Fantastica Ensemble

Fantastica Ensemble breaks the mould and showcases early music in a new light. Their interpretations are filled with passion, expression and non-obvious contrasts, which restore the true intensity and the emotional charge of the music that existed centuries ago. They treat early music not like a museum exhibit, but like living art – full of drama, tension and extraordinary energy, which they want to convey to modern listeners. The ensemble plays historical instruments, but does not mechanically recreate what has been – instead, they explore, seek new ways and read the scores anew, seeking inspiration in both historical sources and the contemporary sensibility.

Their work has been recognised at international competitions. The ensemble won a special prize at the H.I.F. Biber International Competition (Austria, 2023) and the special prize for the “most creative performance” at the 12th International Maurizio Pratola Early Music Competition (Italy, 2024). They also won the Da Vinci Young Sounds contest (2023), which led to the recording of their debut album in collaboration with Da Vinci Records. Thanks to the Creative Scholarship of the City of Kraków in 2024, the ensemble recorded its second album Biber. Trochę sacrum. Trochę profanum [Biber. A Little Bit of Sacrum. A Little Bit of Profanum] devoted to the works by H.I.F. Biber for the Ars Sonora label. They are active in Poland and abroad, performing on stages across Poland, Austria, Finland, the Netherlands and Germany. Starting in the 2025/2026 season, they have joined the S-Eeemerging programme, which supports promising European early music ensembles. They create original projects that are more than just concerts, with expressive theatrical stories in which tradition meets modernity, paving the way for collaborations with artists working in other disciplines, creating events such as Mystery. Everyone is losing someone, directed by Aleksandra Jochymek, and Baroque Disco, created in collaboration with composer Piotr Peszat for the Silence Music Festival.