Shanty concerts with a view of the sea are most often associated with small seaside bars or performances at festivals organized in summer resorts. Meanwhile, Olivia Centre shows that sea shanties are also perfect for a business centre 130 metres above sea level. The view of the Bay of Gdansk, the breeze of the sea and the perfect atmosphere are important, and there is no shortage of them in Olivia.
„From the very beginning, the assumption was that the concerts would be cyclical ,” says Marek Chwal, guitarist, vocalist, composer and songwriter of the band „Trzy majtki”, which regularly performs on the 32nd floor of Olivia Star. – MThe place is beautiful, offers a wonderful panorama of the Tri-City, as well as a view of the bay. Songs about the sea sound exceptionally pleasant in such an environment. We have been playing on the 32nd floor for over 1.5 years now and I believe that we fit in well with this place, because the audience is growing from concert to concert. We have regulars, but also practically every time there is someone new. Our music is not a classic shanty. It’s more of a very contemporary sea song. Those who visit us for the first time are often surprised by the spontaneity, jumpiness and energy we give. Regularly, at every concert, the audience gets excited to have fun and dance. It also gives us a lot of satisfaction when we see such a spontaneous and joyful reaction.
The team consists of shanties enthusiasts, who are very busy on a daily basis. One of the „Briefs”, Marek Chwal, works at Oliviai Centre as a Senior Project Manager at Epam Systems. Music is a springboard and quite an intense hobby for them, as the band plays concerts all over Poland and sometimes abroad in the summer season. He has just started working on his third album, which, surprisingly, is being recorded at the Olivia Centre. – Olivia is a perfect combination of business and maritime passions – emphasizes Maciej Kotarski from Olivia Centre. – In Olivia Yacht Club there are several sailing formats, available to Residents throughout the year, and from April to October even several options per week. All of this is very popular among the Residents, and the monthly shanty concerts are a brilliant development of the club’s activities. During concerts, the 32nd floor turns into our harbour club pub. We regularly attend these concerts, usually the whole crew from a given cruise comes. Last but not least, „Three Panties” really sound great, and their original songs are the best, especially since they directly refer to our close environment, for example Sopot fishermen. It’s an honour that we can support them by providing a place to record an album and that they have become our olive band! This is the second music band operating in Olivia, together with the Olivia Centre Choir!
As Marek Chwal emphasizes, combining professional work and recording an album is not an easy task. – The work is laborious, mainly because we often can’t agree on a common date for recordings. Nevertheless, we are slowly moving forward. The album will be fully original – the lyrics are written mainly by Edward Hańcza, but there will also be a song by Łukasz Jabłoński. There will also be adaptations of well-known English-language songs, not necessarily shanties, but with their own Polish, maritime lyrics. We want everyone to find something for themselves. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Olivia Centre for providing us with the studio space. This is a great comfort for us. We don’t want to make a clear statement about the date of „launching” the album, but we hope that it will be possible before the summer, and if not, then certainly in the autumn. And of course – we will celebrate this occasion together with our audience at many concerts. Definitely also in Olivia 32 p. We will play a concert promoting the new album.
Shanty concerts are another unconventional cultural and entertainment project that is carried out at the Olivia Centre. A big surprise may be the fact that every Friday on 32 p. Olivia Star, the highest office building in northern Polish, hosts discos, attracting a permanent group of lovers of good music, stunning views and delicious cuisine late in the evening. Olivia also has an outdoor terrace where DJ parties were organized, which in the glow of the setting sun gave an incomparable effect. Olivia’s openness to tourists and residents is also evidenced by the award of the Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, awarded to Olivia on the occasion of the International Tourism Day in 2020. So far, it has been the only award that has been granted to office buildings for the development of the tourist offer of a given region. The largest Polish business centre already has in its portfolio theatre performances and concerts of such stars of the Polish stage as Krystyna Janda, Leszek Możdżer, Daria Zawiałow, Mrozu and Krzysztof Zalewski. Over 1700 events take place annually in Olivia, so it can be considered that it has become the center of not only work, but also the cultural and entertainment life of the Tri-City.
It is worth noting that Olivia has been a project that has been developed for years with the residents of the entire agglomeration and tourists in mind. This is also evidenced by Olivia Garden – an exotic garden where 3.5 thousand people are waiting for guests. plants reaching up to 11 meters in height, representing more than 400 species and coming from 5 continents. There are 11 restaurants in Olivia, including Arco by Paco Perez and Treinta y Tres, located on the 33rd floor of Olivia Star. Both prestigious restaurants are run by Paco Pérez, one of the most successful chefs in the world, so far awarded 5 stars by the prestigious Michelin culinary guide, and Antonio Arcieri, winner of one star.
