For the first time in the history of the Fryderyk Awards, the Classical Music Gala, concluding the 2026 Fryderyk Festival, will be held at the National Forum of Music. The ceremony, during which the winners of Poland’s most important classical music awards will be announced, will be accompanied by a special concert.
This event is a celebration of musicians and music lovers. For the Fryderyk Award nominees it is a moment of intense emotion as they learn the results of the secret ballots by members of the Phonographic Academy only upon opening the envelope containing the name of the winner in a given category. For music lovers, it is a spiritual journey through genres, eras and styles: from symphonic forms, through chamber repertoire, to solo recitals – from early to contemporary music.
Music lovers gathered in the ORLEN Main Hall will hear the NFM ensembles: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, Wrocław Baroque Ensemble conducted by Andrzej Kosendiak, NFM Choir, and the Lutosławski Quartet, which on a daily basis build the musical identity of this state-of-the-art cultural institution. This evening, they will lead the audience through various eras, styles, and emotions together. Outstanding soloists will also take the stage. Symphony and opera conductor Anna Sułkowska-Migoń will appear. Since winning the 2022 La Maestra competition in Paris, she has had a thriving international career. We will hear soprano Dorota Szczepańska, who combines the precision of the Baroque style with a contemporary, at times almost cinematic expression. Tianyao Lyu is a young piano virtuoso who commands attention from the very first touch of the keyboard. “A princess who plays like an angel,” is what critics and listeners alike called her during the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. This evening, admirers of violinist Maria Sławek will once again discover that she reaches for classical masterpieces and lesser-known works of the 20th century with equal passion, bringing them back to life. The duo of Małgorzata Kordylasińska-Pękala and Miłosz Pękala will introduce the audience to the world of percussion instruments, which can not only play rhythms but also tell entire musical stories. Among the soloists will be thirty-two-year-old organist Karol Mossakowski hailed as the “Chopin of the organ” by the French daily Le Figaro. During the April gala, this artist will reveal the full splendour of the NFM organ.
The first batch of tickets is on sale now!