Szczecin Philharmonic Big Band

The Szczecin Philharmonic Big Band is an ensemble that successfully combines artistic excellence with the joy of making music together. Drawing on the outstanding musical versatility and expressive potential of its members, the band presents diverse concert programmes ranging from jazz classics to original arrangements of well-known works.

Its repertoire includes timeless standards by Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Arturo Sandoval, and Henry Mancini, alongside film music programmes and festive concerts featuring songs made famous by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole. The ensemble regularly collaborates with distinguished vocalists from Szczecin, including Jola Szczepaniak, Michał Grobelny, and Sylwia Różycka.

A long-standing artistic collaborator is pianist, conductor, and composer Jakub Kraszewski, whose original arrangements bring a fresh perspective, elegance, and the unmistakable sound of a modern big band to familiar repertoire.

The Szczecin Philharmonic Big Band has also shared the stage with some of Poland's leading jazz musicians, including Maciej Sikała, Robert Majewski, Cezary Konrad, and Paweł Tomaszewski. In 2021, the ensemble gave the world premiere of Wojciech Kostrzewa's Stream – Suite for Big Band and Electronics.

The ensemble was founded in autumn 2017 on the initiative of Igor Puszkar, trombonist of the Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. Its members include musicians of the orchestra, music teachers, university lecturers, and students from music schools and academies. Performing jazz, swing, film music, and popular repertoire, the Big Band creates an atmosphere of shared musical enjoyment while inviting audiences to experience music in an energetic and entertaining setting.

In 2020, the Philharmonic released the ensemble's debut album, Szczecin Philharmonic Big Band Świątecznie.

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Szczecin Philharmonic Big Band, photo: Kamila Kozioł