Young Poles | "Who are you, who are you to me?"

Young Poles – “Who are you, who are you to me?” invites you to the vibrant finale of the 8th International Youth Encounter, staged at the Lublin Philharmonic on September 20th. Under the baton of conductor Hubert Kowalski, a 45‑piece orchestra accompanies a cast of soloists and guest musicians from Poland and its diaspora, creating a powerful musical conversation rooted in Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński’s resonant line. The program spans Polish musical and literary heritage while addressing contemporary themes of war, peace, emigration, longing, freedom, solidarity and hope. Audiences will hear renowned works by Juliusz Zarębski, Zygmunt Noskowski, Wojciech Kilar, Czesław Niemen, Zbigniew Preisner, pieces inspired by Chopin and Paderewski, and lyrical references to Stefan Mickiewicz and Czesław Miłosz. New compositions by Mateusz Pospieszalski, Yuri Shevchenko, and original scores by Hubert Kowalski complete the program, weaving classical, film score, jazz, folk and contemporary sounds into a unified narrative. Vocal highlights feature Marcin Januszkiewicz, Anna Lasota, Wiktoria Litwińczuk, Nasta Niakrasava and Wassim Ibrahim, with instrumental solos from saxophonist Mateusz Pospieszalski, oud player Wassim Ibrahim, violinist Mateusz Makuch, pianist/urdüy-guitarist Joachim Mencel, drummer Kamil Cudzich, and bassist Paweł Wszołek. After intensive rehearsals in Lublin, the performers come together to deliver a stirring, cross‑border celebration of shared heritage and hopeful aspiration.