The many faces of Polish music at Expo 2025
Music performed by Polish artists has many voices – and all of them resonate in Osaka at Expo 2025. Here, both Poland Pavilion and events organized by Poland become spaces filled with sound: from classical and jazz, through folk and hip-hop, to electronic music. It’s a musical story about a country that draws from tradition while playing to the rhythm of the future.
Poland Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka is a space open to collaboration and intercultural dialogue. Poland’s cultural program at the Expo features nearly one hundred events – from Fryderyk Chopin Week, through the young jazz scene festival Jazz from Poland in Japan 2025, to the first edition of the Unsound festival in Japan. Each of these showcases the diversity and excellence of contemporary Polish culture.
World Premiere of the “Symbiosis Symphony” at Expo 2025
The conclusion of Poland’s presidency of the European Union during Expo 2025 in Osaka was marked by a grand concert on June 30, featuring the world premiere of Symbiosis Symphony – a piece composed specially for this occasion by Łukasz L.U.C. Rostkowski in collaboration with European composers.
L.U.C. is a multi-award-winning composer and producer, recognized by the American magazine Variety in 2023 as one of the fifteen best film composers in the world. Symbiosis Symphony combines classical, electronic, and folk music with visual projections – hand-painted reproductions of iconic artworks created by the Oscar-winning studio BreakThru Films (Oscar nominee in 2018 for Loving Vincent, and Poland’s Oscar submission in 2023 for The Peasants in the International Feature Film category).
Artists from Japan, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, France, the UK, Spain, and Italy, performing as part of the international big band Rebel Babel Orchestra founded by L.U.C., demonstrated on stage how much can be achieved through international collaboration. They were joined on stage by the Amabile Philharmonic Orchestra from Osaka.
“Through this symphony, we tell a musical and visual story of Europe, in which Poland plays an important role as a country that is open, understands the essence of community and solidarity, and is ready to cooperate and bring new ideas,” says Łukasz L.U.C. Rostkowski. “The narrative of this symphony stretches from cave paintings, through ancient Greece and Rome, flows through the modulations of Chopin and Bach, and reaches Berlin techno and modern sets by Polish electronic duo Catz’n Dogz. Symbiosis Symphony is the result of 16 months of hard work by dozens of artists, aiming to remind us of the effort it took to build the European community, values, and symbiosis. The musicians in the orchestra were a metaphor for different nations and ideas, and the entire ensemble had to learn to harmonize together. We are grateful for the invitation and the great trust placed in us. We’re pleased with the excellent reception of the project at Expo 2025 and the relationships built among the artists.”
Monumental audiovisual show: “The Peasants Dance Remixed”
On Young Poland Day at Expo 2025 in Osaka, on September 4, audiences will witness the audiovisual show The Peasants Dance Remixed, based on L.U.C.’s music from the film The Peasants – Poland’s Oscar candidate for 2024, directed by Dorota Kobiela-Welchman and Hugh Welchman from BreakThru Films (already nominated for an Academy Award for Loving Vincent).
“The Peasants Dance Remixed takes the audience into the world of Polish countryside at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, reimagined through the lens of contemporary expression. It’s a multimedia spectacle combining acoustic folk music with electronics, 19th-century painting with modern light displays, and traditional dance with contemporary performance,” says L.U.C. “We’re excited to present this project in Japan – a project that has won over lovers of Slavic culture worldwide. The film The Peasants was already a phenomenal project; nothing like it will appear again for a long time. In response to its success, we decided to create a show that merges all art forms: dance, literature, film, painting, animation, music, costume. Working on this project became an epic journey, which we prepared for a total of five years,” L.U.C. recalls.
“Sensitive Strings” – Natalia Kukulska sings Chopin in Osaka
On August 29, 2025, in Osaka, during Fryderyk Chopin Week, singer Natalia Kukulska will perform with musicians from the National Philharmonic Orchestra. They will present a unique project – Sensitive Strings – the world’s first lyrical interpretation of Chopin’s works.
For the first time, selected compositions by Fryderyk Chopin have been arranged as symphonic pieces with newly written lyrics. The classical works of the master received new orchestrations for 30 instruments. The Sensitive Strings concert in Osaka is a rare opportunity to present the legacy of Poland’s greatest composer to Japanese audiences in a modern, accessible, and emotional way.
“Papaya”, jazz, and new sounds at Expo 2025
On Dance and Music Across Generations Day, September 5, 2025, legendary Polish jazz vocalist Urszula Dudziak will visit Osaka. Together with Yuka Ebihara – a longtime Japanese ballerina from the Warsaw ballet scene and a star of the Polish National Ballet – she will participate in a special event at the Women’s Pavilion at Expo, where she will give an inspiring speech. On the stage in front of Poland Pavilion, she will perform the iconic song Papaya with visitors – a timeless hit that gained popularity not only in Poland but also in the United States and South Korea. Urszula Dudziak’s appearance at Expo 2025 is a symbol of intergenerational musical connection, and a testament to the vitality, diversity, and positive energy of the Polish music scene.
As part of Poland’s cultural program at Expo 2025, the first Japanese edition of the Unsound Festival will also take place – Poland’s most globally recognized festival of electronic and experimental music. Known for discovering new trends and bold artistic exploration, Unsound has invited Polish and Japanese artists to perform in Osaka’s renowned music clubs. The festival’s lineup presents the modern face of Polish electronic music – from ambient and techno to experimental audiovisual forms.
Polish jazz musicians are also winning the hearts of audiences at Expo 2025. Following successful concerts by artists such as Leszek Możdżer, Sylwester Ostrowski, and Jakub Mizeracki, jazz lovers can look forward to major performances by top Polish jazz musicians. On August 30 and 31, during Fryderyk Chopin Week, four concerts will feature jazz interpretations of Chopin’s compositions by Artur Dutkiewicz Trio, RGG Trio, and Andrzej Jagodziński Trio, along with Polish and Japanese artists performing in the LIS + Phew project.
From September 4 to 9, Expo and the Quatro Club in Osaka will host young Polish jazz artists under the banner Jazz from Poland in Japan 2025, including: Sub Silento, Babooshki, Aga Derlak Trio, Dominik Wania, Maciej Obara Quartet, Tomasz Hiwa Quintet, EABS, Paulina Przybysz, and Hoshi. Nikola Kołodziejczyk – a distinguished Polish jazz pianist, composer, and conductor – will also perform a jazz suite specially composed for Expo 2025.
Polish musicians build bridges of collaboration at Expo 2025
Festival and club concerts by Polish artists in Osaka represent the first large-scale project promoting Polish popular music in Japan.
Outstanding artists performing at Expo 2025 in Osaka and the Kansai region connect with audiences regardless of cultural context. Each genre they represent has its niche in Japan, creating a real opportunity to engage local listeners.
Japan is increasingly open to new sounds, and its audiences – known for their openness and artistic curiosity – respond eagerly to unconventional inspiration. Thus, Expo 2025 is not only an opportunity to present the achievements of Polish performers, but also a starting point for a long-term presence of Polish music in Japan.
Fot.: A. Stykowski / PAIH
