Behind the scenes of fame - Lora Szafran

"Behind the Scenes of Fame" is a series of meetings with stars of Polish song and theatre, organized at the Okęcka Sala Widowiskowa every second Friday of the month. It is a sentimental musical journey into times past, enriched with word and image. The invited artists recall their greatest hits, present newer repertoire, and also share memories and stories from behind the scenes of their artistic and private lives. The host of the meetings is Jarosław Wasik – singer, cultural studies scholar and director of the Muzeum Polskiej Piosenki in Opole. The guest of the upcoming meeting will be Lora Szafran – one of the most outstanding Polish jazz vocalists, admired for her exceptional interpretive sensitivity and artistic versatility. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Jazz and Entertainment Music at the Akademia Muzyczna in Katowice, which she completed with distinction. Already at the beginning of her career she collaborated with leading musicians and jazz formations, including Walk Away and New Presentation. With the latter she recorded the album "Lonesome Dancer", recognized as jazz album of the year 1989, as well as "You've Changed". Lora Szafran is a laureate of many prestigious competitions and festivals. She won, among others, the Grand Prix and the Bursztynowy Słowik at the Międzynarodowy Festiwal Piosenki in Sopot and the Grand Prix of the festival in Çeşme in Turkey. For several years, readers of "Jazz Forum" chose her as the best Polish jazz vocalist. In her repertoire, the artist eagerly reaches for works by outstanding composers and lyricists. She has interpreted, among others, works by Włodzimierz Nahorny, Jerzy Wasowski and Jeremi Przybora, Henryk Wars and Władysław Szpilman. An important place in her output is occupied by the album "Sekrety życia według Leonarda Cohena", which achieved Gold Record status. In 2023, the album "Inspiracje" was released – Lora Szafran's personal take on the repertoire of Ewa Demarczyk. Among those invited to take part in the recordings were Aga Zaryan, Henryk Miśkiewicz and Jarosław Bester, and Miłosz Wośko was responsible for the arrangements. Over the course of her many years of career, Lora Szafran has collaborated with a galaxy of excellent Polish artists, including Włodzimierz Nahorny, Włodek Pawlik, Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróblewski, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Bogdan Hołownia, Henryk Miśkiewicz, Andrzej Jagodziński and Wojciech Młynarski. She has performed in Poland and abroad, consistently combining jazz freedom with the exceptional art of song interpretation. Admission from 20 zł Tickets available for purchase on the portal biletyna.pl at the OSW office from Monday to Wednesday at 10:30-16:30 at the ticket machine from Monday to Friday during OSW working hours