Keeping in the annual tradition of the Narodowe Forum Muzyki and in celebration of Andrzejki 2018, soloists Aga Damrych, and Marta Dzwonkowski, under the direction of Krzesimir Dębski, will present the most popular and beloved songs of Wrocławs local comedic cabaret tradition by Jan Kaczmarek, poet, satirist, and leader of Elita’s cabaret.

Jan Kaczmarek was born on June 6, 1945, in Lwów, Poland, now located within the borders of Ukraine. While attending Wroclaw University of Technology, and Electronics, in 1969, he founded Elita’s cabaret with fellow students Tadeusz Drozd and Jerzy Skoczylas. Long associated with the Wroclaw radio program Studio 202, the world's oldest cyclic satirical radio program, which features writers such as Andrzej Waligórski, whose texts gave birth to myriads of these wonderful songs, and arrangements by Jan Walczyński, both funny and mind-boggling, satirical and thoughtful.

Andrzejki, in Polish, comes from the name Andrzej, or Saint Andrew, and is celebrated on the eve of the saint's holiday, 29th November, just before Advent and the approaching winter. The tradition stems from ancient pagan customs of the area that have been gradually applied to the Catholic calendar to be more acceptable for Catholic society. Slavic traditions based around the spirits of ancestors are well represented throughout Polish literature, most notably Forefathers' Eve by Mickiewicz. Similar folklore also exists throughout Northern and Central Europe. This day is filled with rituals of fortune-telling that have evolved into an occasion to celebrate the joys of youth and love and is a great occasion to experience ancient Polish customs. 

Alixandra Porembski, English Language Annotator