Kapela Banachy is a musical family from the Dutch town of Heerlen. In love with the folklore of their homeland, they draw from it in a very special way in numerous traditional songs from southern Poland (Babia Góra, Beskid Żywiecki, Podhale, etc.). Since 2000, they have been performing for wide audiences during various events, e.g. in theatres, community centres, during folk festivals, in churches and in radio stations. The band has played, among others, in Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and in Belgium. All family members live in Heerlen, but they speak Polish fluently.
The band consists of five members: Eugeniusz, the father, Małgorzata, the mother, their sons Piotr and Stanisław, and Małgorzata’s sister, Anka. Eugeniusz, born in Herleen, has been playing folk music from various parts of the world since he was very young. He started the band and is its driving force. When he met his wife, Małgorzata (born in Zakopane), he fell in love with the folk music of Polish mountains. His sons inherited his love and interest in Poland and the music of the Podhale region. Piotr is 26 years old, and he is a graduate of the Maastricht University (psychology) and the Eindhoven University of Technology (User System Interaction). Stanisław is 25, and he has also graduated from the Eindhoven University of Technology (construction and architecture). Both of them were born in Herleen, they also completed the music school, where they specialized in playing the violin. They have gained experience and knowledge about the authenticity of Polish mountain music in Zakopane, where they always spent their free time playing with local musicians. As Małgorzata and her sister, Anna, have spent most of their loves in the region of Babia Góra, a significant number of Kapela Banachy’s songs comes from this area.
The band plays joyful polkas, fast waltzes and melodic Csárdáses played with the use of traditional instruments, such as the violin, the viola and the Podhale basses (or double basses). Moreover, they play folk pipes, the ocarina and the traditional bagpipes of the Żywiec region, and, of course, they sing to this marvelous music.
Kapela Banachy is a great promoter of Polish culture in the Netherlands and in other countries. They interpret the folk music if the Polish mountains in their own way, and they perform in traditional folk clothes. During their concerts, they show their great kindness towards Poland and Poles, and they charm the audience with their positive attitude and good music. They contribute to a better image of Poles among the Dutch people. The band is often invited by Polish organizations abroad – they are always very welcome and are often asked to come back and play another concert. It is worth mentioning that Kapela Banachy play numerous Christmas songs. The band is now recording their CD.
On the 25th of June 2013 Małgorzata and Eugenius Banach have been awarded with the Golden Cross of Merit. More information: The Embassy of Poland in the Hague.