A musical journey through diverse sounds is a lingua franca – a universal language regardless of nationality or beliefs. It’s also the perfect way to spend time together. That is why singing the most beautiful arias from Orfeo & Majnun, which combines two distinct, yet not-so-distant European and Middle Eastern cultures into one timeless love story will be such a powerful attraction. The Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and the Arab story of Laila and Majnun serve as a poignant reminder that even though our cultures differ in many ways, human desires and passions are the same everywhere. The initiative was launched thanks to the cooperation of an international group of artists, who joined forces to stage the opera in Belgium, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Malta. Concert of opera soloists, featuring Klaudia Trzasko – Eurydice, Łukasz Klimczak – Orpheus, Basma Jabr – Laila, Loay Srouji – Majnun, together with narrator – Justyna Orzechowska, accompanied by piano and oudu, led by Rafał Kłoczko will take place at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 20th in Jordan Park.

Lovers of handicrafts will surely appreciate that the Recycling Band organised workshops, during which the participants will make instruments from recycled items. The drums, maracas, rattles and tambourines, trumpets and simple harps that we will make together will make for a great addition to a family jam session together with the band. The concert will take place on 15 August in Jordan Park at 8:00 p.m.

On 20 August , make sure to check out the Orfeo & Majnun small stage – from 6:00 p.m. onwards, it is going to feature bands that draw inspiration from the folk roots, emphasising the beauty and diversity of our culture. First on the stage will be Asia Nawojska, joined by piano and string instruments – she is going to take us on a journey to a magical world that combines classical, alternative and folk music. The artist, who won the 53rd Student Song Festival, is known from her poignant songs about elusive people and events. Tęgie Chłopy , who draw inspiration from the tradition of the Kielce region in its original form, will play music that will get everybody to move. Their entire repertoire is based on the songs played in the past by bands at village parties and events. The joyful brass section – trumpets, tubas and clarinet – will heat the atmosphere up. At 8:00 p.m., their place on the stage will be taken by Chłopcy Kontra Basia – a band that does not need to be introduced to fans of mixed traditional and modern music. The band features four instrumentalists and a charismatic singer. Featured in their name, Basia is amazing at creating colourful, musical stories based on folk themes and stories, with a contemporary jazz touch.

Free tickets for the concerts can be downloaded a week before the event (Monday) starting on 12:00 p.m. at kbfbilety.krakow.pl.

The Orfeo & Majnun project is co-financed by the European Union – Creative Europe programme.

Event details available at:
website: www.orfeomajnun.pl
facebook event: LINK

Animal puppets designed by Roger Titley (creatures.co.za) and produced by vs.designlab | Vero Schürr (vsdesignlab.com)