The Baltic Opera Festival was founded in the Tri-City area on the initiative of the distinguished bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny. The idea behind this new, recurring celebration of music is to revive the pre-war tradition of opera festivals, thanks to which Sopot was known in the first half of the 20th century as the “Bayreuth of the North.”
The festival takes place in the summer on the stages of the Forest Opera in Sopot and the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk. It is addressed to both Polish and international audiences. It is precisely with spectators from around the world in mind that the artistic programme is created, featuring outstanding soloists, conductors, and creative teams from Poland and abroad.
The first edition of the festival took place in July 2023 and attracted an international audience. The presented performances, as well as the festival itself, drew many distinguished guests and journalists specializing in classical and operatic music to the Tri-City area. Festival reviews appeared in both Polish and international media, including Die Welt and The Times.
The originator and artistic director of the Baltic Opera Festival is Tomasz Konieczny, a world-renowned bass-baritone and Polish opera singer who performs on the most important stages worldwide.
4th BALTIC OPERA FESTIVAL
The guiding motto of this year’s edition is: “Myths, Charms, and Superstitions. Stories That Build Community.” This slogan does not refer to folkloristic ornamentation, but rather to the fundamental mechanisms of shaping national and cultural identity—to stories that bring order to the world, give meaning to history, and define the relationship between the individual and the community.
In a world of rapid technological, political, and social change, art remains one of the last spaces in which humanity can not only comment on reality but also attempt to understand and come to terms with it. Since its inception, the Baltic Opera Festival has treated opera not as a museum artefact, but as a living language for telling stories about the contemporary world—about fear, identity, community, and responsibility.
“Art should respond to reality, engage in dialogue, build bridges across divisions, and stand on the side of tolerance,” emphasizes Tomasz Konieczny, the festival’s artistic director. “From the very beginning, it was clear to us that the Baltic Opera Festival should be a meeting place for different traditions, sensibilities, and narratives.”
The 4th edition of the Baltic Opera Festival, to be held in the summer of 2026 in Sopot and Gdańsk, consistently develops this idea. Its central highlights will be two works: the monumental The Valkyrie by Richard Wagner and the Polish staged world premiere of Polish Wedding by Józef Beer.
