On a Sunday evening in December, join us for a talk by Ewa Grochowska – a researcher and musician, extraordinary storyteller, author of texts on traditional music, and more. Although the meeting will be held online, we will try to be as close as possible to you. Let’s have a cup of hot tea together and listen to stories about village bands and orchestras. You are welcome to ask questions during the meeting.

‘I will tell you about the region’s famous village musicians, bands and orchestras, both those liked until today as well as characters and bands that were once legendary but are now completely forgotten. From the violin and the drum to extensive instrumental ensembles of brass orchestras, from joyful music making indoors, performances at weddings and state harvest festival (dożynki centralne) in Warsaw to stories about enchanted violins glowing during performances and Stradivarius violins in the possession of village musicians’ – invites Ewa Grochowska

When: 13 December 2020, 18.00
Where: The Jagiellonian Fair Facebook

Ewa Grochowska – a researcher and musician by choice and driven by passion. She studied under the master violinist Jan Gaca from Przystałowice Małe (2000-2013), Stanislaw Głaz from Dzwola Destyflandzka (since 2006 until now) and the clarinetist Stanisław Witowkowski from Opatów (since 2013 until now). Since 1999, she has been also learning with female village singers. She encourages people of various ages and from different backgrounds to learn music directly from village musicians and singers. In 2014 in cooperation with Karolina Waszczuk and Workshops of Culture in Lublin she set up The Jagiellonian Fair Orchestra. The project invites both amateurs and professional musicians to jointly learn and play traditional dance music from the Lublin region. She believes that rich traditional music is a renewable source and that codes of old culture can be readable and used today. This calls for respect for the achievements of the previous generations and willingness to continue it creatively. She holds a PhD in humanities.

Photo Courtesy of Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre Centre