October 27 – November 24, 2024

The International Festival of Early Arts 2024

14th edition

The festival will run from October 27, 2024 to November 24, 2024.

Since 2021, the Festival began operating in an extended formula to present the most interesting phenomena in the performance of broadly understood early music from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.

The inauguration of the Festival will be a unique event – the reconstruction of the musical setting for the Holy Mass from the time of Mikołaj Zieleński, Missa s. Adalberti. This is a rare opportunity to experience the authentic sounds of Polish and European sacred music from the 17th century. Another concert will refer to the life and times of the Festival’s patron, Izabela Branicka, and will feature the distinguished Czech ensemble Collegium Marianum and baritone Tomáš Šelc, who will perform Czech Baroque compositions. During another concert, the group Jerycho will take us on a journey through the musical paths of Sarmatian spirituality, performing hymns and songs on Marian themes from the 17th century, showcasing the richness of Polish musical traditions.

The group Schola Cantorum Riga from Latvia, together with saxophonist Dāvis Jurka, will present a concert to close the Festival – Music of the Soul – Georgian Chant and the Sounds of the Music of the World. This event will combine the traditional sound of male voices with the sounds of contemporary instruments, creating a space where spirituality meets modernity. Thus, the final concert will be a kind of „musical prayer,” an ideal culmination of the edition dedicated to the „Music of the Soul.” We are convinced that this year’s edition of the International Festival of Early Arts named after Izabela Branicka will be a unique experience, allowing our audience not only to engage

All events are available online.
You are welcome to come.

8th October - 20th November 2022

Izabela Branicka International Festival of Early Arts

12th edition

The festival will begin on 8 October - the eve of the anniversary of the death of Izabela's husband - Jan Klemens Branicki - a concert by the Schola Gregoriana Sancti Casimiri and Schola Mulierum Sanctae Hedvigis ensembles presenting Marian songs of the old centuries and will end on 20 November with the performance of Schola Cantorum Riga from Latvia with the concert "Vox clara - late medieval singing from Riga, Hamburg, Lund and Limoges ". On 9 October, in the Town Hall, we will hear court music of French provenance during the concert of the Trio {oh!} "With a dedication to the Sun King" and in Aula Magna in the Branicki Palace in Białystok, 16 October, a concert commemorating the 150th anniversary of Stanisław Moniuszko’s death "Moniuszko of 1001 nights" Maria Pomianowska with the Ensemble and the premiere of the reconstructed ceremonial music of imperial Vienna from the 17th and 18th centuries - 7 November by the Tubicinatores Gedanenses Ensembles and the String Orchestra of the Diletto Early Music Ensemble conducted by Anna Moniuszko.

All events are available online.
You are welcome to come.

What is the International Festival of Early Arts?

Izabela Branicka International Festival of Early Arts is a platform for presenting culture, art and early music in reference to the cultural splendour of the Versailles of the North, as the unique Białystok residence of Hetman WK Jan Klemens Branicki and his wife Izabela Branicka née Poniatowska, sister of the last King of Poland – the patrons of culture, is called. The project was originally conceived as an artistic reconstruction of various elements of the pompous celebration of the name day of Isabella (19 November). Currently, the festival shows the work of both the 18th century and earlier periods, reconstructing early culture, art and music for contemporary audiences using old styles and performance techniques. The international character of the event refers to the foreign cast of musicians in the Branicki's ensemble and many invited artists from the main music centres of 18th century Europe.

The previous editions of the Festival were attended by a total of over 8,000 spectators, 600 artists who prepared and performed about 40 events, including: 7 oratorio concerts, 7 dance performances, 3 opera performances, including two premieres, 2 opera concerts, 5 musical settings for the Mass Święta and as many as 12 historical evenings combined with a talk about Izabela Branicka and a recital. The high artistic level and the rich program of presentations carried out as part of the Festival make it the only event of this type for the so-called "Eastern wall"

The Idea

Białystok, despite the growing number of initiatives in the field of culture, a few years ago did not have a significant event of high artistic rank dedicated to the commemoration of Izabela (Elżbieta) Branicka née Poniatowska, the greatest patron of culture and benefactor in the history of our city, whose patronage made the capital of Podlasie has become a significant music and cultural center throughout the country. One of the main assumptions of the Festival is to popularize knowledge about this fragment of the history of our city, thanks to which it enriches the current perception of the history of Białystok. By presenting it as a center of important achievements in the cultural life of the First Polish Republic, the project positively influences the historical awareness and identity of its inhabitants. By organizing most of the events in the Branicki Palace, the festival brings the contemporary culture and art of the time of the foundation of the Polish Versailles - the most beautiful palace and garden complex in this part of Europe.

New reach

As part of the eight editions of the Festival so far, we had the pleasure of hosting great musicians and dancers specializing in historical performance. Willing to provide our audience with presentations of the highest performance level and the most diverse program, over time foreign artists also joined Polish performers from all over the country. Intensively developing international cooperation and the resulting new perspectives for the development of the event, became an impulse to change the current name of the festival from the "Izabela Branicka's Name Day" Festival of Ancient Arts to the International Festival of Ancient Arts. Izabela Branicka.

Our goal

The new, extended formula of the Festival allows us to respond to new challenges posed by both the audience and general trends present in world culture. Our goal is to create an artistic event with an offer addressed not only to the inhabitants of Podlasie, but also the region, becoming an attraction attracting music lovers from all over Poland, as well as "close" abroad (Lithuania, Belarus).

Our experience

The Pro Anima Foundation has been operating since 2010, and the mission of the Foundation is to revive and inspire activities in the field of culture and education, which are aimed at increasing the cultural and social activity of both recipients and creators of culture related to the north-eastern region of Poland. For the implementation of its statutory objectives, the Foundation raises funds under open competitions for offers in the field of culture (Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the City of Białystok, the Marshal's Office and other local government units), and also implements pro-social projects (FIO, ASOS, POKL, RPOWP). In terms of cultural activities, we mainly organize events of high artistic rank, such as the Festival of Ancient Arts - Izabela Branicka's Name Day (since 2011) and the Concerts Cycle Music of the Baroque Masters (since 2010) presenting the works of the greatest composers of the Baroque era, usually taking place in the Palace Ballroom Branicki in Białystok.

In recent years, we have also implemented innovative projects combining early music with contemporary dance and stage staging: Venus and Adonis (2013), as well as as part of the Festival of the East of Culture - Another Dimension in Białystok, commissioned by the National Center for Culture, an open-air show The Fairy Queen by H. Purcell. (2014) and A dance performance to the music of JB Lully PUPILE in 2018. The concerts are attended by both musicians from Białystok and musicians from all over Poland and abroad who specialize in performing music of this period, which has resulted in Białystok in recent years becoming a valued cultural center, known for performing Early Music. So far, we have organized several dozen concerts worth over 3 million. PLN.

New formula

For the last eight years, the main area of artistic presentations was music, dance and customs of the 18th century, i.e. from the times of the closest to Izabela Branicka. Although these elements will certainly not be missing in the Festival's program, we would like to expand its offer by exploring the "old arts" even more intensively. Hence, there will be performances of works from earlier and later eras, interpreted by instrumental and vocal ensembles specializing in this field. We would like to present this type of program as part of the 2022 edition.

The development outlined above is the result of our observation of world tendencies, which indicate a renaissance of historical performance, covering more and more new areas, reaching both deeply back - to the Middle Ages, and closer and closer to modern times, to mention here the last Polish performances of Stanisław Moniuszko's music on historical instruments. A new look at the already known works is very popular with audiences both in Poland and abroad.