Summer Opera Festival. It is a festival organised by the Wroclaw Opera. Its idea is to perform outside the Opera building, in the open air; in this way the shows presented are more accessible to the public and accommodate more audience.
International Festival Wratislavia Cantans continues since 1966. During the festival the public enjoys cantatas, symphonic, chamber and opera music as well as ballet performances, exhibitions, oratorios, vocal and instrumental recitals.
Musica Electronica Nova came to life in 2005 and since then earned several prestigious awards. The idea of the festival is to search for new ways of musical and aesthetic experiences, often by means of unconventional instruments and innovative arrangements. It is organised by Association of Polish Composers and Impart Centre of Art.
Festival of Contemporary Opera, organized by Wroclaw Opera, presents works of composers written in 20th and 21st century. It stages operas less famous than classic repertoire, but very interesting in their music and dramatization.
Musica Polonica Nova is organised since 1962 and promotes Polish contemporary music, presenting prestigious national premieres performed by foreign and Polish soloists.
World Double Bass Festival is a fiesta for lovers of the largest string instrument. The festival is organized by Polish Association of Double Bass Players, Karol Lipinski University of Music, Wroclaw and the Wroclaw Philharmonic. During the festival one can enjoy not only concerts performed by great artists from all the world, but also participate in master classes, meetings with artists, happenings and Double Bass Competition.
Leo Festival, initiated by a well-known Austrian violinist and conductor Ernst Kovacic is organized by Wroclaw Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum. Its general manager Andrzej Kosendiak said: “Music entering other areas of art is a characteristic feature of our event. It gives a chance to discover new worlds not only for the audience but also for us – artists”.
Forum Musicum is a festival of music of the past centuries, played on early musical instruments or their copies; it encourages historical performing practices. Festival guests present very diverse programme including works of composers from various musical epochs – from the Middle Ages to the present times.
Arsenal Nights – Chamber Music Festival. The initiator and host of this festival, held since 1997, is the Chamber Orchestra “Wratislavia”. Concerts take place in the beautiful courtyard of Wroclaw Arsenal in late evenings in June and July. Acoustics of the courtyard makes it an excellent venue for the presentation of both chamber music in its purest form (trios, quartets), and of works composed for chamber orchestras.
International Clarinet Festival “Clarimania” is an annual festival organized by Karol Lipinski University of Music. Its programme includes concerts, recitals, master classes, lectures, meetings with artists and exhibitions of instruments.
May with Early Music takes place since 1992. The idea behind the festival is to present the music written for medieval, renaissance and baroque instruments. All concerts are held in the historic setting of Wroclaw (including City Hall, Museum of Architecture, Oratorio Marianum). The music is performed by price-winner artists and ensembles, as well as by young students of early music.
International Festival of Viennese Music takes place since 1993 and promotes Viennese music. The festival program covers dance music, operetta and symphony.
International Festival “Non Sola Scripta” is a Wroclaw festival known also as Wroclaw Organ Summer. Besides organ recitals its programme includes also chamber concerts.
Pax et Bonum Festival. Leading idea of the festival is to combine music with efforts on behalf the peace in the world. This alternative form of expression of pacifism was originated by the Wroclaw Franciscan Order.
Young Classics Wratislavia – Festival of Young Orchestras is organized for young school orchestras from the whole Europe. It is a result of cooperation of musicians from Poland and Germany; young musicians from both countries prepare common programme and later go on a tour with it.
Thanks Jimi Festival is combined with attempts to establish a Guinness World Record in the number of guitarist playing Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe” on the Wrocław Market Square. It has been organized by Leszek Cichoński, musician and educator, who set the aim to teach people a new Hendrix song every year.
The Jazz on the Odra River is the oldest music festival in Wroclaw; it is organised annually since 1964. The Festival hosted world known artists from around the world: Pat Metheny, Paco de Lucia, Stan Getz, Don Cherry, Larry Coryell, McCoy Tyner, Al Di Meola, Buddy Rich and many others. Jazz played by the Odra River became a musical flagship of Wroclaw.
