On 21 December at 5:00 PM, the Mieczysław Wajnberg Institute invites you to the unique epilogue of this year’s Rywka Tiktiner Jewish Music Festival in Tykocin!

In the remarkable setting of the Great Synagogue, a special festive concert will take place featuring multimedia, performative works by one of the most outstanding composers of his generation — Wojciech Błażejczyk: Blask (Shine), set to the words of Chaim Nachman Bialik, and — in its world premiere — Ogród pamięci (The Garden of Memory) with a text by Sylwia Chutnik.

The poem Blask draws on the mystical Jewish Book of Radiance (Sefer ha-Zohar) and tells the story of a journey back into childhood. The protagonist recalls his first encounter with transcendence and points to the presence of God in the world — revealed most clearly in the awe-inspiring beauty of nature.

Presented as a performative concert, the work explores the relationship between music and the spoken word, as well as the interplay between the human voice and acoustic and electronic instruments.

The Garden of Memory is a new composition commissioned by the Mieczysław Wajnberg Institute. Its foundation is a libretto by Sylwia Chutnik, inspired by the Institute’s 2022 project “Postcard to Mietek” — a citywide participatory action in which specially designed postcards asking “What are you running from?” were distributed across Warsaw through collaborating cafés, bookshops, and cultural institutions. Postcards could also be completed online, allowing responses to be collected from all over Poland. Participants were invited to reflect on the experiences of Mieczysław Wajnberg — a refugee, political prisoner, Varsovian, Jew and Pole. These texts became the basis for a collective libretto, which will be heard for the first time in Tykocin.

The concert will feature a string trio (violin, viola, cello), ethnic instruments (duduk, zithers, dulcimer and psaltery), electronics, mezzo-soprano, and children’s choir.

Performers include the leading Polish ensemble Hashtag Ensemble conducted by Lilianna Krych, actors Waldemar Raźniak and Jakub Snochowski, and children from the Tykocin Primary School.

ADMISSION FREE

The project is co-financed by the European Union through the Recovery and Resilience Facility under the National Recovery Plan.

Credits

Music – Wojciech Błażejczyk
Text (The Garden of Memory) – Sylwia Chutnik
Script & Direction (Blask) – Katarzyna Michałkiewicz
Poetry translations (Blask) – Salomon Dykman
Sound direction – Jan Jędrzejczyk

Performers

Waldemar Raźniak – actor
Jakub Snochowski – actor

Hashtag Ensemble:
Marta Bogusławska – voice
Marta Piórkowska – violin
Aleksandra Demowska-Madejska – viola
Dominik Płociński – cello
Wojciech Błażejczyk – plucked strings
Adam Bardowski – clarinet, duduk (guest)

Children from the Tykocin Elementary School, supervised by Joanna Grodzka-Kulikowska

Conductor: Lilianna Krych

In December 2024, a remarkable album featuring string sextet compositions by Andrzej Panufnik, Roxanna Panufnik, and Mieczysław Weinberg was released. The recording showcases outstanding Polish musicians: Maria Sławek, Anna Maria Staśkiewicz, Katarzyna Budnik, Artur Rozmysłowicz, Rafał Kwiatkowski, and Marcin Zdunik.

The album includes, among other pieces, the premiere recording of Chamber Symphony No. 3, Op. 152 by Mieczysław Weinberg, arranged by Maria Sławek.

The release is a joint production of the Anagram label and the Mieczysław Weinberg Institute.

Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund as part of the “Musical Trace” program, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance.

Funded by STOART – The Union of Performing Artists.

Order: instytut@instytutwajnberga.org

The Rywka Tiktiner Jewish Music Festival became a new tradition in Tykocin – a celebration of Jewish culture that combined concerts, meetings, and community events. Its stage was the Great Synagogue, one of the most beautiful and best-preserved monuments of Jewish heritage in Poland.

We once again gathered at the Jewish Music Festival in the beautiful synagogue in Tykocin.

This year’s festival was a celebration of chamber music. During spring evenings, the audience could experience virtuosic duets. The encounter of two soloists on this extraordinary stage offered a chance to explore the richness of dialogue and partnership in music.

The Festival was a feast, a unique meeting that brought together the residents of Tykocin, visitors from afar, and those who happened to stop by – captivated by this special place, its culture, and its history. Its open format and the synagogue’s excellent acoustics allowed Jewish music to shine brilliantly, remain in memory, and inspire further discovery.

Maria Sławek, Lilianna Krych
Festival Curators

On 8 December 2023, exactly on the 104th anniversary of Mieczysław Wajnberg’s birth, we invited audiences to an intimate meeting at Księgarnia Czarnego in Warsaw’s Wola district. Dr. Magdalena Piotrowska-Grot (University of Łódź), Agnieszka Kuś, and Dr. Aleksander Laskowski (NIFC) discussed the poetry of Julian Tuwim – its influence on the generation that came of age during the war, its role in the everyday life of the ghetto’s residents, and the relationship between word and sound, including the special bond between Wajnberg and Tuwim.

The discussion was followed by a concert featuring soprano Ewa Leszczyńska, violinist Maria Sławek, violist Katarzyna Budnik, and cellist Marcin Zdunik, who performed two of Wajnberg’s song cycles to Tuwim’s texts: Gypsy Bible op. 57 and Old Letters op. 77, arranged for voice and string trio.

