Held annually in November, the Paderewski Festival is a four-day musical festival on California’s Central Coast. Celebrating the rich heritage of Paso Robles and its most famous resident, Ignacy Jan Paderewski—virtuoso pianist, composer, international politician, local landowner, grower and winemaker—the Festival hosts concert and master classes by world renowned musicians, exhibits, lectures and film screenings, accompanied by wine tastings and tours of local vineyards. The Festival also organizes a Youth Piano Competition (October 24, 2015) and Youth Cultural Exchange (June-July 2015 in Poland, November 2016 in California) in honor of Paderewski’s legacy.
This year’s Festival will be held from November 5-8, 2015 at various venues around Paso Robles. Audiences will hear historical works by Paderewski, Karol Szymanowski and Tadeusz Kosciuszko, as well as contemporary masterpieces by Witold Lutosławski, Wojciech Kilar, Krzysztof Penderecki and Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, reinterpreted. The Festival’s history, as well as its legacy, will be on full display during recitals given by this year’s winners of the Festival Competition and participants in the Cultural Exchange in Poland, and Sunday’s Paderewski Lecture.
Below is the full schedule of the weekend:
Thursday, November 5
Concert with City of Angels Saxophone Quartet
Cass Winery. 6:30 p.m. wine reception; 7:00 concert
Friday, November 6
Master Class with Thomas Pandolfi
Park Ballroom. 2:00 p.m.
Concert with Motion Trio Ensemble
Park Ballroom. 6:30 p.m. wine reception; 7:00 concert
Saturday, November 7
Film screening TBA
Park Cinemas. 10:00 a.m.
Youth Competition Winners’ Recital
Paso Robles Inn Ballroom. 4:00 p.m.
Gala Concert with Thomas Pandolfi
Paso Robles Inn Ballroom. 7:00 p.m. wine reception; 7:30 concert
Sunday, November 8
Youth Exchange Recital & Paderewski Lecture
Cass Winery. 12:00 p.m.
Friends of Paderewski VIP passes as well as tickets to individual concerts will be available soon. Please visit www.paderewskifest.com for updates.