Warsaw Improvisers Orchestra is a group dedicated to the spontaneous creation of music based on the principles of free improvisation – on a large scale. The project was founded in 2012 by saxophonist Ray Dickaty. Since June 2014. WIO resides in the Chmury club in Warsaw’s Praga district. In 2015, WIO’s recordings were released on a cassette released by the American label Astral Spirits (Joe McPhee, Survival Unit III, Rob Mazurek, Nate Wooley, Mike Majkowski, Ballister). A year later, the Warsaw Improvisers Orchestra was the headliner of the Ad Libitum Festival 2016. The excellent Phil Minton, who also took on the role of guest conductor, joined the orchestra for this single concert. In 2017 the orchestra recorded the material in the Polish Radio studio.
To date, more than sixty musicians have taken part in the project. The orchestra enables them to play in a large improvising band, although during their performances smaller ensembles are formed – duets, trios, quartets. The orchestra is open to working with guest conductors, who have the opportunity to take advantage of the vast possibilities offered by the extremely diverse sound palette of such a large ensemble. The environmental role of the WIO is extremely important. Thanks to its openness to new musicians and regular monthly concerts, WIO integrates the environment, often provoking the formation of new smaller bands.
According to Brian Eno’s philosophy, they allow the unknown to lead them along unforeseeable paths.