KODY 2026 / Festival Programme
The KODY Festival of Traditional and Avant-Garde Music has for years remained one of the most distinctive spaces where traditional music meets contemporary avant-garde. The core idea of the festival is dialogue between distant worlds—esthetics, eras, and cultures—allowing for new interpretations of “tradition” within the context of contemporary experimental music.
The 18th edition of the festival, taking place on 27–31 May 2026 in Lublin, continues this curatorial approach by presenting artists who transcend the boundaries of genres and forms. This year’s programme opens with the French collective La Tempête and their performance Orlando – A Melancholic Portrait, presented twice—a musical narrative balancing historical form with contemporary interpretation.
At the intersection of composition and experiment, audiences will encounter Flow Unit / Hashtag Ensemble performing music by Egidija Medekšaitė, as well as the collective Gwadera / Miro / Lubieniecki / Iwan with the project 100,000 Polsk, exploring new forms of sonic storytelling. Electronic and performative tensions will be introduced by Alejandra Cárdenas, also known as Ale Hop.
A strong Nordic presence will be ensured by the legendary improvisers Supersilent and artist Jenny Hval, who blends experimental pop with literary narration. A trance-like guitar-ambient dialogue will be presented by Jonny Nash feat. Tomo Katsurada.
The Festival Dance Night once again brings together the energy of traditional sounds and human community—this time through the international project Kapela Kotra / Orkiestra Podróżniacy.
In the following days, audiences will experience projects engaging with both the history and the future of sound—from the Polish Radio centenary programme (Royal String Quartet performing a premiere quartet by Paweł Malinowski, alongside Wojciech Błażejczyk), through the experimental forms of the duo WCIAS, to the hypnotic vocal explorations of Hatis Noit.
The festival will conclude with a day dedicated to reflection and contemplation: the concert For Morton Feldman (Karałow / Kordylasińska-Pękala / Liebchen / Sitarz), as well as solo performances by Elori Saxl and Antonina Nowacka, whose work revolves around minimalism, nature, and the spirituality of sound.
During the 18th KODY Festival, four album releases will premiere:
- Morton Feldman – Triadic Memories (performed by Andrzej Karałow)
- Morton Feldman – Crippled Symmetry (performed by Magdalena Kordylasińska-Pękala, Ewa Liebchen, Emilia Karolina Sitarz)
- WCIAS – Wiwaty
- Wojciech Błażejczyk – Re-Used Sounds
All releases are published by ROZDROŻA Centre.
The 18th KODY Festival is a space for deep listening—a place where tradition is not a closed chapter, but a living material for experimentation.
The festival is organized by the Cross-Cultural Creative Initiatives Centre ROZDROŻA.
Festival curator: Grzegorz Paluch.
Co-organizer: Polish Radio Lublin.
The project is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund—a state earmarked fund—within the “Music” programme, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance.
PROGRAMME – 18th KODY Festival of Traditional and Avant-Garde Music
Lublin, 27–31 May 2026:
27.05.2026 | Old Theatre in Lublin
17:00 | La Tempête: Orlando – A Melancholic Portrait (FR)
21:00 | La Tempête: Orlando – A Melancholic Portrait (FR)
28.05.2026 | Polish Radio Lublin Concert Studio
18:00 | Flow Unit / Hashtag Ensemble: Medekšaitė (PL/LT)
19:30 | 100,000 Polsk: Gwadera / Miro / Lubieniecki / Iwan (PL)
21:00 | Alejandra Cárdenas aka Ale Hop (PER)
29.05.2026 | Polish Radio Lublin Concert Studio
18:00 | Supersilent (NOR)
19:30 | Jenny Hval (NOR)
21:00 | Jonny Nash feat. Tomo Katsurada (SCO/NED/JAP)
29.05.2026 | Concert Shell, Saxon Garden
22:00 | Dance Night: Kapela Kotra / Podróżniacy (BY/AUS/PL)
30.05.2026 | Polish Radio Lublin Concert Studio
18:00 | 10/100: Polish Radio Centenary: RSQ / Błażejczyk (PL)
20:00 | WCIAS (PL)
21:00 | Hatis Noit (JAP)
31.05.2026 | Concert Shell, Saxon Garden
16:00 | For Morton Feldman: Karałow / Kordylasińska-Pękala / Liebchen / Sitarz (PL)
20:00 | Elori Saxl (USA)
21:00 | Antonina Nowacka (PL)
VENUES:
Old Theatre in Lublin, 18 Jezuicka Street
Polish Radio Lublin Concert Studio, 2 Obrońców Pokoju Street
Concert Shell, Saxon Garden
The organizer reserves the right to make changes to the programme.
Festival website:
https://kody-festiwal.pl/
Facebook event:
https://fb.me/e/4ah5KnsKz
