The Student Scientific Association of Russicists WroSlawianie cordially invites you to the Concert of Lemko carols (Концерт лемкiвскых коляд), which will be held on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in Oratorium Marianum. Admission is free.
Experience the enchanting melodies performed by Natalia Ciołka, accompanied by Stanisław Marinczenko. According to Natalia, “a carol is a special song that brings joy to a person’s heart, conveying the true essence of Christmas in a simple and authentic way. Lemko carols are not only an important part of my childhood but also that of my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. I feel a sense of duty to pass this heritage on. I am keen to share carols that are rarely performed and are slowly fading into oblivion. These are more or less known carols, sung in various Lemko parishes. Some of them were sung to me by my grandmother, and I feel a special fondness for them.”
Natalia Ciołka is a graduate of Russian Studies from the Institute of Slavic Studies at the University of Wrocław and a Russian translator of Lemko nationality. Long-time winner of the Slavic Song Contest but also a passionate individual with diverse musical interests, ranging from orthodox church music through folklore to rap. She’s the founder of the folk band Prypadok (the band was active from 2013 to 2017), she sang with the folk band Buraky, she’s the forerunner of orthodox rap in Poland, and above all, she’s a long-time orthodox chorister. In her free time, she is a journalist at the internet radio station Radio-Lemko (she hosts original broadcasts in the Lemko language). She loves traveling, especially in the mountains, and hopes to climb Rysy soon.
Stanisław Marinczenko is a graduate of Russian Studies and a multi-instrumentalist who mainly plays piano, accordion, mandolin, neo-Celtic harp, and Irish bouzouki. He has been involved with the Slavic Song Contest since the first edition as an accompanist and performer. He has continuously won first place in duets with, among others, Maciej Hrabal, Jewgenija Chubarava, and Kamila Konopczak. He has performed as an accompanist and performer in various concerts organized by the Institute of Slavic Studies, including four editions of the Melodies of Three Generations concerts. He is the co-author of officially released albums: Igor Jelínek’s Dancing on the Edge of Love, Wisława Kadyszewska’s Remanent – nota bene, Rhiannon Celtic Band’s An Chead, and he also released The Last Stage and Yanistan in duo with Janusz Kasprowicz.
To him (and to Igor Jelínek from the Czech Republic), among others, as a token of appreciation, the Slavic Song Contest organizers and sponsors released the album Beautiful Forty-year-olds in 2021 and the album Martyna Dubińska, Jakub Walczak, and Stanisław Marinczenko—brought together by the Institute of Slavic Studies and Music in 2023. Stanisław Marinczenko is in the process of recording a solo album of his own instrumental music.
Translated by Julia Kowalczyk (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
