SSCE Foundation is launching a new international project – VARSOVIA STAGE – International Online Vocal Competition.

VARSOVIA STAGE is open to soloists and vocal ensembles from around the world. Its aim is to promote talented singers, support artistic development, and create a space for international exchange and encounters between different cultures through music.

Participation in the project is also a form of support for the statutory activities of the SSCE Foundation, and the funds contributed as part of the Competition help the Foundation carry out its activities and future cultural initiatives.

Participants in the first edition will be evaluated by an international Jury composed of artists, educators, and experts from different countries. The online format allows singers to participate regardless of where they live and gives them the opportunity to present their talent to an international panel.

Applications for the first edition opened on September 1, 2026, and will be accepted until November 20, 2026.

The Competition Regulations, Application Form, and all detailed information are available on the VARSOVIA STAGE website.

We invite you to take part in the first edition! VARSOVIA STAGE – “Voices Without Borders.”

From 11 to 15 August 2026, the 5th anniversary edition of the Irena Santor “Vistula Sounds” International Festival took place. For the first time, Bydgoszcz served as the Festival’s main host city, welcoming, together with the Kuyavia and Pomerania region, artists and participants from 21 countries around the world.

Over five days, the programme featured concerts, International Song and Polish Song competitions, workshops, Intercultural Meetings, and events presenting Polish culture and the region. Festival events were held at venues including Opera Nova and the Chamber Theatre in Bydgoszcz, as well as in Solec Kujawski – the hometown of the Festival’s Patron, Irena Santor. Participants also had the opportunity to discover Bydgoszcz, Toruń and Solec Kujawski.

It was five days filled with music, encounters between cultures, new friendships and unforgettable emotions. As the organisers, we would like to sincerely thank all Artists, Participants, Jury members, Guests of Honour, Patrons, Partners, Volunteers, Collaborators and Audiences for creating this special anniversary edition together with us.

Vistula Sounds 2026 has now become a beautiful memory. Thank you for being with us! We invite you to follow the Festival’s website and social media channels, where you can discover more highlights from this anniversary edition and, in the future, find the latest news about the next editions of Vistula Sounds.

See you at Vistula Sounds!

On 16 July 2026, a press conference announcing the 5th Irena Santor "Vistula Sounds" International Festival was held at Qubus Hotel Bydgoszcz, the Official Festival Hotel. The anniversary edition of the Festival will take place on 11–15 August 2026 in Bydgoszcz and Solec Kujawski, Poland.

The conference was attended by Irena Santor, Patron of the Festival; Zbigniew Ostrowski, Vice-Marshal of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship; Łukasz Krupa, Deputy Mayor of the City of Bydgoszcz; Kinga Ewa Rubaszewska, Deputy Mayor of Solec Kujawski; and the Festival Directors – Saribek Sargsyan and Mariusz Kisielewski.

The event was hosted by Jacek Borowiec, who is responsible for the Festival's media relations and communications.

During the conference, the main highlights of this year's Festival were presented, including the artistic programme, international vocal competitions, and accompanying events. Special emphasis was placed on the unique character of this anniversary edition, as well as on the Festival's international dimension, which brings together artists from many countries around the world each year.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all media representatives, partners, and invited guests for their presence and interest in our Festival. Our special thanks go to Qubus Hotel Bydgoszcz for its hospitality and for providing excellent conditions for hosting the press conference.

A photo gallery and video coverage of the conference are available on the Festival's official social media channels.

We look forward to welcoming you to Bydgoszcz and Solec Kujawski, Poland, on 11–15 August 2026!

We are delighted to announce that Paweł Orłowski, representing Poland at the 22nd Chuva de Estrelas Douro International Festival in Portugal, has been awarded the Second Prize!

This is a wonderful achievement for our representative. Congratulations to Paweł on his outstanding performance, remarkable talent, and for representing Poland with pride on the international stage.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Chuva de Estrelas Douro Festival organizers for their warm hospitality, excellent organization, and fruitful cooperation. We are especially grateful for once again inviting Sar Sargsyan to serve as a member of the International Jury, as well as for the wonderful hospitality extended to the Polish delegation led by Mariusz Kisielewski – President of the SSCE Foundation, Managing Director of the SSCE Agency, and Managing Director of the Irena Santor "Vistula Sounds" International Festival.

Our heartfelt thanks also go to all Members of the International Jury for their professionalism, kindness, inspiring cooperation, and the opportunity to exchange experiences. Meetings like these help build lasting international partnerships and friendships.

Finally, we thank all participants from 12 countries for the unforgettable musical emotions, the outstanding artistic level, and the unique atmosphere that made this Festival so special.

Congratulations once again to Paweł, and we look forward to many more international successes!

Obrigado, Peso da Régua! Até breve!

From 17–19 April 2026, the latest edition of the International Vocal Competition Muzikos talentų lyga / Music Talent League took place in Vilnius. The event gathered over 300 young artists – children and youth from various countries – showcasing their vocal skills. 

Participants represented by our Agency, as well as other music institutions from Poland, successfully performed in the competition, achieving high results and recognition from the jury. We warmly congratulate all Polish participants and wish them continued success. 

As tradition holds, Artistic Director of SSCE and Vice President of the SSCE Foundation, Sar Sargsyan, was invited to Vilnius as a member of the international jury representing Poland. During his stay, he also held many valuable meetings with jury members and representatives of artistic communities from different countries, focusing on the exchange of experience and future cooperation plans. 

