Freddie De Tommaso Headlines National Forum of Music's 2026-27 Season

Poland's National Forum of Music has announced its 2026-27 season, with tenor Freddie De Tommaso headlining an Opera Gala on Dec. 8, 2026 alongside the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic under Michelangelo Mazza.

The season's vocal and choral programming opens on Oct. 11, 2026, when Małgorzata Podzielny conducts the NFM Girls' Choir and NFM Boys' Choir in "Masters of Harmony," with Mikołaj Szczęsny at the piano.

David Reiland leads Mendelssohn's "Elijah" on Oct. 18, 2026, with soloists Giulia Semenzato, Olivia Vermeulen, Robin Tritschler, and Nathan Berg, plus the NFM Choir and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra.

On Nov. 6, 2026, Jonathan Nott conducts the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic and Choir in Mozart's "Requiem" together with works by Schönberg and Kurtág. Soloists are to be announced.

Wayne Shorter and esperanza spalding's "(Iphigenia)" arrives in concert version on Nov. 20, 2026. The cast includes spalding herself, Claron McFadden, Arnold Livingston Geis, Paolo Szot, Kelly Guerra, Sophia Byrd, Sharmay Musacchio, Mikaela Bennett, Kristin Renee Young, and Gabriel Hernandez. Clark Rundell conducts.

Christmas programming fills December. On Dec. 12, soloists of the NFM Boys' Choir and the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble perform Bach cantatas under Andrzej Kosendiak. On Dec. 20, the NFM Choir and organist Karol Mossakowski, led by Lionel Sow, present Britten's "Rejoice in the Lamb," Kodály's "Laudes organi," and improvisations on Christmas carols.

January 2027 opens with the Polish a cappella octet Art'n'Voices in "Emotions A Choral Performance" on Jan. 10, conducted by Podzielny. Olena Herneha performs Andrea Linsbauer's "A Road to Galicia" on Jan. 14.

Händel's "Radamisto" follows on Jan. 23, starring Max Emanuel Cencic, Fanny Lustaud, Zachary Wilson, Katrīna Paula Felsberga, Tomáš Král, Dennis Orellana, and Federico Fiorio. Benjamin Bayl conducts the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra. The next day, Jan. 24, the NFM Choir under Detlef Bratschke performs works by Hans Koessler, Max Reger, and Hubert Parry, with Michał Rot at the piano. On Jan. 29, Simon Wallfisch solos in "In Exile," with Łukasz Borowicz conducting the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic.

February brings Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, "Lobgesang," on Feb. 12, 2027, with Sophie Bevan and Joshua Ellicott joining the NFM Choir and NFM Wrocław Philharmonic. The conductor and remaining soloists are yet to be announced.

Wayne Marshall leads a concert version of Loewe's "My Fair Lady" on March 3, 2027. Lionel Sow conducts the NFM Choir in six J.S. Bach motets on March 14. On March 21, Jarosław Thiel conducts the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra in Bach's "St Matthew Passion," with Robin Johannsen, Sophie Harmsen, James Gilchrist, Krystian Adam, Yannick Debus, and Callum Thorpe.

April opens with Marisol Montalvo singing Reimann's "Finite Infinity" alongside the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic under Gábor Káli on April 2. On April 16, the NFM Choir and the NFM Leopoldinum Chamber Orchestra, led by Sow and Alexander Sitkovetsky respectively, perform works by Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, and J.S. Bach. On April 18, the NFM Girls' Choir and NFM Boys' Choir join students from the Jazz Department of the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław for "Joyful, Joyful," again under Podzielny.

May features a concert version of J.A. Hasse's "Marc'Antonio e Cleopatra" on May 2, starring Bruno de Sá and Carlo Vistoli with Thiel conducting the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra. Agata Zubel and pianist Ignacy Lisiecki perform works by Rorem, Korngold, Ullmann, Ives, Eötvös, and Knussen on May 6. The NFM Choir sings Talbot's "Path of Miracles" under Sow on May 9, and joins Lionel Bringuier and the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège on May 23.

The season closes in June with a密集 cluster of choral events. The NFM Boys' Choir and NFM Girls' Choir perform "Songs for Children" on June 13 with Szczęsny at the piano and Podzielny conducting; the Music Lovers Choir, under Dominik Jarocki, gives its finale concert the same day. On June 19, the Dresdner Kammerchor joins the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra for Bach's B minor Mass under Thiel. Orff's "Carmina Burana," performed by the NFM Choir and both children's choirs under Sow, ends the season on June 20, 2027.

The announcement confirms the NFM's continued investment in Baroque repertoire under Thiel alongside contemporary and 20th-century works, positioning Wrocław as a hub for large-scale choral singing through the summer of 2027.