On Sunday morning we gathered at 41 Sienna Street for a walk through the Small Ghetto following the footsteps of Mary Berg, guided by Agnieszka Kuś.

We also recommend the ebook by Agnieszka Kuś: Baedecker of Our Misfortune. A Varsavianist Walk in the Footsteps of Mary Berg and Julian Tuwim, available for download below.

The “Postcard to Mietek” project involves creating custom-designed postcards that will be sent to Warsaw residents through the IMW’s collaboration with selected cafes, bookshops, and cultural institutions.

Their guests, employees, and other city residents will be asked to write a few words referring to the composer’s experience as a refugee, political prisoner, Varsovian, Jew, and Pole.

Next, a libretto for a musical piece will be written, reflecting the spirit of our time, tragically marked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the time when Warsaw became home to countless refugees seeking refuge in Poland. This piece is to bring hope and joy to the audience by referring to their memories and moments of past happiness.

The libretto will be a collective work comprised of selected “Postcards to Mietek” texts and edited by Sylwia Chutnik. Once the text has been completed, Wojciech Błażejczyk will be asked to supplement it with music.

The Warsaw Walkabout with Weinberg was created in both paper and electronic versions and is available in three languages: Polish, English, and Yiddish. It tells the story of pre-war Warsaw, with the reader being guided by Mieczysław Weinberg and his family. The route covers locations of the former Northern Quarter as well as important destinations in Midtown Warsaw. The text of the guidebook was created by the well-known Varsavianist and city guide Agnieszka Kuś, while the graphic design was developed by Ola Jasionowska. The project’s curators were Ania Karpowicz and Maria Sławek. The Walkabout is supplemented by two original playlists compiled by Marek Bracha.

The project was implemented with the support of the City of Warsaw.

http://www.warszawawajnberga.pl/en/index.html

The House Party is a unique cultural project combining concerts, meetings, and educational activities with a place of memory – the tenement house where Mieczysław Wajnberg was born and grew up. Since 2021, the event has brought together Warsaw residents, music enthusiasts, and lovers of the city’s history, creating a space to celebrate Wajnberg’s legacy together.

1st House Party (2021)

The very first gathering took place right by the wall of the tenement house at 66 Żelazna Street. The program included the opening of a photography exhibition by Agnieszka Stępka – winner of the residency competition, a piano trio concert (Roksana Kwaśnikowska, Rafał Kwiatkowski, Marek Bracha), and a screening of the pre-war film Fredek Makes the World Happy (1936), featuring none other than Mieczysław Wajnberg himself.

2nd House Party (2022)

The second edition was dedicated to the composer’s father, Szmul Wajnberg – a renowned creator of theatre and revue music, well known in Jewish Warsaw of the 1930s. The Warsaw Dance Combo performed his songs, and thanks to cooperation with the POLIN Museum, guests could also taste ziemniaczki po warszawsku – a dish inspired by pre-war recipes.

3rd House Party (2023)

The third House Party stretched over two days. The program featured a cycling tour along the Wajnberg’s Warsaw Walkbook route, culinary workshops at the POLIN Museum around the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, a guided tour of the museum’s core exhibition, and a concert by cellist Marcin Zdunik and pianist Aleksander Dębicz. On the second day, there was a jam session at the Norblin Factory, complemented by an exhibition of photographs by Agnieszka Stępka.

4th House Party (2024)

The fourth edition, held under the theme “Friendship”, was inspired by Wajnberg’s ties with fellow students and colleagues from the Warsaw Conservatory and later years: Eta Tyrmand, Lew Abeliovich, Henryk Wagner, Ryszard Sielicki, Andrzej Panufnik, and Dmitri Shostakovich. In the courtyard of the Żelazna Street tenement, the Wajnberg Trio(Piotr Sałajczyk, Szymon Krzeszowiec, Arkadiusz Dobrowolski) performed, and Monika Iwanicka from the Jewish Historical Institute led a walking tour following the footsteps of the Conservatory’s alumni. In the evening, at Kino Czary, the Virtual Museum of the Tenement House – www.zelazna66.pl – was premiered.

5th House Party (2025)

The fifth House Party was devoted to the women closest to Wajnberg. The event began with a walking tour led by Masha Makarova from the Warsaw Ghetto Museum. Once again, the courtyard of the Żelazna Street tenement turned into a concert hall, featuring performances by Ewa and Maria Leszczyńska, Łukasz Chrzęszczyk, and – for the first time in the House Party’s history – the Institute’s presidents: Maria Sławek and Aleksandra Demowska-Madejska. The program was dedicated to Wajnberg’s daughters, wife, mother, and sister.

Later, an online meeting was held with the composer’s elder daughter, Victoria Bishops, and his granddaughter, Katia, moderated by Aleksander Laskowski. The evening concluded with a reception prepared by the Kręglicki family of restaurateurs and the celebration of the mini-jubilee of five editions of the House Party.

Organizers and Partners

The project is organized by the Mieczysław Wajnberg Institute under the honorary patronage of the Mayor of Warsaw, in cooperation with Mennica Polska, ZAiKS, the Jewish Art Institute, Kręgliccy Chłodna, and the Kamień i co? Association.