Polish National Orchestra Makes Waves In Dover
17 September 2010
World-renowned Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice sailed into Dover on Thursday 16th September on a magnificent vessel, called the Dar Młodzieży, to perform a unique sell-out concert in Dover Town Hall.
The event, called DFDS Seaways Under the Flag of Chopin, was part of a special voyage that has been made by the orchestra for the last two weeks to celebrate the life and works of Chopin. Its 70-strong members have been sailing between European ports to perform in the same places that Chopin visited during his lifetime, including Copenhagen, Oslo, Gothenberg, Dover and Boulogne-sur-Mer.
The UK part of the event was supported by Dover – Dunkirk ferry operator, DFDS Seaways (formerly Norfolkline) and has been organised by the Polish Embassy in the UK and the Polish Cultural Institute in London. On Thursday 16th September, the Dar Młodzieży vessel sailed into Dover Western Docks at around 9am and was then open to the public during the day.
Chris Newey, director of passenger services for the DFDS Seaways English Channel route, said:
“We are so pleased to have been involved in this special event and to have the privilege of such a renowned and refined orchestra performing in Dover, the gateway to Europe. The Dar Młodzieży ship is beautiful and the journey that this orchestra and the ship’s crew have made shows real dedication to bringing Chopin’s cultural heritage to life.“
“As a ferry operator between Dover and Dunkirk in France, we are pleased to provide a service that is used by many different European nationalities and a big part of our customer base is Polish, so it was even more fitting for us to be a part of this landmark event.”
The UK part of the orchestra’s trip was in recognition of the journey that Chopin made in 1848, when he sailed into Folkestone from Boulogne-sur-Mer before travelling onto London by train to what was to be his last ever concert performance in London’s Guild Hall.
Roland Chojnacki, the director of the Polish Cultural Institute, said:
“On behalf of the organisers and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, we were delighted to have the opportunity to perform this unique and very special concert in Dover. The orchestra received a very warm reception from the people of Dover and really enjoyed performing in the town hall.”
The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra set off from Dover the following day this morning, at around 10am, onto its final performance in Boulogne-sur-Mer, before sailing back to Poland to complete its tour in Gdynia.
For more information about the Polish Cultural Institute, please visit www.polishculture.org.uk or for more information about DFDS Seaways, or to book tickets on its Dover - Dunkirk ferry service, please visit www.norfolkline.com (which is still the main website for bookings) or telephone 0871 574 7241.