Wroclaw Guitar Festival. The main idea of the festival is to present the possibilities of combining noble guitar sound with sounds of other instruments. The festival combines classical music with a fiery flamenco guitar, unique in its improvisation jazz and carrying the joyous praise of life Latin American Folk. Every year the Festival invites Polish and foreign virtuosos of the guitar. Besides concerts, lectures and master classes are held during the festival.
Stage Songs Review is the oldest festival of this kind in Poland. It has been held in Wroclaw for more than 25 years now. Every year artists of music avant-garde arrive in the capital of the Lower Silesia. Among review events there are: Song Interpretation Contest (now international), Theatre School’s Day, concerts and recitals.
Avant Art Festival is one of the young Wroclaw festivals. It is dedicated to music, including experimental music, contemporary dance and performance. Organisers are interested not only in etiquettes and stylistic divisions but in pure artistic quality.
Jazztopad is a festival idea of the Wroclaw Philharmonic to brighten up the rainy Autumn period. Yearly the festival becomes more and more important jazz festival in Poland and in Europe. Till now it hosted such stars as Wayne Shorter, Bill Frisell, Kenny Wheeler, Manu Katche and Terje Rypdal.
Havdalah Concerts are monthly meetings with the music in the White Stork Synagogue. They are held every last Saturday of the month and begin after sunset. It is being organised by the Jewish Community and Foundation PRO ARTE.
Sailor Song Festival are meetings with folk music. The festival takes place since 1989 and is addressed to children, youth and sailing enthusiasts. It consists of two parts: the competition and the concerts; in both professional and amateur artists perform.
Wroclaw Industrial Festival is the only festival of this type in eastern part of Europe. The festival presents avant-garde art: music, plastic and visual arts, performance. The leading idea is a multimedia expression of different aspects of our technicized world, recognised by collective subconsciousness as an opportunity, but also as a danger. The festival refers to creation of artists from the beginning of 20th century: futurists, environmental art and industrial art.
One Love Festival during its four years existence it evolved into the biggest hall reggae music festival in Europe. The festival goes beyond the stereotypes and conventions. In Wroclaw Centennial Hall it gathers several thousands of people who enjoy the rhythm of music and share the feeling of love and fraternity.
Ethno Jazz Festival. Over the past years organisers managed to bring world’s best jazz musicians to Wroclaw. The festival attracts masses of ethno jazz music enthusiasts. Very quickly Ethno Jazz Festival created its own space and earned a solid position at the Wroclaw music stage.
Asymmetry Festival. The festival, organised by the Wroclaw club Firlej, Asymmetry agency and other institutions, is devoted to a search for avant-garde in rock, metal and original electro music. The festival is a hybrid combining elements of drone, sludge and post-rock music. Organizers focus on modern transmission channels and European dimension.
Summer with the White Stork Music. This event, organized by Bente Kahan Foundation Jewish, became a festival of Klezmer and Folk music. In the past it also presented classic, pop, jazz, and opera music.
Sensation White is one of the world’s biggest events where masses of people dressed in white dance to modern techno music. Sensation White means acrobatic dances, fire shows, lasers, fantastic technical setting taking advantage of newest technologies and stars from around the world. It has been for several years now that fans of electro music come to Wroclaw Centennial Hall.
Energy of the Sound is a festival of musical avant-garde organized by Industrial Art association. Apart from the energy of daring and unconventional music, “Energy of the Sound” has also an educative aspect comprising lectures, workshops and presentations.
Ambiental Festival is an event organized by Wroclaw club Formaty. It promotes ambitious electronic music. Atmosphere of the festival oscillates between ambient, minimal, lounge and trip hop music. Organizers provide the audience with electric and innovative gigs of Polish and foreign artists.
3rd of May Festival is a festival of Polish rock music. The best Polish bands play on the second weekend of May at Słodowa Island in Wroclaw under the slogan “The best Polish bands at the best annual rock event”.