Organizers

The M. Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin is situated in Western Pomerania, 50 km from the Baltic sea and 150 km from Berlin. In 2014, Szczecin Philharmonic began operating from its new premises, which created the conditions for a significant expansion of the artistic and educational offer. It has quickly established itself as a vibrant contemporary landmark in the region – a centre of education and culture, a platform for social engagement – an institution that offers a unique artistic experience and promotes a new quality of cultural participation. Having become a main destination of cultural trips to the area, it regularly attracts music lovers from nearby Germany and Scandinavia.

The Philharmonic is a public institution financed mainly by subsidies from the Municipal Office of Szczecin and the Ministry of Culture. As is the case with most other Philharmonics in Poland, our Symphonic Orchestra and its activities are at the core of what the Szczecin Philharmonic does. However, it is worth noting that Philharmonics also act as managers and administrators of the buildings where they perform their activity. These are often buildings of exceptional architectural quality, as is the case with the Philharmonic Concert Hall in Szczecin, which won the Mies van der Rohe Award for the best architectural project in 2015. Designed by Spanish architect studio Barozzi Veiga, the building houses two auditoriums – a black hall for chamber music for 200 spectators (Moon Hall), and a gold symphony hall for 1000 spectators (Sun Hall). This new music temple also provides a multifunctional space for exhibitions, conferences and multidisciplinary events hosted across its beautiful entrance hall, a spiral staircase and its two art galleries. Commonly referred to as urban iceberg, the milk-glass and aluminum façade walls are equipped with LED that turn the building into a glowing volume at night.



Erected in the exact spot where the Kozerthaus was located before World War 2, the Philharmonic Concert Hall is the first significant new cultural facility built in Szczecin in the post-war period. At present, the Philharmonic carries out a broad – and still growing – range of cultural activities, serving as:

• a music venue that is true to its genius loci by continuing the tradition of the Konzerthaus as a space for diverse music events and a go-to meeting place for the locals. The Philharmonic draws on the tradition initiated by the German composer and music promoter Carl Loewe, who sought to popularize music culture and promote the love of music among local communities.
• a creative hub with music heritage and experiments at its core. It serves as a venue for interdisciplinary projects centred around music. The Philharmonic Hall is a place where where everyone is special and deserves attention, a place where music is perceived as a space of creative freedom that can be enjoyed while cherishing both tradition and innovation and respecting the different worldviews and cultural backgrounds of all visitors.

TRAFO serves as a multifunctional meeting platform for artists and visitors. It introduces the audience to the tools of art by putting them in various contexts and transdisciplinary relationships. Visual works interact with literature, music, theatre, social sciences and new technologies.

TRAFO acts as an “interpreter” promoting art and placing it in an extremely complex cultural, socio-political, economic and existential domain.

TRAFO is a post-institution which does not follow rigid rules in the rapidly changing world of art. TRAFO is a testing ground for the history of art, it provides a space for experimentation and demonstration of the artistic process, production and testing of knowledge.

The program of TRAFO consists of exhibitions, research and residency programs, publishing activities, meetings, concerts, lectures. Its integral part is an ongoing educational program addressed to different age groups and introducing them to the issues of contemporary art.

Fjord Cadenza is a music festival grounded in classical music, that is inspired by and situated in the middle of the Norwegian fjords.
Fjord Cadenza celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018, and has developed an ambitious vision building on our shared responsibility of taking care of our culture and nature.



Based on this vision, Fjord Cadenza connects high quality classical music with spectacular surroundings, and world-class artists such as Ole Edvard Antonsen, Joaquín Achúcarro and Philippe Quint among many others have visited Fjord Cadenza in the last years. An important part of Fjord Cadenza’s vision is to build on and develop the classical tradition, and the festival has also become an important arena for young classical musicians where they are given the opportunity to perform with professional musicians.

Fjord Cadenza has for many years brought classical music out to new and untraditional venues; one example is the performance of Mozart’s requiem in an old closed factory with a view over the spectacular Storfjorden and concerts in the Unesco’s world heritage area Geirangerfjord and on top of the mountain Roaldshorn. A reason for taking on these projects is to develop the audience for classical music. Bringing classical music to untraditional venues may be a way of reaching a wider audience, an audience which may not attend the concert hall very often. The Festival’s mission is also to highlight music from certain eras, from certain composers or from certain places. Fjord Cadenza has against this background a desire to extend the focus on developing the audience.

Fjord Cadenza has for many years been a strong contributor into an international network of classical musicians. For example the festival orchestra has been hand-picked from several professional orchestras from more than ten countries. The common denominator in this artistic network is Fjord Cadenza’s artistic director, Rune Bergmann. Maestro Bergmann is Artistic Director and Chief Conductor in Szczecin Philharmonic, while also being Music Director of Canada’s Calgary Philharmonic. This international network provides the opportunity for an audience to explore a unique classical heritage across three European nations with a long and strong history.