The CORNU COPIAE* Baroque Orchestra (from Latin: Horn of Plenty) was founded in 2016 in Kraków. The ensemble's name comes from the Greek myth of the horn of Amalthea, which fills with everything its owner desires. It refers to the extraordinary richness of the baroque and classical repertoire that the orchestra deals with.
Its musicians are specialists in historical performance – graduates of the best Polish and foreign universities, but above all committed and music-loving artists, performing in the most important historical ensembles and orchestras throughout Europe. They try to get as close as possible to the authentic sound of old eras, playing on original 18th-century instruments and their copies, and drawing knowledge from old treatises, letters and manuscripts.
Cornu Copiae's favourite repertoire is concerts for many instruments and pieces, in which each musician has the opportunity to show their musical individuality, temperament and creativity. Embellishments and improvisation give them the most joy!
An important and appreciated by the audience element of the orchestra's performances, apart from the musical layer, are stories and anecdotes about composers, compositions, unusual baroque instruments and old customs. The ensemble want to show that the music they perform is a living creation of people like us. Contact with listeners is very important to them.
The orchestra performs in many places in Poland, including at the Early Music Festival in Wilanów, at the National Museum and the Museum of Photography in Krakow, at the Annum Festival in Silesia, during the Summer Concerts in Grochów (Sinfonia Varsovia), and also abroad at the Sokolnice Žíjí Hudbou festival in the Czech Republic and in Germany. The largest project implemented by the ensemble so far was the oratorio "Messiah" by G.F. Handel, performed with the Jugenkonzertchor Bonn in Kraków and three times in Bonn in 2019.