Submitted on 02.12.2025 by

Baltic Neopolis Orchestra in Reykjavík – Polish Impressions Iceland 2025

członkowie orkiestry w koncertowych strojach na plaży
Baltic Neopolis Orchestra, photo: Grygielewicz

Polish music of the 20th and 21st centuries will be heard in Reykjavík thanks to the Polish Impressions Iceland project, as part of which the Baltic Neopolis Orchestra from Szczecin will perform for the first time in the renowned Harpa concert hall and conduct an educational concert for young people at the Polish School in Reykjavík. These events, which highlight cultural cooperation and bring Polish and Icelandic audiences closer together, are supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Polish Impressions Iceland – art, cooperation, and social mission

In Iceland, the Baltic Neopolis Orchestra will present Polish music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Polish Impressions Iceland is a series of concerts and meetings building bridges between the cultures of Poland and Iceland. The meetings with the Icelandic audience are not only artistic events, but also a symbolic gesture of bringing together the cultures and nations of the Baltic Sea region. The concerts will show Poland as a country that can inspire, cooperate, and share its heritage in a spirit of openness. In a year when Poland holds the presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States and Iceland is preparing to take over, music will become a common language connecting the traditions of the North and the Baltic region – in a spirit of cooperation, mutual understanding, and inspiration. 

The Baltic Neopolis Orchestra is a chamber string orchestra from Szczecin, founded in 2008 by a group of young, ambitious artists. Since then, it has gained international recognition, collaborating with leading Polish and foreign musicians. Its activities include both classical chamber repertoire and avant-garde projects, and its concerts are distinguished by their freshness and emotional intensity. The orchestra is led by concertmaster and artistic director Emanuel Salvador and violist Emilia Goch Salvador.

Educational concert “Poland in Sounds” – Polish-Icelandic cultural rapprochement through music

The concert “Poland in Sounds”, which will take place on 29 November 2025 at 12:30 p.m. at the Polish School in Reykjavík, is an interactive event during which children and young people will learn about the history of Polish music – from Paderewski to contemporary composers. The Baltic Neopolis Orchestra string quartet will perform excerpts from works by outstanding Polish composers, and the concert host will explain their significance for the development of Polish and European music. The event combines artistic and educational values, demonstrating that music can convey emotions, history, and culture, becoming a universal language that connects people and develops the sensitivity of listeners.

Educational concert “Poland in Sounds” at the Polish School in Reykjavík

  • Date:  29 November 2025, 12:30 p.m.

  • Venue: Polish School in Reykjavík (Norðurfell 17–19, 111 Reykjavík, Iceland)

  • Performers:  Baltic Neopolis Quartet: Emanuel Salvador – violin, Łukasz Górewicz – violin, Emilia Goch Salvador – viola, Piotr Więcław – cello

  • Author of the educational concept and presenter: Katarzyna Lament

  • More information: szkolapolska.is

Concert: “Polish Impressions Iceland” – 20th and 21st-century Polish music performed by the Baltic Neopolis Orchestra

The programme of the concert “Polish Impressions Iceland” includes new and often premiere compositions written especially for the Baltic Neopolis Orchestra by representatives of the young generation of Polish artists. Each piece has a fascinating story behind it – both in terms of its creation and sources of inspiration, as well as the artistic encounters accompanying its first performances. Polish artists will present contemporary and classical music in a new context, showcasing Poland as a creative, modern and open-minded country. The repertoire will allow listeners to appreciate the richness of contemporary Polish music, its characteristic sensitivity and melancholy, and emotions rooted in tradition, yet open to dialogue with the cultures of the world.

Concert programme:

  • Mikołaj Piotr Górecki – “Overture”

  • ​Adam Wesołowski – “Songs of Angels” 

  • ​Marcelo Nisinman – “13 Variations on a Polish Melody”

  • Paweł Łukaszewski – “Advent Music”

  • Jóhann Jóhannsson – “A Sparrow Alighted upon Our Shoulder”

  • Mikołaj Piotr Górecki – “Divertimento for String Orchestra’ 

The Harpa is one of Reykjavík’s most distinctive buildings and the centre of the city’s cultural and social life. The Baltic Neopolis Orchestra’s performance in a venue that symbolises rebirth and hope for Iceland will highlight the universal power of music – its ability to transcend borders, languages and differences. The concert will also tell the story of Poland, which sounds beautiful, bold, and true, and, thanks to art, is able to connect people, places, and emotions.

Concert “Polish Impressions Iceland” at Harpa in Reykjavík

  • Date: 1 December 2025, 7:30 p.m.

  • Venue: Harpa, Reykjavík, Iceland

  • Performers: Baltic Neopolis Orchestra, conducted by Emanuel Salvador, with soloists: Emanuel Salvador – violin, Piotr Więcław – cello, and Katarzyna Lament – author of the announcements and presenter

  • Tickets and more information are available at: www.harpa.is

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