| Ticket price: PLN 3 gross one way, instruments free of charge | ||
| Stop | Departures until August 12 |
Departures August 13 and 14 |
|---|---|---|
| 1000-lecia Tesco | 20:15 | 11:35, 15:35, 16:35, 17:35 |
| 1000-lecia intersection | 20:25 | 11:45, 15:45, 16:45, 17:45 |
| PKP railway station (MZK stop) | 20:35 | 11:55, 15:55, 16:55, 17:55 |
| PKS bus station (stand 1) | 20:45 | 12:05, 16:05, 17:05, 18:05 |
| Kliczków | 21:00 | 12:20, 16:20, 17:20,18:20 |
| Kliczków (return) | 01:30 | 12:30, 16:30, 18:30, 23:00, 00:00, 01:00 |
Photos from the participants’ arrival
The anniversary Blues nad Bobrem Festival will take place at Kliczków Castle from August 5 to August 15. The ten-day event will be packed with numerous attractions. A special blues bus will take those interested from Bolesławiec to Kliczków for daily jam sessions. “We will do everything possible to make every blues fan feel comfortable at the Castle,” assures Adam Różycki, director of Kliczków Castle. “We are organizationally prepared and waiting for our guests.”
“This year, the Festival’s richness deserves emphasis,” says Ewa Ołenicz-Bernacka, one of the organizers. “It consists of workshops, concerts, jam sessions, a blues picnic, a photography exhibition and other accompanying events. There is a music event every day during the ten days. I recommend the evening jam sessions, including two free concerts: Leszek Cichoński with his band and ΠR2 (Pi-eR-2 Raduli & Pilichowski & Łosowski). The Castle will resound with music from the basement to the attic.”
Workshop participants liked the Festival’s new format and new location. The classes are full, and attendance is record-breaking. “The workshops are a unique asset of the Blues nad Bobrem Festival,” says workshop coordinator Piotr Gnyszka. “Throughout all these years, they have been a springboard for young people and the beginning of their musical careers. They provide an opportunity to fulfill musical dreams and test oneself. Former workshop participants become well-known musicians and lecturers at Blues nad Bobrem. The workshops offer the chance to learn from Poland’s best instrumentalists, as well as an extraordinary atmosphere and friendships that last a lifetime. Although people of very different ages attend the workshops—the youngest participant is 14 this year and the oldest is 60—there are no barriers. Music unites everyone.”
The auditions for the Band Showcase proved extremely popular. Krzysztof Rojewski, the Showcase organizer, is pleased with the candidates’ high level. “This year, the jury will have a tough nut to crack when selecting the best group,” he says. “Amateurs differ from stars only in that they are not as well known. Out of 31 bands, we selected eight. Each presents a high standard, and a great deal of good music is in prospect.”
This year’s festival novelty is art and music workshops for children from Osiecznica. This brings village children into activities at the Castle and into the Blues nad Bobrem Festival. For several days, the children learn painting techniques, singing and playing instruments. They are preparing for a public performance during the Family Blues Picnic on August 13 and 14. “The workshops are organized for children from Osiecznica, but if children from the town come, they will also be accepted,” says Barbara Szypulska, the workshop organizer. “We want the Festival to be vibrant and to activate residents of nearby villages. The children will be prepared to take part in competitions during the picnic. They will all learn the song ‘When I Was a Little Boy,’ recognize the most important instruments in well-known blues songs, and play simple chords on guitar or keyboard. In the art workshops, we will teach them painting techniques, how to find a subject to paint and how to express emotions through painting.”
For the anniversary, a photography exhibition has been prepared featuring participants, lecturers and musicians who shaped the Blues nad Bobrem Festival. Photographs by Grzegorz Sidorowicz and Leszek Żukrowski can be viewed from August 5 at the District Office (approximately 20 photographs) and from August 7 at Kliczków Castle (approximately 60 photographs). “It would be difficult to show all the participants,” says photographer Grzegorz Sidorowicz. “We had to make a selection. The photographs will also feature musicians associated with the Festival who have passed away: Rysiek Riedel, Tadeusz Nalepa and Wojtek Seweryn.”
The organizers of the 20th Blues nad Bobrem Festival emphasize that the Festival is made by people who love music, for music fans. “I hope the event’s old, good atmosphere will return,” says Krystyna Juszkiewicz, honorary president of the Blues nad Bobrem Association. “Many activities will once again take place in the park, outdoors, as they did in the past—we began with a concert by the Bóbr boulevard. We are planning a reunion of graduates. We invite everyone who has good memories to meet their friends again over good music.”
Program of the 20th Blues nad Bobrem Festival
- August 5–12, Kliczków Castle
Jam session by workshop participants and lecturers, 20:30 daily - August 6
Pi-eR-2 Raduli & Pilichowski & Łosowski – free concert as part of the jam session - August 10
Leszek Cichoński with his band – free concert as part of the jam session
The Bolesławiec–Kliczków Castle bus will run daily. It will be clearly marked and covered with posters. The ride is paid; a one-way ticket costs PLN 3. It departs Bolesławiec at 20:10 and returns from Kliczków Castle at 1:30. The bus waits five minutes for passengers at each stop. Route: stop at al. 1000-lecia/Gałczyńskiego, stop at al. 1000-lecia/Chumed, PKP, PKS, Kliczków Castle - August 5–12
Children’s workshops, 11:00–12:00 daily
Music Workshop “Meeting with the Blues” – Krzysztof Kucharczak
Painting Workshop “Castle Painted with the Blues” – Teresa Bancewicz - August 7
Opening of the photography exhibition “Blues nad Bobrem Festival 1993–2009” by Grzegorz Sidorowicz, Leszek Żukrowski and participants of last year’s BnB photography workshops - August 12
Blues mass and Ewa Uryga concert, Bolesławiec, church in the Kwiatowe Estate
19:00 mass
20:00 Ewa Uryga concert—the best gospel singer in Poland; admission is free - August 13
Family Blues Picnic
Kliczków Castle, free admission
12:00 welcome and official opening of the Picnic with a fanfare by harmonica players, and a staging of the legend of Kliczków Castle
13:30 performances by children from the music workshop
14:00 concert by the group “Kaczki z Nowej Paczki”
16:00 concert by the group “Instant Blues” - August 14
Family Blues Picnic
Kliczków Castle, free admission
12:00 concert by the group “Kaczki z Nowej Paczki”
13:25 blues knowledge competition with prizes
15:30 announcement of the results of the “Castle Painted with the Blues” competition
16:15 concert by the “Zefiry” band—music from the 1960s and 1970s. The repertoire includes covers of The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, The Kinks, The Animals and The Shadows
17:45 concert by Maciej Dłużniewski’s band
performance by the Knights’ Brotherhood
art competitions for children, group painting
Ticketed concerts
- August 13
Kliczków Castle
17:00 Gang Olsena, Magdalena Piskorczyk, Nocna Zmiana Bluesa, Blues Band Showcase - August 14
19:00 Showcase winner, Obstawa Prezydenta, Festival Orchestra
Festival star: Dżem
Pass for the ticketed concerts on August 13 and 14—only PLN 30 (in presale until August 9, 2010). From August 10, passes cost PLN 40. Available at:
Perfekt Office, ul. Sierpnia ‘80 7/9, 59-700 Bolesławiec
Kliczków Castle, ul. Kliczków 8, 59-724 Osiecznica
(information from Grażyna Hanaf)
