The ensemble was founded in 1990 by Anna Szostak, who has been its director and conductor. Camerata Silesia was established in order to create an ensemble of vocalists who would be able to sing both in chamber pieces and as solo voices in vocal-instrumental works, as well as in works for a capella chorus. The ensemble focused on pre-classical and 20th century repertoire, and soon drew the attention of critics both to their sound-generating culture typical of the Renaissance and Baroque performing style and to their extraordinarily wide technical capabilities, thanks to which their contemporary music performances often become spectacularly successful.
The phonographic record of the choir includes 11 CDs. The disc containing a selection of Offertories and Communions of Mikołaj Zieleński was nominated for Fryderyk ’96 Phonographic Award and the Disc of the Year Award of the monthly Studio. Also their next disc from Missa Pulcherrima by Bartłomiej Pękiel (1997) is among the most remarkable achievements in old music performances in Poland. The original disc of Paweł Szymański (with Lux aeterna performed by Camerata Silesia and the instrumental ensemble conducted by A. Szostak) received the Disc of the Year Award for 1997 of the monthly Studio and the Fryderyk`97 Award in the field of contemporary music. Another Fryderyk`97 (in the field of solo music) was awarded to two cycles of Kurpie Songs by Karol Szymanowski (performed by Camerata Silesia with Olga Pasiecznik and Jozsef Örmeny). The recordings of Negro Spirituals (1994) and the discs with Polish Christmas carols in the arrangement of K. Baculewski (1995, 1999) were received enthusiastically too. Among the most important recordings are the disc Miserere (2000), which contains old and contemporary works based on the text of Psalm 51, and the disc recently published by Musicon with the works of H. Purcell, J.S. Bach and G.G. Gorczycki (performed e.g. by Emma Kirby) nominated for Fryderyk` 2001 Award in the field of old music.
Since 1993 the choir has regularly been invited to take part in the International Festival of Contemporary Music “Warsaw Autumn.” Its performances of Anton Webern’s Cantatas with Sinfonia Varsovia conducted by Ed Spanjaard (1995) and of Trois Poémes d'Henri Michaux by Witold Lutosławski with the Great Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Anna Szostak and Antoni Wit (1996) were considered the greatest artistic events of the festival; the latter work was published in a CD anthology of music by Witold Lutosławski (Naxos). In 1999, Camerata performed in the Gewandhaus in Lepzig on the invitation of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, they gave concerts in Taipei (Taiwan) and during EXPO 2000 in Hanover. For several years, Camerata has collaborated with the famous English singer Emma Kirkby, and recently with Barbara Schlick (concerts in Düsseldorf and Katowice).
The ensemble enjoys the patronage of Katowice Municipal Office.