The Katowice City Singers' Ensemble Camerata Silesia - NOSPR

One of Poland’s leading chamber vocal groups, The Katowice City Singers' Ensemble Camerata Silesia was established in 1990 by the widely acclaimed and charismatic conductor Anna Szostak, who has led the ensemble ever since. The Camerata is famous above all for its excellent renditions of contemporary music; however, they also feel at home in the sphere of early music.
During its 30-year long career, Camerata Silesia has gained international fame, promoting Poland and the City of Katowice at performances in Europe’s most prestigious concert halls taking part in numerous international festivals, performing not only a capella chamber works, but also oratorio and cantata repertoire in an extended line-up.
Maintaining close relationships with leading representatives of contemporary music, Camerata Silesia has premiered numerous new works, many of which were composed especially for the ensemble. Not only the concert performances of the Camerata have found international critical acclaim, but also its CD recordings, of which there are currently several dozen.
Camerata Silesia’s artistic mastery has been highly praised by Krzysztof Penderecki, whose St. Luke Passion, Polish Requiem and Seven Gates of Jerusalem were frequently performed by the ensemble under the baton of the conductor himself in such cities as Münster, Cracow and Hamburg. The Camerata has also performed Maestro Penderecki’s Canticum Canticorum Salomonis during the Warsaw Autumn Festival. In 2012, Camerata Silesia was invited to take part in performances and DVD recordings of the stage version of Penderecki’s Passion directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna.
This same piece was peformed in The Camerata’s recent highlights include also concerts with the London Baroque Orchestra, the premiere of Marcel Pérès’ Missa ex tempore, performance of Penderecki’s St. Luke Passion with London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Jurowski as well as operas in concert version performed with Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin (Ch.W. Gluck – Orfeo ed Euridice) and Hofkapelle Müchen (H. Purcell – Dido and Aeneas).
Since 2014, Camerata Silesia has realised its own series at the new seat of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, performing regularly a variety of works ranging from classical music to jazz and popular music.