The Polish premiere of La Mort de la Mer – an opera-performance by CocoRosie – opens the theatrical announcements of Malta Festival 2026. Featuring Polish actress Justyna Wasilewska, the performance will be presented on 22 and 23 June in the Great Hall of the ZAMEK Culture Centre in Poznań, which is a partner of this event. The production marks CocoRosie’s return to Poznań after 20 years.

La Mort de la Mer is an audiovisual opera-performance inspired by the rhythm of the eight lunar phases, natural cycles, and a reflection on the relationship between humanity and the planet. The work unfolds like a ritual, inviting audiences to experience it from multiple perspectives. Music, performance and visual theatre come together to form a single scenic environment in which time seems to move differently.

Guiding this story are two symbolic figures: Moon and Sea. Together, they shape a meditative narrative of memory, loss and balance. The motif of the “death of the sea” returns as an experience of mourning for a disappearing world, but also as an impulse to rethink our relationship with nature. It is a performance about fragility and the need for attentiveness, observing the human condition from a cosmic distance.

The musical layer of La Mort de la Mer grows out of CocoRosie’s distinctive artistic language, balancing experimental music, electronics and song. This time, sound becomes part of an immersive experience – present not only on stage, but also among the audience.

In the Polish premiere of La Mort de la Mer – the first staging of the work since its world premiere at the Transart Festival in Bolzano – Justyna Wasilewska will appear alongside the original cast and CocoRosie. One of the most important Polish theatre actresses, she is known for her work in repertory theatre and genre-crossing projects, as well as for her roles in the series Heweliusz and the feature film A Heart of Love directed by Łukasz Ronduda. 

Meeting CocoRosie on stage is the fulfilment of one of my greatest artistic dreams. For years, I have been inspired by the worlds they create – their sweet and dark stories unfolding between realities. I still remember the shivers I felt when I attended one of their concerts for the first time over twenty years ago – no one performed music like that back then, no one took the audience on such a journey. To become part of their story today is an incredibly moving and electrifying challenge for me, says Justyna Wasilewska.

CocoRosie return to Malta exactly 20 years after the duo’s first performance in Poland. Today – in a world undergoing profound transformation – this return resonates with particular force. La Mort de la Mer at Malta Festival 2026 is an invitation to a shared reflection on the future, balance, and the role of art in times of change.

To Love!

CocoRosie

With a committed global fanbase stretching across Europe, the United States, South America and beyond, CocoRosie has consistently released cutting edge studio records and performed to sold-out concert venues for two decades. Recording artists most recognized for their masterful poetry and timeless harmonies accompanied by lo-fi toy folly, classical instrumentation and genre-defying rhythms, sister duo CocoRosie continue to elevate their sound and art with each recording project.

Sierra Casady is a classically trained opera singer and stage actor, and Bianca Casady is a published poet, theatre director and accomplished visual artist. Together the sisters utilize music, theatrical practices of movement and character study, fashion and contemporary art to create a body of work that reflects the beauty and sorrow of our collective experience. Through radically subversive and highly developed conceptual art, CocoRosie uses irreverence and play to stand up for human rights and challenge social norms, often engaging with taboo themes. Widely celebrated, often misunderstood, and always unwavering, CocoRosie is a rigorously structured art and music project spanning over 20 years.

Justyna Wasilewska

Justyna Wasilewska is one of the most prominent Polish theatre and film actresses, closely associated with TR Warszawa. She has collaborated with, among others, Kornél Mundruczó, René Pollesch and Anna Smolar. She is also known for her roles in the series Heweliusz and the film Heart of Love, directed by Łukasz Ronduda.
For her role as Maja in Pieces of a Woman, she received the Aleksander Zelwerowicz Award, the Teatr magazine award, and the Best Actress award at the Divine Comedy (Boska Komedia) Festival. The production featuring her was presented at all major theatre festivals across Europe.