Selected, particularly talented laureates were presented with official invitations to participate in the 5th International Festival “Vistula Sounds” in honour of Irena Santor 2026. This will be a unique opportunity for further artistic development and presentation of their talent in an international environment. 

The competition was organised by Ars Festa under the leadership of Asta Bagdonaviciene, our long-term partner. As always, the event maintained a high artistic and organisational level. 

 We sincerely thank the Organisers for the invitation, warm hospitality, and wonderful atmosphere. See you at the next Ars Festa festivals! 

On March 11–16, Saribek Sargsyan – Director of SSCE Agency and Vice President of SSCE Foundation – stayed in Bologna, where, at the invitation of the organizers, he took part in an international festival as a jury member and also performed as a special guest.

During the event, the International Festival “Vistula Sounds” named after Irena Santor was actively promoted, gaining increasing recognition on the international stage year by year.

Following the recommendation of Saribek Sargsyan, the best participants of the festival received official invitations to take part in the 5th edition of the “Vistula Sounds” Festival in 2026.

The visit was also an opportunity to meet artists from various countries, exchange experiences, and further develop international cooperation.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to the organizers for the invitation and their warm hospitality.

On January 17–18, 2026, another edition of the International Christmas Talent League Competition took place in Vilnius, bringing together young artists from different countries and age groups.

The International Jury of the competition once again included Saribek (Sar) Sargsyan, Vice President of the SSCE Foundation and Artistic Director of SSCE, an experienced vocal expert who has been cooperating with the event organizers for many years. Having earned their trust, he is invited to serve on the jury on a yearly basis, sharing his professional knowledge and experience with the participants.

During the award ceremony, the competition laureates received official invitations to participate in the “Vistula Sounds” Festival 2026. The invitations were presented to selected, particularly talented participants, offering them an opportunity for further artistic development and international presentation of their work.

The competition was organized by Ars Festa.
We would like to thank the organizers for the smooth coordination of the event and for creating a friendly atmosphere that encouraged artistic exchange and cooperation.

We're closing 2025 with a successful international season for Polish talent! This time, we returned from the capital of Latvia with awards. Another edition of the International Vocal Festival "Riga Symphony" took place in Riga from December 11th to 14th, 2025. The festival took place in the beautiful halls of "Kultūras pils Ziemeļblāzma" and "VEF Kultūras pils" in Riga and attracted numerous participants from around the world. Poland was represented by Antonina Małecka, Pola Szynkiewicz, Marcelina Runewicz, Lena Wierzchowska, Martyna Paterczyk, Nicola Rykowska, Alicja Kłosińska, Konrad Jastrzemski, and the "Your Song" Vocal Ensemble. The performances of our talents were of a high vocal and artistic standard, which was appreciated by the international jury. We are very happy and congratulate everyone on such excellent results.

We would like to mention that Sar Sargsyan, Vice President of the SSCE Foundation and Artistic Director of the SSCE Artistic Agency, also served on the international jury of the Riga Competition and performed as a Special Guest at the Festival's Gala Concert.

During the Festival Gala, as is tradition, official invitations to our Irena Santor "Vistula Sounds" International Festival in 2026 were presented to talented artists from around the world.

The Festival is organized by the "EUROPEAN CENTRE OF MUSIC FOR YOUTH". We sincerely thank the Festival Organizers for the high standard of the event and the excellent organization. We thank them for their warm welcome.

Sar Sargsyan (Saribek), Vice President of the SSCE Foundation and Artistic Director of the SSCE Agency, was in Greece from October 1-7, 2025. The beautiful city of Nafplio hosted another edition of the GREECE's HOPE International Festival of Children and Youth Creativity, organized by our partner, Effterman production. Sar was invited to Greece primarily as a member of the international jury representing Poland. He also performed as a special guest during the Festival's Gala Concert, performing the song "Guarda che Luna," accompanied by artists from the "Renaissance" Ballet Studio from Armenia, performing his beautiful dance composition.At the Festival Gala, Sar presented official invitations to our "Vistula Sounds" Festival in 2026, which were received by talented artists from around the world.Moreover, during his stay in Greece, numerous meetings of the music community (and beyond) from various countries took place in Nafplion, Athens, and Tolo, which significantly influenced the collaboration between the SSCE Foundation and the SSCE Agency and various international cultural institutions. One of the most important goals is to promote the Irena Santor "Vistula Sounds" International Festival, which will celebrate its 5th anniversary in 2026.On behalf of Sara, we would like to thank the organizers of the aforementioned event for the invitation and warm welcome.

The International "Sofia Grand Prix" Music Festival was held in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 19-22 September 2025. The event was organized by our Bulgarian partner, “Artvoices Festival Music Agency”. Once again, the Polish delegation to the competition was presented by SSCE, headed by the Agency’s Artistic Director, Saribek Sargsyan, who in addition served as judge during the competition.

Poland was represented by Anna Sękala and Marcelina Runewicz, and their beautiful performances were highly praised by the international jury. Here are the results: Anna was ranked 3^rd in the "Song of My Country" category, while Marcelina came in 1^st in both this category and the "Musical" category. Congratulations to our contestants – wishing you continued success.

During the Festival's Gala Concert Sar Sargsyan presented official invitations to the 2026 Vistula Sounds Festival. The invitations were handed to the most promising artists from around the world who will have the opportunity to sing during the 5^th edition of the Festival.

Our sincerest thanks to the Festival Organizers!