Kolberg Year Celebrations Office ceases operations

Although the Kolberg Year formally ended a few months ago, our Office continued to work, finalising the project, collecting the information that was still being sent in, and, above all, cherishing the fruits of the Kolberg Year, that is all the recordings, books, magazines, websites, photographs, multimedia, etc. that the project brought about. Here, we would like to thank the contributors from the bottoms of our hearts!

Traditional Music Laboratory established

The Traditional Music Laboratory of the Institute of Music and Dance in Warsaw was founded on 17 June 2015 during the conference Transgenerational transmission in traditional culture and the role of the state in this area.

125th anniversary of Oskar Kolberg's death

Oskar Kolberg died exactly 125 years ago, on 3 June 1890 in Kraków and was laid to rest at the Rakowicki Cemetery. Marking the death of this prominent folklorist and ethnographer, on 1 June 2015, representatives of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Oskar Kolberg Institute, the Oskar Kolberg Museum in Przysucha, and the Institute of Music and Dance, laid flowers and lit candles at his grave, renovated last year.

Photos from a concert in tribute to Oskar Kolberg in Kraków

You may now see photos from a concert held in tribute to Oskar Kolberg on 31 May 2015 at Celestat in Kraków, which mirrored a music event that took place exactly on the same day in exactly the same place in 1889.

Kolberg Year celebrations appreciated

We are happy to inform that the Institute of Music and Dance together with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute and the Oskar Kolberg Institute has received a honourable mention in a plebiscite for The Historical Event of 2014 for the organisation of the Kolberg Year celebrations.

Concert in tribute to Oskar Kolberg | Replica of a 1889 event

Kraków's Celestat (ul. Lubicz 16) will witness an extraordinary event on Sunday, 31 May 2015 as the Institute of Music and Dance and the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków are holding a concert in tribute to Oskar Kolberg mirroring an event that took place exactly on the same day and in the same place in 1889.

Omnibus opinion poll results

In a poll covering a 1000-strong representative sample of the Polish population aged 18 and over carried out in December 2013 by CBOS only 8% of the respondents knew who Oskar Kolberg was. A similar poll carried out in January 2015 showed the percentage to be 11,3.

Website on traditional Polish music gets a makeover

Marking the Kolberg Year, the website www.muzykatradycyjna.pl was reconstructed, becoming more user-friendly and easier to develop further in the future. The site is a source of updates and a valuable ethnomusicology reference. The most important content has been translated into English.

New website on Oskar Kolberg

The Oskar Kolberg Institute in association with the Institute of Music and Dance in Warsaw has launched a new, Polish and English website on Oskar Kolberg and his work, www.oskarkolberg.pl.

Oskar Kolberg Guide

The Oskar Kolberg Guide allows users to travel around places and regions connected with Oskar Kolberg and his work.

Website on Polish folk instruments launched

The website www.instruments.edu.pl presents music instruments and sound-making tools used across Poland. The database features over 200 exhibits that come from Poland's leading collections (Warsaw, Poznań, Szydłowiec, Izabelin), dating from 1705 to 2011.

Protection of Oskar Kolberg's musical legacy

The Oskar Kolberg Institute in association with the Institute of Music and Dance in Warsaw (IMiT) has digitalised Oskar Kolberg's surviving works of music.

Polish folk musical instruments – launch of a new website

The Institute of Music and Dance in Warsaw is holding the official launch of its new website www.instruments.edu.pl dedicated to Polish folk instruments on 17 March 2015 at midday at the State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw.

Press conference ending the Kolberg Year in photos

See photos of the press conference held to conclude the Kolberg Year on 16 February 2015 at the State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw.

Rok Kolberga 2014 |Facebook]

Report on the Kolberg Year

We have prepared a report on the Kolberg Year summarising all the projects carried out to mark the bicentenary of Oskar Kolberg in 2014.

Happy New Year!

The Kolberg Year is nearing its finale. We have proved that folk culture is still alive and kicking, can grip people's imagination, and is profoundly authentic. We wish you many reasons for joy in the New Year 2015!

Official concert concluding the Kolberg Year 2014 in pictures

See photographs from the official concert concluding the Kolberg Year 2014 held on 11 December 2014 at Polish Radio's Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio in Warsaw.

Oskar Kolberg and Gloria Artis awards Gala in pictures

You may now see photos documenting the gala held to present this year's Oskar Kolberg Awards and Gloria Artis Medals on 11 December at Polish Radio's Witold Lutosławski's Concert Studio in Warsaw.

Closing chords of the Kolberg Year 2014

On 11 December 2014 Polish Radio's Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio in Warsaw will host the closing gala of the Kolberg Year. This year has been filled with a vide array of celebrations marking the bicentenary of birth of the great folklorist and ethnographer. Drawing on traditional culture, the initiatives will undoubtedly go on after the Kolberg Year finishes.

Special concert to celebrate Oskar Kolberg Year

To mark the Oskar Kolberg Year, a concert of traditional music was held at Warsaw's Presidential Palace on 5 November 2014. In attendance were president Bronisław Komorowski and his wife Anna Komorowska.

The Kolberg Year – And What's Next?

The Institute of Music and Dance in Warsaw together with the Forum of Traditional Music is holding a conference titled "The Kolberg Year – And What's Net?" on 26 and 27 November 2014 in Radziejowice.

Kolbergs of Eastern Europe

On 14 and 15 November 2014 an international conference "Kolbergs of Eastern Europe" will be held in Wrocław, Poland, at the Ossolineum.

Poland at WOMEX in the Kolberg Year

A CD insert in Songlines magazine featuring Polish folk music, Vołosi band's performance, and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute's expo stand – these are the highlights of Poland's participation in the WOMEX world music expo in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Discover Poland in "Songlines"

The October issue of Songlines magazine comes with Discover Poland, a special CD insert featuring 18 recordings that present the Polish folk music scene, ranging from Warsaw Village Band to Studium Instrumentów Etnicznych.

Saint Petersburg and national musical cultures

On 20–22 October 2014, Saint Petersburg is going to host the 5th International Academic Conference "Saint Petersburg and National Musical Cultures" marking the bicentenary of Oskar Kolberg.

Winners of 2014 Coryphaeus of Polish Music known!

A day before the International Music Day and the anniversary of the establishing of the Institute of Music and Dance in Warsaw, on 30 September, winners of the 2014 Coryphaeus of Polish Music (Polish: Koryfeusz Muzyki Polskiej) were announced during an awards ceremony at Polish Radio's Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio in Warsaw.

Coryphaeus of Polish Music to be awarded for the fourth time

It is already the fourth time round that the Polish music community is going to name individuals, ensembles and institutions that have made the most profound contribution to Poland's music across different genres and periods.

46th International Festival of Highland Folklore

The 46th International Festival of Highland Folklore will start in Zakopane on 22 August 2014 and last until 30 August.

Piotr Gan, the Kolberg of Kielce

The Open-Air Museum of Rural Architecture in Kielce has just launched a website devoted to Piotr Gan, prominent researcher of the folk music of the Kielce region.

Chłopcy Kontra Basia to give a concert in Warsaw

The Chłopcy Kontra Basia band is going to give a concert in Warsaw's Rydz-Śmigły Park on 19 August 2014 during the ArtPark festival.