THAT’S US! WOWAKIN

We’re an old-fashioned village band, or perhaps a modern urban trio experimenting with Polish traditional folk music.

We’re students of fiddlers, accordionists, and singers from the countryside, or maybe music school graduates, consciously reshaping our roots. We play with village musicians or city artists—whether at weddings, concert halls, or dances.

For eight years now, authentic rural instrumental and vocal music has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for us-music that ordinary people used to play and sing at weddings and other social occasions over the centuries, passed down from generation to generation.

Music not composed or written down, but transmitted orally from one generation to the next. Music rooted in the soil it flourished on, in the rustle of trees, birdsong, or perhaps in hard human labor.

That’s us!

THE TEAM:

PAULA KINASZEWSKA

VIOLIN, VOCAL

A violinist, singer, and arranger, she is an explorer and collector of folklore. A student of folk fiddlers, Kinaszewska specializes in archaic violin repertoire from central and eastern Poland, alongside lyrical and ritual songs as well as urban folklore. A teacher of folklore, cultural animator, and educator, she was awarded the Polish Ministry of Culture scholarship in 2015 for her contributions to theatre, music, and pedagogy. She’s a theatre and film actress and a graduate of the Warsaw Zelwerowicz Theatre Academy. Leader and teacher at the Traditional Music Centre and the Wesołe Mazurki z Pragi children’s ensemble in Warsaw.

MATEUSZ WACHOWIAK

ACCORDION, FOLK BASS

A professional accordionist with a fascination for the technique of country musicians, Wachowiak draws inspiration from archived recordings of fiddlers and accordionists. Among the country musicians he most admires are Stanisław Stępniak, Czesław Kocemba, and Konstanty Kędziora. He plays accordions crafted in Warsaw by the Borucki family during the first half of the 20th century. A professional accordionist fascinated by country musicians' technique, he seeks inspiration in archived recordings of fiddlers and accordionists. The country musicians he admires most are Stanisław Stępniak, Czesław Kocemba, and Konstanty Kędziora. Wachowiak plays accordions produced in Warsaw by the Borucki family in the first half of the 20th century.

BARTŁOMIEJ WOŹNIAK

BARABAN, FRAME DRUM, BANJOLELE, VOCAL

Barabans, drums and cymbals, banjolele, vocal, and other rustles and crackles. Composer, music producer, and sound engineer, Woźniak is captivated by the sound and rhythmic flow of Polish roots music, which serves as a source of inspiration. The concept of space in music, as well as music in space, plays a significant role in his artistic practice. Woźniak has composed music for multipletheatre productions.