Hybrid of Cultures Festival is a unique and, to some extent also a groundbreaking project. It will encourage Polish and foreign artists to creatively interpret the traditional and folk culture and show the effects of such inspirations against the background of modern instrumentalism and diversity of present and future musical styles.

Fryderyk Chopin and Karol Szymanowski – masters whose works made Polish culture famous for centuries – have drawn their inspiration from the music of Polish roots. Unfortunately, today’s Polish music scene has not yet been freed from the rut of „Cepelia” folk culture, which makes the rich legacy of traditional music still trapped in closed circles of folklore events and conservative circles of audience and artists who simply reproduce the folk music interpretations straight from the times of the PRL (The Polish People’s Republic). Musical modes of expression designed in the times of People’s Poland for the massive song & dance folk groups, became a peculiar kiss of death for the authentic culture of 19th century rural areas of the former Polish Republic.

For the last few years there has been a growing tendency to restore the Polish folk music from before this deformation. However, there is no public space for musical interactions of artists who would like to combine their longing for what has irretrievably passed, with evaluation and translation of ancestors’ legacy into the language of contemporary music scene.

Hybrid of Cultures Festival will seek out, promote and mutually confront those artists who, with the musical legacy of the old village, want to develop new genres, forms and styles of contemporary music, as Chopin and Szymanowski did years ago. The fact that such activities have a chance to become part of the music history is evidently exemplified by the „giants” of the music scene, such as Peter Gabriel or Sting, who, in their works, regularly extol the archaic folk songs to the heights of contemporary music. Hybrid of Cultures Festival will support these non-commercial artists who, in their non-conformist and non-commercial creative explorations follow their heart and inspiration derived from the roots.

The founder and organizer of the Hybrid of Cultures Festival is Fundacja Dziedzictwa Rzeczypospolitej (Heritage of the Republic of Poland Foundation). The foundation is engaged among others in artistic popularization of the widely understood national heritage and cultural legacy of the Republic, domestically as well as abroad. Since 2009 it’s also the organizer of the large format historical literate and musical performance „Polish Independence Concert” as well as, since 2014, a series of hybrid music concerts under the name of  „Arboretum Project”. In 2015 the organization founded „Śpiewnik Niepodległości” (Independence Songbook) a music educational portal for Polish patriotic, military and anthemic songs. The „Hybrid of Cultures Festival” is the fourth original and innovative project of the founder of Heritage of the Republic of Poland Foundation – Jacek „Wiejski” Górski and the Art Director – Ola Turkiewicz.