Justyna Zańko Brings the 6th VirtuClassic International Arts Festival to Lublin

Justyna Zańko, Polish violinist and EAM roster artist, has completed the 6th edition of the VirtuClassic International Arts Festival, presented by the Virtuoso Music Foundation at the historic Crown Tribunal in the heart of Lublin’s Old Town. The festival ran July 22–26, 2026, drawing a returning and growing audience through a reservation-only format that has become a signature of the event.

Founded by Zańko during a period of global uncertainty as a platform for connecting artists and audiences across borders, VirtuClassic has grown from online initiatives into a fully realized live festival with international reach. Now in its sixth year, the festival operates on two pillars: a classical concert series and an interdisciplinary arts program that brings music into open urban spaces alongside visual art, literature, theater, and performance.

This year’s concert series, From Baroque to Modernity, traced the evolution of violin expression across three evenings. The Inauguration Concert on July 23, Violin Monologues: From Bach to Modernism, featured Zańko in solo performance, opening with J. S. Bach’s Partita in E Major, BWV 1006, and continuing with Prokofiev’s Sonata in D Major for solo violin, Op. 115. The second concert on July 25, The Virtuoso Brilliance of Romanticism, brought pianist Aleksandra Seredyńska to the stage for an evening of Dvořák, Wieniawski, Paganini, and Sarasate. The Grand Finale on July 26, Dialogues and Temperament, featured oboist Patrycja Mazur — winner of the Stage Partnership Award at the VirtuClassic International Music Competition — in an intimate program of Bach and three Telemann Canonical Sonatas for violin and oboe.

Audience response across the festival was strong. Attendees described the experience as “so delicate but strong and charismatic” and praised Zańko for “the goodness you create — after coming into contact with you, your music, and your artistry, a person becomes better.”

The VirtuClassic International Arts Festival continues to develop as one of the region’s most distinctive and innovative cultural platforms — one where classical music is not merely performed but co-created through dialogue between artists, audiences, and disciplines.