Kraków Young Philharmonic is a symphonic orchestra affiliated with the Mieczysław Karłowicz State Music School Complex in Kraków. The orchestra performs over a dozen concerts in each artistic season, not only in Kraków but also in various concert halls across Poland, including Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera, Roma Musical Theatre, Polish National Philharmonic, and the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio in Warsaw, as well as the Hall of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, the Górnośląskie Cultural Center in Katowice, and the Philharmonic Halls in Szczecin, Gdańsk, and Częstochowa. The orchestra regularly performs concerts abroad in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Ukraine, and China. It collaborates with youth orchestras in Germany and choirs such as the Trumpet of the Lord (Netherlands), the Choir of the Kraków Philharmonic, the Choir of the Academy of Music in Kraków, the Mariański Choir, the “Dominanta” Choir of the University of Economics, and the Choir of the University of Agriculture in Kraków. The orchestra also collaborates with Kraków’s institutions, including the Kraków Opera, the Kraków Philharmonic, the “Chopin” Polish-Chinese Foundation, and various cultural centers in Krakow.
The ensemble’s repertoire is highly diverse, encompassing works from the Baroque era to contemporary music, including opera, operetta, musicals, and film music.
The most significant events in the orchestra’s activity were the premiere performances of J.K. Pawluśkiewicz’s and L.A. Moczulski’s Nieszpory Ludźmierskie [Ludźmierz Vespers] (1992), the first prize in the National Competition of School Orchestras of Secondary Music Schools, organized by the Film and Television Academy in Warsaw in collaboration with the Centre for Artistic Education and Polish Radio Program II (2013), as well as a concert tour to China (2018).
The orchestra has frequently performed at festivals such as Cracovia Sacra and has been a regular guest at the “Nowa Huta, why not” series organized by the Nowa Huta Cultural Center. The ensemble has also performed at the La Folle Journée festival in Warsaw and the Jan Kiepura Festival in Krynica.
The orchestra’s discography includes several albums, such as Polskie Pieśni Patriotyczne [Polish Patriotic Songs], Kolędy [Christmas Carols], Pieśni Maryjne [Marian Songs], and a collection of pre-war songs released by the Polish Radio titled Nie zapomnisz mnie [You Will Not Forget Me].