From the time Polish Music Center was launched in the mid-1980s, Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne [PWM Editions]—Poland’s largest music publisher—was on our side as one of our great friends and supporters. PMC’s founder and first director, Wanda Wilk, had established a wonderful and productive relationship that continues to blossom for 30 years. A substantial part of our library, including books and scores, came to us from PWM over the past decades.
Thus, it was a real pleasure to welcome the top brass of PWM to the PMC on their recent visit in Los Angeles. Director General Adam Radzikowski and Editor-in-Chief Daniel Cichy stopped by for a tour of PMC on January 15. After being shown around and introduced to our staff, they were shown the most recent archival collections of donated manuscripts and memorabilia relating to Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Zygmunt Stojowski, Bronisław Kaper and Henryk Wars. Thereafter, the PWM delegation toured the PMC Manuscript Collection, housed in the Special Collections at the Doheny Library (pictured at left). Special Collections Archivist Claude Zacharywelcomed Director Radzikowski and Dr. Cichy and opened a Feuchtwanger Reading Room lounge for the visitors. Several tables were laid out with manuscripts by Lutosławski, Baird, Bacewicz, Meyer, and other leading contemporary Polish composers, and the PWM delegation carefully studied these rare documents at length, marveling at the strength and breadth of the PMC’s Manuscript Collection.
A quick tour of the USC campus followed, with the Thornton School of Music, the Paderewski monument, and the film school on the itinerary. After lunch the visitors returned to PMC headquarters in Stonier Hall to discuss upcoming joint initiatives that include a planned publication of Lutosławski’s biography in English and PWM’s reissue of selected works from Zygmunt Stojowski’s catalogue held at PMC.
Later that weekend, Mariusz Brymora, Consul General of the Republic of Poland, hosted Dir. Radzikowski, Dr. Cichy and Polish artists performing at Disney Hall on January 19—Łukasz Borowicz, Paweł Mykietyn and Agata Zubel—at an exclusive dinner party at the residence. Officials from the LA Philharmonic and representatives of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute were also on hand. On this occasion PMC was represented by Assistant Director Krysta Close and Marek Zebrowski who, together with the hosts, toasted a very productive and successful visit of Polish musicians and Polish music promotors in Southern California.