Sam Kowalski (PL)
Sam Kowalski is the solo project of Mateusz Kowalski, a Polish singer and multi-instrumentalist whose work is rooted in folk music research and performance. His reinterpretation of the Oberek — a traditional Polish village dance — transforms its typically lively and fiery character into something slow, meditative, and emotionally resonant.
Awarded a special prize by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute at Polish Radio’s Nowa Tradycja Festival (2024), Kowalski reimagines the Oberek using guitalele and voice, enriching it with traditional lyrical couplets. His minimalist approach invites the listener into an intimate and evocative sonic world — one that honours the past while sounding wholly contemporary.