CHÓR „441 HZ”

CHOIR 441 Hzis one of the most significant and the most recognizable vocal ensembles in Poland. The choir was founded in 2006 on the initiative of the students of the Gdańsk Academy of Music. The leading goal of the 441 Hz team is to perform and promote contemporary vocal music. While performing premieres of contemporary compositions, the 441 Hz often exceeds the aesthetic boundaries to which the audience of the vocal music is accustomed. By stepping out of the musical comfort zone, it opens to experiments with various vocal techniques, returns to the nature of the voice and moves away from the traditional bel canto singing. The continuous quest for extra-musical inspiration resulted in a number of interdisciplinary artistic -projects in which the folk culture or theatre combine in a cohesive whole with music.

Choir is a laureate of prizes at national and international choir competitions, including Grand Prix of the 12th International Mundus Cantat Festival in Sopot, the International Festival "Slovakia Cantat" in Bratislava (2016), 46th National Festival "Legnica Cantat" (2015), XIII International Festival of Choral Music in Barczewo (2014) and the III International Music Festival named Józef Świder in Cieszyn (2017). In 2018, the choir became a finalist of one of the most prestigious music festivals: Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales. 441 Hz was recognized there as one of the four best choirs in the world, alongside groups from South Africa, Wales and Singapore.

Until now the 441 Hz Choir has recorded three CDs with choral music: “Serioso-Giocoso” (2011), where contemporary compositions a cappella performed in the artistic part of Anna Wilczewska’s PhD programme were presented, and “Modern Choral Masterpieces” (2014) with choral pieces of the 20th and 21st centuries - characterised by innovative musical language, and “Song of the North North” (2017) which is a collection of varied compositions representing different music styles, but connected by a common denominator - each of them conveys the spirit of true North, known only by those who have been there.