Warsaw City Council has given its go-ahead to the purchase of a property which is to be handed over to Poland’s leading orchestra Sinfonia Varsovia (photo: insidecentraleurope.com)

Located on the right bank of the Vistula River, it consists of five listed buildings which were used until recently by the Institute of Veterinary Studies of the Warsaw School of Agriculture. The decision marks a breakthrough in the history of Sinfonia Varsovia which has had no permanent home since its establishment in 1984. Plans speak of constructing a concert hall in the future.

Among the architects of the successes of Sinfonia Varsovia is Sir Yehudi Menuhin who served as its Principal Guest Conductor for many years.

Foreign tours have taken the orchestra to most European countries, the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, with performances in such prestigious venues as New York’s Carnegie Hall, Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, London’s Barbican Centre, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, and at festivals in Montreux, Schleswig-Holstein, Aix-en-Provence, Salzburg, San Juan and Frankfurt. The long list of the world’s most renowned soloists who have performed with Sinfonia Varsovia includes Martha Argerich, Teresa Berganza, James Galway, Fou Ts’ong, Kiri Te Kanawa, Alicia de Larrocha, Radu Lupu, Mischa Maisky, Shlomo Mintz,  Anne-Sophie Mutter, Murray Perahia, Mstislav Rostropovich, Heinrich Schiff and Henryk Szeryng. The orchestra has made numerous recordings for Pathé-Marconi, EMI, Virgin Classics, Decca, and several other Polish and foreign labels.

In 2008 Marc Minkowski assumed the post of the orchestra’s Music Director. (mk)