“Dźwięki Dziedzictwa” – Greater Poland Celebrates Traditional Music
On June 7–8, 2025, Greater Poland became the heart of the region’s traditional music. The Bagpipes and Tradition Festival “Sounds of Heritage,” held in Poznań and Szreniawa, brought together several hundred participants and spectators, establishing itself as one of the most important events dedicated to the region’s musical heritage. Its program, blending scholarly reflection, artistic expression, and intergenerational integration, highlighted the unique value of Greater Poland’s folk culture on a national scale.
The first day of the festival, Saturday, June 7, began with a scholarly session at the Provincial Public Library and Cultural Animation Center in Poznań. The session focused on “The History, Present, and Future of Bagpipe Music.” Among the speakers were Prof. Anna Weronika Brzezińska, PhD (Adam Mickiewicz University), who discussed the significance of the bagpipe tradition as part of intangible cultural heritage; Zuzanna Majerowicz, MA, who analyzed local and regional aspects of Greater Poland’s bagpiping; and Dr. Paweł Zawadzki, who, in his talk “Quo vadis bagpiping?”, outlined potential directions for the development of this tradition in today’s context. In the evening, a lively outdoor folk dance party at KontenerART highlighted the social role of folk music as a source of communal experience.
The festival’s culmination and main artistic event took place on Sunday, June 8, at the National Museum of Agriculture and Agricultural-Food Industry in Szreniawa. A total of 150 artists participated in the festival: 17 traditional bands, 14 solo instrumentalists, and 2 instrument makers. Dance ensembles also performed on stage, including the “Wielkopolanie” Folklore Group, the “Swojacy” Folk Dance Ensemble, and the “Głogowianie” Folk Dance Ensemble. The audience had the opportunity to hear the authentic sounds of Greater Poland’s traditional instruments – bagpipes, white goat bagpipes, sierszenki, and tied fiddles – which form a unique part of Poland’s musical heritage.
A key element underlining the festival’s high profile was the competition for traditional bands and folk musicians, attracting numerous participants from across Greater Poland – both renowned performers and young artists continuing their masters’ legacies. The competition’s level was exceptionally high, with performances marked by authenticity, stylistic fidelity, and deep roots in the local musical idiom. The jury – Prof. Zbigniew Przerembski, PhD; Dr. Arleta Nawrocka-Wysocka; Dr. Paweł Zawadzki; and Romuald Jędraszak, a respected master of bagpipe music – faced the challenging task of judging such a diverse and valuable array of performances.
The “Sounds of Heritage” festival was not only a display of musical artistry but also a powerful expression of attachment to regional heritage and its importance in shaping cultural identity. The event reaffirmed that traditional music continues to resonate with audiences and remains alive – not as a museum exhibit, but as a dynamic element of contemporary culture.
The project was co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as part of the National Centre for Culture’s EtnoPolska 2025 program.
PZ
