PACF Celebrates 50 Years

The Polish Arts and Culture Foundation (1966-2016) celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. From April 30 to May 13, the PACF co-organized several events in honor of its Founder, the late Mme. Wanda Tomczykowska, and the 50 remarkable years of promoting Polish culture in the Bay Area and beyond that she launched by starting the PACF. Guest of…Continue Reading PACF Celebrates 50 Years

First Kilar Biography

Kilar. Geniusz o dwóch twarzach Maria Wilczek-Krupa Wydawnictwo Znak, 2015 Entitled Kilar. Geniusz o dwóch twarzach [Kilar. Genius of two faces], the first full biography of composer Wojciech Kilar provides a fascinating portrait of the recently deceased artist. Describing himself as “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Kilar was known for his great love of fast cars and his…Continue Reading First Kilar Biography

Polish Day in LA

On June 11 from 2:00 to 10:00 pm, the Polish Day in LA Festival will be held in the downtown Long Beach East Village Art District, on Linden Avenue between 1st and Broadway.  This event celebrating Polish-American heritage will include such musical performances as the Wessex Consort accompanying Irene Ujda’s ‘Vistula Danza’ ensemble as they perform Polish traditional…Continue Reading Polish Day in LA

Concert in Support of Jacek Janiszewski

A special Chopin/Wagner Concert will be held on the initiative of Waldemar Dąbrowski, director of the Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera, for their excellent colleague, exquisite singer Jacek Janiszewski (right). Winner of the 1998 Moniuszko Competition alongside Aleksandra Kurzak, this phenomenal bass has mainly been working in Germany for some time now. However he has also appeared in a range of…Continue Reading Concert in Support of Jacek Janiszewski

Premiere of Listy Na Kresy

This oratorio with fifteen set pieces of different musical genres, including rock, gospel, and blues, tackles a difficult and little known subject of Polish history during World War II. Listy na Kresy [Letters to the Borderlands] describes the forced exile of Polish nationals living in the eastern half of Poland that was invaded by the Soviets in…Continue Reading Premiere of Listy Na Kresy

Łukaszewski Premiere

On June 3, 2016 the premiere of the Fourth Symphony Paweł Łukaszewski took place in the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Białystok, which commissioned the piece in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Bialystok. The composer subtitled this work ‘Symphony on the Mercy of God,’ referring to earlier works of this…Continue Reading Łukaszewski Premiere

Mykietyn Premiere

On May 20, the Baltic Philharmonic presented a birthday concert celebrating Paweł Mykietyn, featuring the World Premiere of his Double Concertofor two flutes and orchestra. Conductor Juri Gilbo led the orchestra of the Baltic Philharmonic with soloist flutists Łukasz Długosz and Agata Kielar-Długosz. Also on the program were the Overture to Mozart’s Magic Flute, and Brahms’s Symphony No. 3….Continue Reading Mykietyn Premiere

Premieres at 7+7=70

The seventieth anniversary of the Polish Composers’ Union [ZKP] will be celebrated at a Festival of Seven Trends and Concert of Seven Premieres [Festiwal Siedmiu Nurtów oraz Koncert Siedmiu Premier] held June 19-26, 2016 at the National Audio-Visual Institute (NInA) and the Polish Radio’s Lutosławski Concert Studio in Warsaw. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture, Piotr Gliński, serves…Continue Reading Premieres at 7+7=70

Polish Early Music in the Bay Area

Led by Adam Knight Gilbert, the USC Thornton Baroque Sinfonia from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles will present a program entitled “Musica Antiqua Polonica: Musical Treasures of Early-Modern Poland” at the Early Music America—Young Performers Festival on June 9 in Berkeley, CA. Featuring music by Mikołaj Zieleński, Marcin Mielczewski, Stanisław Sylwester Szarzyński, Diomedes Cato, Wojciech Długoraj,…Continue Reading Polish Early Music in the Bay Area