Polish Sacred Music Festival Returns to London for Expanded Fourth Edition

Elena Leo is the Arts & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.

London’s beloved Joy & Devotion festival is back this year, running from 7-10 November 2024, celebrating the profound beauty of Polish sacred music. For the first time, the festival takes place in the atmospheric St James’s Piccadilly, a 17th-century Wren church known for its incredible acoustics. This year’s expanded programme features four prestigious UK choirs, including SANSARA, The Choir of King’s College London, Holst Singers, and The Sixteen, each making their festival debut.

The event is supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and continues under the artistic direction of Paweł Łukaszewski. Audiences can expect a rich mix of choral works, spanning centuries, along with a special public lecture on contemporary Polish sacred music at King’s College London.

Highlights:

7 Nov: SANSARA opens the festival with works by Juliusz Łuciuk and Bartosz Kowalski-Banasewicz.
8 Nov: The Choir of King’s College London presents Corona Mariae by Sławomir Czarnecki.
9 Nov: Holst Singers perform advent music by Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki and Paweł Łukaszewski.
10 Nov: The Sixteen will close the festival with 16th and 17th-century polyphonic masterpieces from the Polish royal court.

For the first time, festival-goers can attend a public lecture on 8 November featuring discussions on contemporary Polish sacred music, led by Joseph Fort, Paweł Łukaszewski, and David Wordsworth.

This year’s festival promises an unforgettable exploration of Polish choral traditions through the centuries, and with such a diverse offering, it’s not one to miss for music lovers. Full event listings and ticket details are available on the festival’s official website.

‘Joy & Devotion’ Festival – SJP