Culture reflects a society’s core identity — its self-awareness, its values, and its strengths. That is why we have decided to promote our international opera festival not only in Poland, but also in the United States.

Baltic Opera Festival is still a young initiative, yet we strongly believe it is worth both sharing and celebrating. Each year, we strive to showcase the extraordinary venue that is Sopot’s Forest Opera, highlight outstanding global artists, and present important, if often under-appreciated, Polish works.

With that in mind, I am happy to announce that we are officially launching American Friends of Baltic Opera Festival — an organization ready to grow alongside the Festival.

We are deeply grateful for the support of our American Friends and donors, who so generously stand with us in building this project. It is especially important to demonstrate — most notably in Poland — that high culture deserves private sponsorship, and that sustaining it is our shared responsibility.

High culture is rarely easily marketable; its commercial appeal oftentimes limited. And yet, our Festival consistently spotlights opera’s potential for mass appeal: night after summer night, capacity crowds at the 5,000-seat Forest Opera are clear proof that the music we so cherish really does speak for itself.

Together we can only amplify that voice. 

Thank you and may your evenings always end with an encore.