Shannon ensemble: - NOSPR

The band SHANNON was founded by Marcin Rumiński in Olsztyn in 1994. It is one of the most internationally recognised Polish bands performing Irish music. A distinctive feature of SHANNON’s style has long been its fusion of Celtic musical traditions (Irish, Scottish and Breton) and World music with rock, jazz and pop. This is largely due to the band’s continued leadership by Marcin Rumiński, who has consistently honed his skills on the Irish whistle and mandolin, while also attracting audiences’ attention for years with his ability to perform overtone singing from Tuva and Mongolia, a technique rarely heard in this genre of music.

SHANNON’s artistic achievements include a collaboration with the ensemble Elphin, with which the band co-created Dublin Dancers in 2002, one of the first Irish dance shows in Poland. The band has also collaborated with artists and ensembles including Zbigniew Namysłowski (d. 2022), Grzegorz Turnau, the Tuvan shaman Gendos (d. 2015), Michał Urbaniak and AUKSO Chamber Orchestra of the City of Tychy, conducted by Marek Moś. SHANNON has performed on numerous occasions at the annual Jazz Camping Kalatówki and at international World and Celtic music festivals, including the Rainforest World Music Festival (Borneo, Malaysia, 2005 and 2007), Celtica (Italy, 2005, 2011 and 2013), Przystanek Woodstock (Poland, 2006 and 2011) and Festival Celtique (Grund, Luxembourg, 2012). The band has released nine studio albums, a soundtrack for the film 1409. Afera na zamku Bartenstein, a single recorded with the group Ryczące 20-tki, and SHANNON UNPLUGGED, a project that ran for two seasons. In 2013, SHANNON began collaborating with the Elbląg Chamber Orchestra. All the orchestral arrangements for this collaboration were created by Zbigniew Namysłowski, a legendary figure in Polish jazz, multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger.

In April 2018, the collaboration entered its second phase with Spring Storm, which premiered at NOSPR in Katowice. In November 2018, Grzegorz Turnau released his album BEDFORD SCHOOL, recorded with SHANNON. A tour promoting the album followed during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.