Event: Poland - Warsaw

Warsaw Autumn - Contemporary Music Festival

When:	19 - 27 Sep 2008 (annual)
Where:	Zacheta Gallery
Costs:	Various
Opening Hours:	Various

The internationally-acclaimed Warsaw Autumn Festival presents contemporary classical music from around the world, with around 20 concerts over nine days. Events take place at the National Philharmonic Hall and other Warsaw venues.

Established in 1956, during the thaw after Stalin's death, the organisers of the festival were determined to open up modern music to a wide audience. For decades the festival tuned listeners' ears to the sounds of Schonberg, Berg and Webern, while keeping up with the developments of the avant-garde experiments of Boulez, Nono, Dalapiccola, Maderna and John Cage.

The event continues to champion contemporary music and a number of one-off concerts take place at venues around the city. Whether you're an ardent follower of contemporary music, or just curious about it, this festival is a fantastic way of exploring what is going on in the modern music world.

In 2008, the festival puts special emphasis on artists from Spain, Portugal and South America, such as Hector Parra, Alejandro Iglesias Rossi and Emmanuel Nunes. The programme also includes special concerts in honour of the late German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, who would have turned 80 this August. For breaking news about this year's programme, keep an eye on the festival website.