OFFbaroque combines seemingly distant sound worlds – English Baroque music and electronic sounds. Works by 17th-century masters are performed in completely new, fresh arrangements for voice, synthesizers, harpsichord and percussion. All this is intended to present them in a form adapted to contemporary sensitivity while maintaining respect for their authentic beauty.
The project premiered in 2021 during the Dramma per Musica Festival. “Here are the ripe fruits of English Baroque, passed through the filter of modern electronics, sprinkled with a rhythm section, prepared and synthesized by Szymon Sutor. Shrouded in the light and pure mist of Kaia Mianowana’s soprano voice. Musical fusion cuisine, a dish that will delight everyone!” – it was written then. Then it was time for the album available in streaming, but also released on a physical medium. It enjoyed positive reception from the critics. During the concert, the artists will complement the repertoire released on the album with John Dowland's most famous song, In Darkness Let Me Dwell.
Kaja Mianowana – the author of the concept and the voice of OFFbaroque – is a singer and musical actress, a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. Responsible for the arrangements and electronic layer of the performed works, Szymon Sutor is a composer, arranger and conductor, two-time winner of the International Krzysztof Komeda Composition Competition, he also won a Fryderyk award for the album Jazz Septet & String Orchestra. Stanisław Łopuszyński is a harpsichordist and pianist, winner of numerous competitions and, like Mianowana, also a graduate of the FCUM. Patryk Dobosz, a drummer involved in OFFbaroque, has won awards in many jazz competitions. He gives concerts all over the world and collaborates with artists such as Randy Brecker and Włodek Pawlik.