KAROLINA CICHA & PATRYCJA BETLEY

Poland

feat. DIDEM BAŞAR (Turkey) | WATER & SOUND ENSEMBLE (Augsburg)

Karolina Cicha is an award-winning Polish singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist known for her innovative mix of folk, rock, ethno-jazz and electronic music. In her projects, she combines traditional styles such as Yiddish, Tatar, Karaim, Polish and Eastern European music with modern sounds, creating a unique, cross-genre sound cosmos. At her side is Patrycja Betley, her musical partner of many years, whose virtuoso and versatile percussion playing – inspired by ethnic rhythms, jazz, world music and electronic elements – complements and enriches Cicha’s music in a special way. For the first time, the two will be supported by the internationally recognized kanun player and composer Didem Başar from Istanbul, who combines Turkish and Western classical traditions in her soundscapes.

For the evening “Rivers of the Sky”, Cicha and Betley are inspired by works by the Turkish author Elif Shafak and the Polish Nobel Prize winner Czesław Miłosz, tracing a musical path from the Vistula via the Bosporus to the Euphrates and Tigris. The performance combines Eastern European traditional music with influences from the Middle East. Together with Didem Başar and the string quartet Water & Sound Ensemble under the direction of Tom Jahn, an impressive soundscape is created that builds a bridge between Eastern and Western traditions.

The concert includes original compositions written exclusively for this event. In Elif Shafak’s novel There Are Rivers in the Sky (2024), rivers such as the Euphrates and the Thames symbolize the metaphysical connections between past and present, man and nature, and spirit and matter. Miłosz’s philosophical reflections on rivers as symbols of constancy and change are also woven into the musical narrative.

The songs deal with topics such as the lament of a drying river, the effects of drought on communities, rivers as borders of war and ecofeminist perspectives.

with Karolina Cicha (vocals, accordion, keys), Patrycja Betley (drums, percussion), Didem Başar (kanun)
Water & Sound Ensemble: Geeta Abad (violin), Anastasia Reichert (violin), Alexander Vicar (violin), Verena Fousop (viola), Juri Kannheiser (cello), Tom Jahn (arrangements)

Opening program Rivers of the Sky:

18:30 Admission | 19:00 Keynote & Artist Talk |
20:15 Sheherazaad | 21:30 Karolina Cicha & Patrycja Betley

July 25 – Park Theater

Photo above: Tomasz Kaczor
Photo below: Studio Halloum

Illustration: Alex Bon