The duo Karolina Mikołajczyk and Iwo Jedynecki is one of the most innovative and acclaimed chamber ensembles of its generation in Poland. The violin–accordion duo has won numerous international awards, including the Polityka Passport, in recognition of their virtuosity, imagination, and remarkable ability to cross stylistic boundaries. They have performed on leading stages worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, the Guangzhou Opera House, Melbourne’s The Edge, and with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.

The duo will perform in Israel in three concerts titled Into the Light. The program brings together works by five Polish-Jewish composers active in the 20th century—a period of major cultural transformations that gave rise to a new musical language: clear, intimate, and expressive. Grzegorz Fitelberg, Alexander Tansman, Ignacy Friedman, Roman Ryterband, and Szymon Laks were all born in Poland and developed unique artistic paths that combined the European classical tradition with modern sensibilities, subtle lyricism, and at times echoes of Jewish and Polish folklore. Their music ranges from elegant neoclassicism to deeply emotional and lyrical melodies, bringing to the stage sound worlds shaped during formative moments in Polish musical history.

The program features chamber works distinguished by clarity, balance, and a highly personal character—from lyrical passages to rhythmically driven, sharply profiled movements. It offers a fascinating look at a generation that stood between European tradition and emerging modernity, presenting the audience with a rich, human, and profoundly beautiful musical mosaic.

Don’t miss the opportunity to experience one of the most innovative and acclaimed chamber ensembles of our generation and immerse yourself in an evening of virtuosic, inspiring, and imaginative music!

Tuesday 16.12 | 19:00

Jerusalem Music Center

3 Yemin Moshe St., Mishkenot Sha’ananim

Tickets available here

Wednesday, 17.12 | 15:00

Festival Sounds in the Desert

Kibbutz Sde Boker

Free entrance

Thursday 18.12 | 19:00

Felicia – House of Sound Art, Tel Aviv

26 Bialik St., Tel Aviv

Tickets available here

About the Musicians

Karolina Mikołajczyk – violinist, chamber musician, and Doctor of Arts. She studied at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and with Zakhar Bron in Cologne. A prizewinner of international competitions, she has performed worldwide in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Guangzhou Opera House, and the National Philharmonic in Warsaw. She premiered numerous works dedicated to her and collaborated with Krzysztof Penderecki on his violin-accordion arrangement of Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1.

As an innovative concert programmer, Karolina promotes underrepresented composers, including Polish-Jewish composers neglected after WWII. She plays a R. Duke Londini 1766 violin.

Iwo Jedynecki – an innovative classical accordionist and award-winning performer, reshaping perceptions of the instrument worldwide. Winner of over thirty international competitions, he has performed across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, including Carnegie Hall, Guangzhou Opera House, and the Warsaw Philharmonic.

He holds a doctoral degree on 19th-century piano and harmonium music, was the first classical accordionist at NYU to receive a Fulbright Scholarship, and has premiered numerous works dedicated to him. He collaborates with leading musicians, including violinist Karolina Mikołajczyk, and his recordings, such as the Duo’s transcription of Mozart’s Sonata K. 301, have reached millions of views online.

More information about the musicians

About the Composers

Szymon Laks (1901–1983) was a Polish-Jewish composer and violinist born in Warsaw who later settled in France. During World War II he was deported to Auschwitz, where he served as the conductor of the prisoners’ orchestra. After the war he returned to Paris, composing chamber and orchestral music and publishing memoirs about his camp experiences. His musical style blends neoclassicism, Polish motifs, and deep melodic sensitivity.

Grzegorz Fitelberg (1879–1953) was a Polish-Jewish conductor, violinist, and composer, and a central figure in the development of classical music in Poland. Born in Dvinsk (today Daugavpils, Latvia), he served as principal conductor of the Warsaw Philharmonic and founded the National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Poland. His style combines neoclassical elements with Polish influences. He escaped to Brazil during World War II while his family perished in the Holocaust. After the war he returned to Poland and continued his career.

Alexandre Tansman (1897–1986) was a Polish-Jewish composer and pianist born in Łódź. After moving to Paris in 1919, he became associated with the neoclassical movement. His music draws on both his Polish-Jewish heritage and French influences. During World War II he fled to the United States, later returning to Paris, where he composed some of his major works inspired by his Jewish and Polish roots.

Ignacy Friedman (1882–1948) was a Polish-Jewish pianist and composer born in Podgórze near Kraków. Considered one of the greatest virtuosos of his time, he studied with Hugo Riemann and Theodor Leschetizky. During a concert tour in Australia at the outbreak of World War II, he decided to remain in Sydney, where hand problems eventually forced him to end his performing career. He composed more than 90 works—mainly piano miniatures—and edited editions of Chopin, Schumann, and Liszt.

Roman Ryterband (1914–1979) was a Polish-Jewish composer, conductor, and pianist. Before World War II he studied musicology in Switzerland and began developing his musical language. Throughout his career he composed for piano, chamber ensembles, and orchestra, including Suite Polonaise and Trois Ballades Hébraïques, which combine neoclassicism with Polish folklore and a mystical atmosphere. In the 1950s he immigrated first to Canada and later to the United States, where he continued to compose, teach, and perform.