About Festival
FESTIVAL
The festival draws from the rich creativity, unconventional character and artistic dreams of Zbigniew Wodecki. Thus, the inspiration and greatest strength of the event is energy. We look at it from different sides. Since 2018, the festival has been disseminating and popularizing the achievements of its patron musically, following the direction he himself took and wished for. The mission of the festival is to present diverse creativity, as escaping boundaries and established paths was Zbigniew Wodecki’s trademark. The program of WODECKI TWIST includes both great musical events, prepared and executed at a global level and in cooperation with television (TVN, Polsat, TVP), but also meetings, workshops and educational and competitive events aimed at the youngest, as well as intimate concerts.
The name determines the character: TWIST (to twist, whirl, turn). The main inspiration is Zbigniew Wodecki’s unconventional approach to music. Young artists meet international stars here on multiple stages, styles and generations mix, and a positive atmosphere, smiles and lack of pretentiousness are the festival’s trademark.
Zbigniew Wodecki (1950-2017)
Multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer, actor. Violinist and trumpeter, one of the most versatile Polish artists, winner of numerous competitions and festivals. Author and co-author of dozens of albums and music publications. Since the late 1960s, he was associated with the legendary Piwnica pod Baranami in Cracow and the band Anawa. He was a musician with the Polish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra and the Cracow Chamber Orchestra. He made his debut as a singer in the 1970s, authoring and performing some of the most popular Polish songs (including “Start with Bach,” “Chałupy,” “I like to go back where I was,” and “Tell me so”). He became immensely popular when he performed a song from the opening credits of the animated cartoon “Pszczółka Maja.”
He has worked with some of the greatest artists of the Polish stage, including Ewa Demarczyk, Marek Grechuta, Zdzislawa Sosnicka, Alicja Majewska, Włodzimierz Korcz, Grzegorz Turnau, Andrzej Sikorowski, Krystyna Prońko, Ewa Bem. In 2013 – for a concert at the OFF Festival – Zbigniew Wodecki and his alternative band Mitch&Mitch revisited material from his 1976 album, performing it with a new lineup and arrangements. In 2015, the album “1976: A Space Odyssey” was released, which brought numerous concerts and is still wildly popular with fans of all ages. The album is breaking sales records.
Award “W”
For versatility, excellence and… artistic perseverance. The “W” Award is presented to people who have made a special appearance in Zbigniew Wodecki’s life. The winner of the first edition of the award was composer Wojciech Trzcinski, the second – Irena Santor and Alicja Majewska. In 2023, it was received by Wojciech Mann, who is an accomplished music journalist and author of the lyrics of the song You’ll Find Me Again, or the popular Shell. In 2024, the award winner was Ewa Bem, an artistic friend of Zbigniew Wodecki.