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Festival of Music in Old Krakow

The Festival of Music in Old Krakow (Festiwal Muzyka w Starym Krakowie) is one of the oldest existing Krakow music festivals. Each year, some of classical music's greats visit the city – allegedly on their own expense – and perform in Cracow's most attractive spots. The Festival of Music in Old Krakow traditionally takes place between August 15^th and August 31^st – so it overlaps with the  the Coke Live Music Festival.

The Festival of Music in Old Krakow was established in 1975 by Stanislaw Galonski, the first director of the Capella Cracoviensis, which has been organizing the festival since then. The Capella Cracoviensis was one of Poland's first classical music groups whose aim was to perform historical pieces as close to the original as possible. The Capella is most famous for its performances of oratorios, and played and sung with such of the world's greats like the British 'Orchestra of the Golden Age' and 'Pro Cantione Antiqa'. The Capella Cracoviensis gave concerts in most European countries, including the Vatican, where it was granted a special audience by Pope John Paul II.

The idea of the Festiwal Muzyki w Starym Krakowie was to revive some of Krakow's oldest and most beautiful spots by presenting high-class, classical music there. The locations in which the artists of the Festival of Music in Old Krakow perform are, among others, the Wawel Castle, the Cloth Hall, the Wieliczka Salt Mine, some of the Kazimierz Synagogues, and, of course, the Krakow Philharmonic.

Apart from the international guests, the Festival of Music in Old Krakow is graced by the performances of some Poland's greatest classical music ensembles – among those, of course, the Capella Cracoviensis. The old classical music is usually accompanied by some more recent pieces, making the Festival of Music in Old Krakow an experience digestible also for those, who don't treat themselves to a bite of Mozart or Bach on a daily basis.