Music in Old Balice - 10th Festival of Open Music

It is one of the most interesting Music Festivals in the region organized by “Małopolska Manufaktura Sztuki” (Little Poland Art Manufacture) association.

Today, thanks to MwSB, Music in Old Balice means Festival of Open Music, which is the place of annual meetings with art.

MwSB takes pride in the history of 35 concerts, more than 100 performers who were listened to by dozen thousands of audience. The Festival has lasted continually since 2014. It takes place at all weekends in September. Its continuity was not disturbed by hard pandemic time.

The Festival has its own faithful audience. The group of our spectators has still been growing. The presence, trust and smile, which are given to us by our listeners, are for us additional motivation for intensive work.

Why our Festival

MwSB is one of the very few events on cultural map of Little Poland (Małopolska) where the highest level of concerts and other artistic events goes with free of charge admission. It is the performance “for people” and “about people”. Our programme offer has gained the recognition among music lovers and amateurs, the young and the old. We create the platform of direct contact between an artist and a spectator. Quality and inclusion are the most important for us. MwSB is the proof that caring for tradition can go together with openness to novelty. It has been proved by the programme of this year’s edition.

Our Aims

First of all, MwSB is the space for interchange of ideas and the possibility of meetings with culture. Thanks to universal values which it conveys, we try to build bridges between generations, different tastes and world views. We share our passion and knowledge to have a real influence on forming social sensitivity. As Tadeusz Kantor used to say – you cannot be on a wave, you have to be the wave.

“Vexiations: mantra dla Kijowa”

(30.09 – 01.10.2023 / Kijów Cinema in Cracow and Kraków Centre in Kiev)

The first integral performance of “Vexiations” by Eric Satie – a solo piano piece, which following the will of the composer, will be repeated 840 times by 30 pianists, which will take about 35 hours of non-stop playing. The event will take place in the “Kijów” Cinema (live) and in “Kraków” Centre in Kiev (owing to the latest technologies enabling creating extended reality, we will manage to transfer the performance in Cracow to Kiev without physical participation of artists). The performance is to be the reflection on the war in Ukraine and to express the solidarity with the Nation fighting for freedom.

You are invited to this event by Jacek Majchrowski, the President of Cracow, Vitalij Kliczko,  the Mayor of Kiev, Miłosz Horodyski, the Chairman of Apollo Film. The performance will be part of the celebrations of 30-year cooperation between Cracow and Kiev.

“L’amour et la mort” (“Love and Death”)

(02.09.2023 / Radziwiłł’s Palace in Balice)

“L’amour et la mort” (“Love and Death”) is the performance created by MwSB directed by Oskar Sadowski. The inspiration for its creation is the prose by Honore de Balzac and French music. 



The main topic here  is death because of love, chosen plots referring to dying women in Balzac’s prose and female opera arias. Famous scenes of death and lament are transferred  on male characters. The performance writes itself down on the discussion about the roles of women and men in modern world.

Concerts 10th MwSB

Concert 1 (03.09.2023 / Radziwiłł’s Palace in Balice)

Tomasz Sobaniec (percussion), Marek Olma (percussion), Jakub Olma (percussion)

Concert 2 (10.09.2023 / Radziwiłł’s Palace in Balice)

Malawski Trio:

Slawomir Cierpik (piano), Maciej Lulek (violin), Barbara Łypik-Sobaniec (cello)

Concert 3 (17.09.2023 / Radziwiłł’s Palace In Balice)

Matinee: Jolanta Kowalska-Pawlikowska (soprano), Dominika Grzybacz (piano)

Concert 4 (24.09.2023 /Radziwiłł’s Palace In Balice)

Gesa Lucker (piano)

Concert 5 (01.10.2023 /Radziwiłł’s Palace in Balice)

Michał Pepol (cello, electronics)

“Affection” the poem by Zbigniew Herbert read by: Margaux Kier / Andrzej Seweryn

*organizers reserve the right to programme changes, which depends on the Festival budget