The Polish-Chinese music workshops in Radziejowice are a cyclical event organised by the Sounds of Art Foundation since 2017 at the Radziejowice Palace near Warsaw. In the first edition, the participants were talented cellists from the Zhong Guan Cun primary school in Beijing and high school students from the Beijing People’s University, under the guidance of the renowned educator Professor Liu Jun.
Twenty participants, aged eight to sixteen, took part in week-long sessions: in addition to individual lessons, young music enthusiasts participated in accompaniment classes, cello ensemble rehearsals, rhythmic training led by instructors from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, as well as sessions on interpreting music through dance and expression through drawing while listening to music, led by the distinguished pedagogue and illustrator Józef Wilkoń. To get to know the culture, folklore, and environment in which the greatest Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin grew up and began his artistic journey, participants took trips “tracing Chopin’s footsteps”, visiting Żelazowa Wola, Warsaw, and Sanniki.
In the following edition in 2018, both Chinese and Polish young musicians came to Radziejowice. Additionally, the range of instruments used in the workshops was expanded to include violins and violas. Mixed Polish-Chinese orchestras, trios, quartets, and ensembles comprising groups of instruments were formed for joint sessions. The program also included Polish folk dances and increased group activities to allow children from countries located at opposite ends of the world to understand better each other and their cultures. The workshops concluded with a gala concert in the Radziejowice Palace hall, where one of the participants had the opportunity to showcase their skills during a performance under the baton of Maestro Jerzy Kisielewski, conducted by Professor Ryszard Karczykowski’s class.