oto foundation was established in 2023 by four artists, activists, and
cultural life organizers: Ania Karpowicz, Alicja Kieruzalska, Marta
Piórkowska, and Agata Krystek.
Despite being a young non-governmental organization, the foundation
organizes, represents, and supports valuable music projects, that have
won numerous awards in the music industry and engage various
audiences, e.g. the
WarszeMuzik festival.
oto foundation aims to carry out projects based on narrative
programming, which combines the highest level of artistic performances
with engaging storytelling and social awareness of classical music.
An important objective of the oto foundation is the support of the
artistic achievements of women, in particular female composers and
performers in the field of classical and contemporary music, e.g. the
Daughters project by Poldowski
String Quartet or the TOVA project by
Ania Karpowicz.
oto foundation ('oto' equals 'sound' in Japanese) directs its
activities beyond Poland's borders, aiming to build long-term,
fruitful, and reciprocal collaborations between institutions and
artists operating in Europe and around the world, with a particular
emphasis on Israel and Japan. The foundation's first and premiere
overseas program is the droga dō, connecting Poland, Israel,
and Japan through the refugee route of Polish Jews rescued in 1940
thanks to the commitment of Chiune Sugihara and Tadeusz Romer.
At the oto foundation, curators attach particular importance to
contextual empathy, which enables the placing of musical events in
non-obvious spaces that appeal to the audience's imagination while
telling their own, non-musical stories. Thus, the foundation's planned
projects include the first-ever site-specific music mission to
Antarctica and a wandering concert series featuring Karol
Szymanowski’s music in the Tatra mountains’ huts (Szymanowski’s Mountain Trail).
Why are we programming narratively?
The results of audience research in Europe are relentless - the number
of classical music audiences interested in participating in the
19th-century decorum and brought up to participate in traditional
forms of musical presentation is steadily declining. Younger
generations, who begin their conscious participation in cultural life,
perceive classical music concerts as a form of conservative escapism
suitable for older audiences. The Gen Z and Alpha generations, on the
other hand, are very sensitive to current social issues, largely ready
to engage and curious about new experiences.
Here, with its narrative-programmed projects, oto foundation not only
brings new forms of participation in classical and contemporary music
presentations to a group of music lovers and connoisseurs, but also
acquires new, young, and committed listeners who attend classical
music events not through a previously gained musical education, but
through a moving and relevant context.
If you want to experience classical music rather than just listen to
it, we invite you to follow our activities and participate in our
events!
