piano - they will play and sing popular songs from the interwar period, once performed by stars such as Hanka Ordonówna, Zula Pogorzelska, Eugeniusz Bodo, Michał Fogg, Tadeusz Faliszewski, and others.
The formation of “Zeller (Mariazeller) Musi” was purely random, not at all spectacular, due to a private event back in July 2022. Random but not surprising. It was about members of one family of musicians stepping in for members of another family of musicians. Both our families have strong roots in “Zell”/ Mariazell. And here we are again, with just one family member exchanged, but the same spirit. In both our families we make music as naturally as eating and drinking. We have a similar repertoire. We sing about the same mountains, rivers, lakes and people. We may have different styles and interpretations. But when required we mix up perfectly. As for this occasion.
Ana - composer, vocalist, songwriter, guitarist. For her, music is the better world to which she likes to escape. Ana likes to observe people, their behavior and life situations, she writes about them, but she also relies on her own experiences and they are the inspiration for the creation of subsequent works. Ana's first song "I Call You" appeared on the YouTube channel in 2021 and since then , step by step, a lot of musically began to happen in her life.
Marcin Strojec - guitarist, composer. Once a member of the band Blazing, Zaar, today he works together with the band ‘’No Name’’ and performs in a duet with Ana
Singing fado for 10 years, Ourém’s singer Delfina Henriques started by taking lyrical singing lessons in daytime and sang fado at night from north to south of Portugal. Although higher studies have led to the area of design, music has always accompanied her in all steps, since she was a little girl. She has been a member of several groups, including the Essence Voices Chamber Choir and the Typical Orchestra of Ourém as a soloist and chorist, where traditional Portuguese folklore songs are also performed.
He has performed in several Fado houses in Lisbon, as well as in other renowned venues such as the Aula Magna in Lisbon, the Monasteries of Alcobaça, Batalha and Lorvão, the Convent of Christ in Tomar and the Academic Theatre of Gil Vicente, in Coimbra. She participated in the European Festival Europeade in Namur, Belgium, in the year 2016, in Viseu, Portugal, in the year 2018, and in the Shrines of Europe in 2022, in Altotting, Germany.
SONG AND DANCE ENSEMBLE ”CZĘSTOCHOWA”
Folk Group of Song and Dance "Częstochowa" is a unique phenomenon in the cultural life of the city whose name it bears and to which it has been constantly attracting supporters for over 40 years. Many of them got to know the band as the host of the folk bands review, organized as part of the Days of European Folk Culture. Against the background of many folklore groups from Poland and Europe, "Częstochowa" presents fully mature programs, not only of high artistic value, but also captivating the audience with their colorfulness, dynamics and panache.
More info: http://www.zespol-czestochowa.pl/
