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Idea of the Festival
Our mission is to create a music festival at the highest artistic level, where we can show how unique and talented people are blind and visually impaired vocalists.
What makes this festival so special? It has the form of a competition to which only original songs can be submitted, created by the vocalists themselves or in collaboration with professional musicians. Only original, unpublihed songs are performed by blind artists. Thanks to the competition, they can be noticed and start a real career. Lions clubs from around the world help blind vocalists create a song and come to the festival where artists will be able to sing their song to the accompaniment of a professional symphony orchestra.
It is also way to increase awarness about needs of people with sight problems. In compliance with Lions Clubs International Foundation SightFirst programme, Kraków Lions Clubs have initiated Lions World Song Festival for the Blind ‘Sounds from the Heart’. The idea was approved by all the delegates of the Europa Forum, which took place in Brussels in September 2012, and the Special National Convention District 121 Poland, which took place in October 2012 in Zakopane.
Winners of the 5th Edition
We are delighted to announce that this year's edition of the World Song Festival for the Blind "Sounds from the Heart" has awarded 13 laureates!
This exceptional event, which combines a passion for music with the strength of the human spirit, showcased the immense talent and determination of blind and visually impaired individuals. The performances of the winners, filled with emotion and beauty, received recognition from both the judges and the audience. Each participant proved that music is a language that unites us all, regardless of the challenges we face.
Heartfelt congratulations to all – your music has touched our hearts!
Here is the list of our winners:
- Mar Gunnarson
- Ankur Gupta
- Anna Wereszczyńska
- Marco Reich
- Patrycja Baczyńska – Malinowska
- Eduard Smoliakov
- Manuela Migliorati
- Ivan Jelenčič
- Charlotte Van Laerhoven
- Patrycja Malinowska
- Izabela Diana Ihnatiuc
- Joanna Przyborowska
- Benjamin Michael Hellbush
Previous editions
Since 2013, every two years, Krakow hosts blind vocalists, participants in the competition, who, for three November days, take part in festival events. After a slightly longer break, we are back in 2024 with another edition. So far, a total of 90 performers from 24 countries and 4 continents have graced the festival stages: Argentina, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Gambia, Ghana, Georgia, the Netherlands, India, Ireland, Iceland, Kosovo, Lithuania, Morocco, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Ukraine, the USA, Hungary, and Italy.
So far, they have gathered in Krakow four times:
1st Lions World Song Festival 18 - 20 November 2013
2nd Lions World Song Festival 12 - 14 November 2015
3rd Lions World Song Festival 2 - 4 November 2017
4rd Lions World Song Festival 14 - 16 November 2019
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