The evening of 6 January 2026 in Bieńkówka, southern Poland, belonged to the brass. In the morning the village walked in the Three Kings Procession; after dark the hall filled to the last chair and the Bieńkówka Volunteer Fire Brigade Brass Band played its Christmas Concert. White shirts, ties, gleaming instruments and over an hour of music.
A band more than a hundred years old
In 2024 the Bieńkówka Fire Brigade Brass Band celebrated its 110th anniversary (in Polish). At the concert, a drum marked “Orkiestra Dęta” (brass band) stood in the front row.
Young players at the stands
What strikes you first is how young the band is. Behind the stands sit mostly teenagers: a row of saxophonists, trumpets, trombones, and at the back the sousaphones and tubas holding everything up from below. The drummer keeps the tempo; the conductor leads with sweeping gestures.
A full house
The hall was full: in the photos from 18:25, mid-concert, a free chair is hard to find.
The last photos were taken at 19:05, at the end of the concert.
Earlier the same day: the Three Kings Procession, Mass and carol singing in the Bieńkówka parish (in Polish). The same band played the anthem on 11 November 2024: Singing the Anthem at Noon in Bieńkówka.