„(…) this is the greatest discovery in recent years!”
Adam Rozlach, Polskie Radio
{oh!} Orkiestra was founded in 2012 in Silesia, a region in southwest Poland. The ensemble unites specialists in the field of historically informed performance practice around its music director, violinist Martyna Pastuszka.
Over the past decade, the ensemble has established itself as one of Europe’s leading orchestras exploring a wide repertoire ranging from Baroque to early 20th Century music.
The ensemble collaborates regularly with established Polish cultural institutions and festivals including the Silesian Museum Katowice, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (residency since 2015), and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute. For the All’Improvviso Festival in Gliwice, {oh!} Orkiestra rendered opera performances of Sarri’s Didone abbandonata, Hasse’s Arminio and Cajo Fabricio, Vinci’s Gismondo, re di Polonia, and Handel’s Il pastor fido. Since 2018, {oh!} Orkiestra develops a pluriannual partnership with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute presenting various Classical and Romantic programmes within the International Music Festival ‘Chopin and his Europe’.
Over the years, {oh!} Orkiestra confirmed its international first-class repute performing at prominent opera houses, concert halls and festivals including Theater an der Wien, Staatsoper Berlin, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Cologne Philharmony, Bachfest Leipzig, the Handel Festival in Halle, Tage Alter Musik in Herne and Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival.
In the season 2021/22, {oh!} Orkiestra will perform at the Wigmore Hall in London, the Barocktage in Berlin, the Telemann Festtage in Magdeburg, Actus Humanus in Gdansk, and Misteria Paschalia in Krakow. In September 2022, the ensemble is named orchestra in residence for the Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival where they will play various repertoires including a new production of Vinci’s Alessandro nell’Indie staged by Max Emanuel Cencic and conducted by Martyna Pastuszka.
The discography of the ensemble includes many revered releases including a few opuses celebrating the Polish composers Jakub Gołąbek and Karol Kurpiński recorded for the the Fryderyk Chopin Institute. Other releases include Vinci’s Gismondo, re di Polonia (Parnassus Arts Productions) featuring countertenor Max Emanuel Cencic in the title role. Acclaimed by the press, this recording was nominated for the Opus Klassik 2021 in the category „Orchestra/Ensemble of the Year”, as well as the Koryfeusz Muzyki Polskiej and the German Record Critics’ Award Association Awards. Future releases include Karol Lipiński’s Symphonies (NIFCCD) and Telemann’s Early cantatas with Ensemble Polyharmonique (CPO).
Martyna Pastuszka
Adam Pastuszka
Anna Firlus
Dominika Małecka
Dymitr Olszewski
Hugo Miguel de Rodas
Izabela Kozak
Jan Cizmar
Justyna Młynarczyk
Krzysztof Firlus
Krzysztof Karpeta
Marcin Świątkiewicz
Marzena Biwo
Michał Bąk
Pavel Serbin
Sulamita Ślubowska
Szymon Stochniol
Tomasz Pokrzywiński
Violetta Szopa-Tomczyk
She has made regular appearances with prominent Baroque ensembles including Collegium 1704, Le Cercle de l’Harmonie, and Philippe Herreweghe’s Collegium Vocale Gent. She also performed as concertmaster and soloist with Le Concert de la Loge, Concerto Copenhagen, Hofkapelle München, Capella Cracoviensis, Le Parlement de Musique, Le Concert Lorrain, Collegium Marianum, among others. Martyna also collaborates regularly with the ensemble Altera pars and Ensemble Polyharmonique.
In 2012, Martyna founded {oh!} Orkiestra, period ensemble with which she appears regularly at renowned festivals and concert halls along with artists such as Andreas Staier, Max Emanuel Cencic, Jakub Józef Orliński, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Vincent Dumestre, Barthold Kuijken, and Lorenzo Coppola.
Martyna has been appointed Artistic director for the 2022 edition of Misteria Paschalia in Krakow. While programming the whole edition, she will also feature in many programmes including Mozart’s Davidde Peinitente and Schuback’s Die Jünger zu Emaus. In summer 2022, she will be concertmaster for Ensemble Pygmalion led by Raphaël Pichon for a new production of Mozart’s Idomeneo presented at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. She will then lead concerts with pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout and violinist Chouchane Siranossian at the International Music Festival „Chopin and his Europe” in Warsaw. In September 2022, Martyna will return to Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival to lead a new staged production of Vinci’s Alessandro nell’Indie, as well as a concert version of Albinoni’s Il Nascimento dell’Aurora and a Porpora Gala concert with Julia Lezhneva.
To date Martyna Pastuszka counts an impressive discography of over 60 releases. Her recent recordings were crowned with multiple nominations to prestigious awards including the Fryderyk Award, Koryfeusz Muzyki Polskiej Music Award and the Paszport Polityki Polish Cultural Prize. In 2021, she was also nominated for an Opus Klassik in the category „Conductor of the Year” for the recording of Vinci’s Gismondo, re di Polonia (Parnassus Arts productions). With Anna and Krzysztof Firlus they form the {oh!} Trio. Together they recently released the album Portraits (DUX) celebrating French Baroque chamber repertoire. Future releases include Karol Lipiński’s Symphonies (NIFCCD) and Telemann’s Early cantatas with Ensemble Polyharmonique (CPO).
In addition to her activities on the concert platform, Martyna Pastuszka teaches Baroque violin since 2007 at the Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland.