The Press about the English Song Festival
"Face the Music"
Since 1994 the U.S Embassy has been the festival’s patronage along with the British embassy. American embassy has been represented by John Walsh. The main goal that the festival’s creators have is to teach English in an unconventional way- which is through singing. It also helps to integrate people with each other, especially children and youth.
Wiadomości Kulturalne, June 1996
We are taught at school that water is boiling in a pot, then a lid is being raised, the heat evaluates into energy. When a few years ago free market started to develop and community’s property was diminished, some people started to complain about what it was going to happen to small cities. People thought that these small cities had no way out and that their young population had no perspectives, that...
Not so long ago Mr. Toporowski - an English teacher – called the publisher office that I work for. He asked for some financial aid needed to support his festival. This year is the fourth edition of the festival. We could not afford any financial help, but we offered some dictionaries. The water started to boil and it raised the lid. So – called province proved that it is not dependent on any ideas or any donations from high places. It is not the province with still water, but its water is boiling with great ideas.
Najwyższy Czas, April 1997
The U.S. Embassy found the festival very interesting and it decided to be its patronage. Through singing people can improve their vocabulary, further more music can surely connect people. According to the rules each of the competitors has to sing a song in English to their own accompaniment or to a tape recorded music. Year after year, the number of the festival’s competitors has been increasing.
Super Express, June 1997
It might have been the first time in the festival’s history when the famous ”Desiderata” was performed. It is very common in the repertoire of Krakow’s ”Piwnica pod Baranami”. However, many people did not know that the ”Desiderata” was originally written in English. On Saturday Marcin Śmietana, from Krakow of course, performed his interpretation of the famous piece.
Kurier Festiwalowy June, 1997
One of the competitors – Mariola Maroszek from Katowice – wrote the music to poems – one of Emily Dickinson and the other of William Blake and performed it. She did it so well that the supervisor of the festival gave her a special award. On the third came Marek Kuras from Wrocław with his band called ”The Loosers”. They gave such a good performance that the audience screamed for more. ”The Loosers” sang ”Twist and Shout” by ”The Beatles”. Interesting is the fact that on the drums played the youngest drummer in Wrocław - a 13-year old – Bartek Niebielecki.
Gazeta Brzeska, June 1997
Justyna Świrniak from Zielona Góra, who just graduated from high-school this year, won a two-week trip to London and will have a chance to take part in Elżbieta Skrętkowska’s TV show – ”Szansa na Sukces”. Mrs. Skrętkowska was one of the jury and Krzysztof Luft was a host of this year’s edition of the festival. Again, the British Embassy was a patronage. The creator and the director of the festival is an English teacher in a local high school in Brzeg – Mr. Wojciech Toporowski.
Na Żywo, August 1997
15–year-old Alicja Bachleda-Curuś has been chosen out of two thousand candidates by Andrzej Wajda to play Zosieńka in ”Pan Tadeusz”. Last year citizens of Brzeg had an opportunity to see and listen to Alicja. The 14 – year old girl at the time came on 2nd in the fourth edition of the festival with the song ”What a Feeling”.
Kurier Brzeski, April 1998
In a senior category among many performed: a TV reporter – Filip Łobodziński, Janusz Korwin – Mikke and a dean of the University of Opole – professor Stanisław S. Nicieja. The last one mentioned was awarded thanks to his improvisation of Bob Dylan’s song – „The answer my friend...”. The song, as he said was a protest song of the 60’s generation. Korwin – Mikke admitted that on the stage he was as stressed as in the Parliament. He sang ”Yellow Submarine” which sounded rather like an impression of The Beatles’ song.
Gazeta Wyborcza, June 1998
The whole concert was hosted by the British Embassy Secretary – William Elliott. He tested not only the competitors’ English language skills, but also, he talked with them about other topics. For example, he asked professor Nicieja whether Brzeg belonged to Opole District, or maybe Wrocław one. Opole, of course...!
Filip Łobodziński was to translate into English some local news – that Michael Jackson bought the castle in Brzeg and if the city was to be in Gdańsk District. Janusz Korwin – Mikke told a joke in English whereas William Elliott – in Polish. The senior’s performance was judged by their younger colleagues . Everyone was equal – they all came on first – said the jury. Paweł Kukiz told exactly the same – good fun!
Nowa Trybuna Opolska, June1998
There are not so many greater places in Poland than Brzeg, especially in June. Not only thanks to a beautiful scenery that surrounds the city, but also thanks to historic sights and friendly people. The main reason, though is because of an extremely extraordinary English song Festival which takes place every year in Brzeg.
Głos Anglii, July 1998
The festival is constantly developing. More and more of celebrities come to Brzeg, not only those who deal with music. It proves that something can be created out of nothing. Well, that is good. Perhaps soon Brzeg will be known as the Polish capital of English songs. Maybe in Brzeg’s amphitheatre some pop or rock stars will perform. Impossible? Well, it is possible. As just a few years ago only a small number of people suspected that the festival would develop so well.
Nowa Trybuna Opolska, July 1998
This year’s surprise of the festival was a new category – the senior one. Thanks to this, Janusz Korwin–Mikke, Filip Łobodziński and Matthew J. Russin -a Mormon missionary could perform. This year’s host was William Elliott, who examined competitors’ English language skills. The concert ended with a debut of the host, who sang, unlike all the others, a Polish song – ”Śpiewać każdy może”. William Elliott was pleased with a high level of the festival.
Malwa, September–October 1998
In September I went to an international language camp. It was my award for winning the English Song Festival in Brzeg. When we were reaching the shore of Great Britain, I could not believe that I finally was to see Dover and British seagulls flying above me…
Głos Anglii, spring 1999
The star of the senior’s concert was Paweł Kukiz. He performed – partly in English – his big hit – ”Nie jestem cham”. Andriej Archipkin from Russia sang, danced and stripped from his shining clothing. He finally ended up wearing only his underwear and heavy army boots...
The other star was Edyta Bartosiewicz, who gave a 90 – minute show which heated the audience up.
Malwa , October 1999
Her immature, but few – octave girlish soprano was appreciated by the jury of last year’s festival. It also brought her on the 1st place. She sang a Whitney Houston’s song from ”The Bodyguard” soundtrack and she did that extremely well. She had her moments of glory also thanks to a popular TV show ”Szansa na Sukces”. This gave her an opportunity to sing in front of three thousand audience in the Congress Hall.
Halo, February 2000
One of her biggest achievements in her music career was the performance in Brzeg’s festival.
Georgina just stepped up on to the stage, gave an amazing performance and the whole audience just could not believe what they had heard. After a while, they started clapping their hands in excitement. Almost nobody had believed before that such a little, skinny and fragile – looking girl could sing so amazingly well. The up – coming star went back home from Brzeg with the first prize, and not only that...
Bravo, March 2000
