Several dozen musicians of the Podlasie Philharmonic and Opera in Białystok have stepped up their protest against their Musical Director.

To the tune of “Time to say good-bye”, the musicians staged a picket demanding the resignation of Marcin Nałęcz-Niesiołowski, who has held the post for 14 years.

The protesters describe his management methods as authoritarian, and accuse him of violating labour legislation, abusing his powers and resorting to lies.

They received letters of support from musicians in the cities of Warsaw, Kraków and Częstochowa as well as from some 2,000 local music lovers.

According to the regional authorities, there is little chance for a compromise in view of the high temperature of the conflict, its protracted character and the level of mutual mistrust.

On Monday, rehearsals are due to begin for two concerts. The first one, on 2 April. is to mark the anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II and the one on 10 April is to commemorate the first anniversary of the Smolensk air crash, in which the Polish President and 95 other people were killed. The musicians refuse to play the concerts under Marcin Nałęcz-Niesiołowski’s baton.

Culture Minister Bogdan Zdrojewski said, Thursday, that it is the duty of the regional authorities to resolve the conflict and ensure a smooth functioning of the Philharmonic Orchestra and Opera in Białystok under a Music Director and a Managing Director. Marcin Nałęcz-Niesiołowski performs both these functions.

And in Kraków, southern Poland, members of the Capella Cracoviensis ensemble are to protest today in front of the City Hall against the changes proposed by their new Music Director Jan Tomasz Adamus.

He wants to change the orchestra’s profile and focus entirely on the performance of early music on period instruments, which, according to the protests, will inevitably lead to the dismissals of some members of the orchestra, which was founded in 1970. (mk)