It was an evening full of music, emotions, and good energy. During the “O!WACJE. Positive Concert for the End of Summer,” Olivia Centre’s patio was once again filled with hundreds of voices. The Olivia Centre Choir, along with five Tricity choirs, performed Grzegorz Turnau’s “Between Silence and Silence.” It was cheerful, reflective, and very communal. Exactly as it was meant to be.
A year earlier, it was “For Ourselves and For You.” Eight choirs, nearly 150 performers, and Katarzyna Nosowska’s words became a musical wish for peace, balance, and mindfulness towards others. That gathering showed that singing together can be much more than just a concert. Therefore, the story continued. This time, Grzegorz Turnau’s “Between Silence and Silence” resonated on the Olivia Centre patio. A piece that, on one hand, brings lightness and cheerfulness, and on the other, reminds us how much we need moments of pause, silence, and mindfulness. In a special arrangement prepared for the occasion by Beata Wróblewska from the Academy of Music in Gdańsk, the piece was performed by six choirs. And when the audience joined the singers, the boundary between stage and audience virtually disappeared.
Six Different Choirs. One Music
Performing on stage were:
Olivia Centre Choir conducted by Wiktoria Pagieła
Fahrenheit Universities Alumni Choir “Non Serio” conducted by Beata Borowicz
Oliwa Neighborhood House Choir “Po Sąsiadach” conducted by Beata Borowicz
Sopot Mundus Cantat Choir conducted by Joanna Szutowicz
Medical University of Gdańsk Choir led by Błażej Połom and Aleksandra Zawada
Incontro Choir conducted by Aleksandra Zawada
The choristers were also accompanied by Hubert Świątek on piano and Magdalena Maniewska on oboe.
Each ensemble brought its own character, sound, and experience to the concert. However, they were united by the same need: to meet in music and show that singing can truly build relationships between people.
From “For Ourselves and For You” to “Between Silence and Silence”
O!WACJE was a natural continuation of the project that, a year earlier, brought choirs together around the song “For Ourselves and For You” by Katarzyna Nosowska and Marcin Macuk. At that time, the main message was: “We can afford peace of mind.” The joint performance was meant to remind us of mental health, the need for balance, closeness, and mutual support. The project involved a diverse group of people: choristers associated with companies, universities, local communities, seniors, and individuals connected with the PARK ON Association, which supports people with Parkinson’s disease.
This year’s “Between Silence and Silence” developed the same idea, though in a different language. Because we live in a world full of stimuli, duties, information, and haste. We are always heading somewhere, responding to something, keeping an eye on something. Music allowed us to momentarily stop this rhythm. And that is precisely why the choice of Grzegorz Turnau’s song was not accidental. “Between Silence and Silence” sounded like a reminder that sometimes it’s worth slowing down, making space for breath, for one’s own emotions, and for the people standing next to us.
Let’s Listen Together!
Singing Together Works
The Olivia Centre Choir has shown for years that singing does not require a professional stage or a single shared history. Its members work daily in various companies and industries, meeting after hours because music connects them. During O!WACJE, this idea once again extended far beyond a single group. People of different ages, from various backgrounds, with diverse musical experience stood on one stage. Amateurs and professional musicians. Students, employees, Tricity residents. People who perhaps had never met before, but that evening sang in one rhythm. It is in such moments that it is best seen that a choir is not just a sum of voices. It is a community.
A Positive End to Summer
O!WACJE was a concert to bid farewell to summer, but instead of nostalgia, it brought above all the joy of being together. There were cheerful and more reflective pieces. There was an audience that listened, reacted, and, of course, sang. There was music prepared for many weeks and the satisfaction of the moment when all individual voices merged into one sound. A year earlier, the choirs wished themselves and others that we could afford peace of mind. This time, they reminded us that sometimes you just need to find your own place between silence and silence. And be there together.
Photo by Piotr Połoczański
Let’s recall the message “We can afford peace of mind”
