Saxophone Choir – Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art

Saxophone Choir was founded on the initiative of British saxophonist Ray Dickaty, basing on the large saxophone section that forms part of the Warsaw Improvisers Orchestra (WIO), which he leads. The idea behind WIO was to pay tribute to its greatest inspirations: Pharoah Sanders, Peter Brötzmann and Albert Ayler. It was the work of these artists that formed the core of the concert programme and served as the starting point for intense improvisations. The ensemble features a large saxophone section ranging from soprano to bass.

• The concert is a collaboration between the choir and percussionist and composer Paal Nilssen-Love. The event will include, among other pieces, his compositions from the repertoire of the Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit.

At the upcoming concert, the saxophonists mentioned above will be joined by a rhythm section comprising Kamila Drabek (double bass) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums).

Paal Nilssen-Love (drums) 

• Paal Nilssen-Love is a Norwegian drummer and composer working in jazz, free jazz and free improvisation. His parents ran a jazz club in Stavanger, and he learnt to play on his father’s drum kit. As a teenager, he played with free-jazz saxophonist Frode Gjerstad, marking the beginning of their long musical collaboration. Between 1993 and 1994, he studied music at Sund Folkehøgskole. During his studies, in 1994, as part of the jazz programme at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium, he founded the band Element with bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten. The group went on to become a musical platform for several other ensembles. After moving to Oslo in 1996, Nilssen-Love was involved in forming bands such as the Håkon Kornstad Trio, The Quintet and the Frode Gjerstad Trio, while also developing projects of his own. In 1999, he played his first solo concert, and at the start of the twenty-first century he launched his international career. He has played alongside, among others, Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson and American saxophonist Ken Vandermark. He has also worked with Ken Vandermark and Ab Baars, and with ensembles including Large Unit – a big band of around fourteen members, which Nilssen-Love has led and composed for since 2013 – School Days, The Thing, Scorch Trio, Territory Band and FME. He has also taken part in various duet projects, including with saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, guitarist Terrie Hessels of The Ex, saxophonist John Butcher, organist Nils Henrik Asheim and noise experimenter Lasse Marhaug.

Ray Dickaty (tenor sax) 

• Ray Dickaty is a British saxophonist, flautist, composer and conductor working at the intersection of improvised music, jazz and experimental rock. His discography comprises over sixty recordings, and he has toured internationally. In the 1990s, he was associated with the British alternative scene as a member of the bands Moonshake and Spiritualized, with whom he recorded and performed around the world. He has collaborated with, among others, Dr. John, PJ Harvey, Stereolab, Cornershop and The Durutti Column. He has lived in Poland since 2009 and is actively involved in the improvised music scene. He is the founder and conductor of the Warsaw Improvisers Orchestra, runs the Sound in Space improvisation workshops, and serves as musical director and composer for Strefa WolnoSłowa at the Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw. He also composes music for theatre projects in Poland and abroad.

Maciej Rodakowski (tenor sax) 

• Maciej Rodakowski is a saxophonist and music producer, and a graduate of the Faculty of Arts at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. He is a member of the groups Brasil, The Gallowbrothers Band, Za Siódmą Górą, Synchrotrony, WIO and Naczynia. He has performed at prestigious festivals in Poland and abroad, including Unsound, Jazz Jantar, Warsaw Autumn, Inne Brzmienia and the German NNOI. In 2026, new releases featuring him will be published by Bocian Records and OBUH Records.

Jan Małkowski (alto sax) 

• Jan Małkowski is a saxophonist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who also plays guitar and harmonica. He is associated with the Warsaw free-improv scene. His style combines blues pentatonic scales with noise, creating a raw, nostalgic sound. With Ray Dickaty and Dominik Mokrzewski, he records for labels including ForTune and Creative Sources. He also composes music for theatre. He currently plays, among others, with the Warsaw Improvisers Orchestra and the band Mursz.

Michał Małota (alto & tenor sax) 

• Michał Małota is a saxophonist, photographer and filmmaker. A versatile artist deeply rooted in the independent music scene, he is a co-founder of the Chryste Panie quartet, Notorious Lounge Ryszards and the duo Mutantz (with Michał Kasperek). He has been a pillar and active member of the Warsaw Improvisers Orchestra since its inception, and is also part of the large ensemble Saxophone Choir.

Misza Kinsner (bass sax) 

• Misza Kinsner is a saxophonist, performer and co-creator of artistic concepts. She has performed alongside artists such as Kayah, Stanisław Soyka, Leszek Możdżer, Dave Douglas and Nils Petter Molvær. She places particular emphasis on the timbre, density and texture of sound, treating it as a malleable substance rather than a simple vehicle for melody. Her unique approach to the instrument clearly reveals an inspiration drawn from Impressionism.

Stanisław Welbel (soprano & alto sax) 

• Stanisław Welbel is a curator, art historian and musician living and working in Warsaw. He plays saxophones and electronic instruments, combining the world of visual arts with sound experimentation. He performs regularly with the Warsaw Improvisers Orchestra and was previously associated with the Warsaw-Lublin Wind Orchestra. His credits include the solo album Poems, released by the independent label Szara Reneta.

Tadeusz Cieślak (tenor sax) 

• Tadeusz Cieślak is a musician, composer, improviser and organiser of cultural events. He comes from Lublin, where he received a classical education in the saxophone class. In his artistic practice, he focuses on exploring contemporary musical genres based on improvisation. He currently co-creates and develops projects with the bands Adamant, Teo Olter Quintet and ⅔ KiloTony. In his private life, he is a great lover and enthusiast of pizza.

Kamila Drabek (double bass) 

• Kamila Drabek is a double bassist, composer and PhD student researching free jazz. She leads the Kamila Drabek Trio, nominated for a Fryderyk Award, and co-founds the all-female band O.N.E., with whom she won a Jazz Oscar and has performed worldwide, including at jazzahead!. In her work, she blends Polish jazz with highlander traditions. She also collaborates regularly with the Teo Olter Quintet, Jan Emil Młynarski and Dominik Strychalski. She is involved in interdisciplinary projects, including the Unhappy Ending Project, co-created with Pola Dwurnik and Ania Malinowska.