Held under the motto "Joy & Devotion," the event is in its fourth year. All the concerts take place at St James’s Church, Piccadilly.
Designed and built in the 17th century by Sir Christopher Wren, the church is renowned for its excellent acoustics.
The festival brings together four acclaimed British choirs: Sansara, the Choir of King’s College London, Host Singers and The Sixteen.
The opening concert by the Sansara choir focuses on works written over the last century, including Missa gratiarum actione by Juliusz Łuciuk (1927-2020) and Lacrimosa by Bartosz Kowalski-Banasewicz (b. 1977).
The second festival concert, on November 8, features a collection of contemporary Polish hymns by Sławomir Czarnecki (b. 1949), Four Impressions for Organ by Jan Fotek (b. 1928), as well as Gaude Mater Polonia by 13th-century composer Wincenty of Kielcza, performed by The Choir of King’s College London conducted by Joseph Fort, with Rupert Jeffcoat at the organ.
On November 9, Holst Singers, conducted by Stephen Layton, will perform a programme of Advent music spanning the Baroque period to the present, with Missa Rorate by Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki (1665-1734), often dubbed the "Polish Handel," and O Antiphones by festival director Paweł Łukaszewski (b. 1968).
The festival will close with a performance by The Sixteen on Sunday, November 10, featuring court music from the 16th and 17th centuries, by Gorczycki as well as by Bartłomiej Pękiel (1601-1670) and Marcin Mielczewski (1600-1651).
The festival programme also includes a lecture on contemporary Polish sacred music at King’s College London on November 8.
Launched in 2021 by the Warsaw-based Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the festival is part of its mission to share the abundance of Polish culture with international audiences.
The artistic director of the festival, composer and conductor Paweł Łukaszewski, has told the media: "It continues to be an honour to direct the 'Joy & Devotion' festival of Polish sacred music in London."
He added: "The concert programmes have been curated to reflect a broad swathe of Polish choral music through the centuries, rendered in the finest imaginable performances by these outstanding British choirs. We're excited that St James’s Piccadilly is hosting this year's festival for the first time."
(mk/gs)