The iconic festival of contemporary music, Warszawska Jesień [Warsaw Autumn], celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Held in various venues around Warsaw from September 15-23, 2017, its programs will examine and illustrate the phenomenon of the avant-garde. Works by the composers who were part of the original avant-garde will be juxtaposed with the composers whose works came about…Continue Reading ‘Warsaw Autumn’ 2017 Preview
Have you ever been interested in supporting talented Polish musicians directly? Szymon Rywalski is a young Polish student from Wejherowo, Poland who has been accepted to study horn at the prestigious Peabody Institute in Baltimore. He would be part of the studio of Ms. Denise Tryon, a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra and one of…Continue Reading Rywalski Kickstarter Campaign
The Gdynia Film School organizes film scoring workshops for music school students and graduates of music academies interested in composing film music. The program will be held October 9-15, 2017 and applications must be submitted by September 10 to info@gsf.pl. All studio facilities of Gdynia Film School will be open to the participants, who will attend group lectures and individual coaching sessions…Continue Reading Film Scoring Workshops in Gdynia
On Wednesday, August 23, Polish violinist Kinga Augustyn will perform a recital at the Chicago Cultural Center, as part of the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series featuring emerging artists from around the world. At 12:15 PM CST, this recital will be broadcast live online by classical music station WFMT. Together with Macedonian pianist Kalina Mrmevska, Augustyn will…Continue Reading Polish Musicians Perform at Chicago Cultural Center
“That he is no mere flashy wunderkind of the baton was shown by the freshly invigorated playing he drew from the CSO … [Urbanski’s] keen musical instincts and vigorous way of translating his ideas into orchestral sound that has both shape and meaning.” —Chicago Tribune On Tuesday, August 15, 2017, Polish conductor Krzysztof Urbański will take the…Continue Reading Urbański at the Bowl
In late June, the Dallas Opera announced the participants in the Third Annual Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors, scheduled to run Nov. 5-19 in Dallas, Texas. There were 161 applicants from 33 countries who competed this year for admission to the program, and Polish maestra Monika Wolińska was one of the six selected for this exclusive…Continue Reading Wolińska Triumphant
The Second Piano Concerto of Raul Koczalski (1885-1948) was premiered on June 17, 2017 at Radziejowice Palace by the superb Polish pianist Joanna Ławrynowicz performing with the ‘Sinfonia Varsovia’ orchestra during the 9th Summer Festival of Jerzy Waldorff in Radziejowice. Along with Koczalski’s First Piano Concerto, these works were recently discovered by Jan A. Jarnicki of Acte Préalable records. The world premiere of the First…Continue Reading Koczalski: Premiere Performance and Recording
Edited and extensively introduced by Irena Poniatowska, Wdzięk afektu—teksty o tempie rubato [The Charm Affect—Texts about Tempo Rubato] is a wonderful new publication of the National Chopin Institute in Warsaw. This small hardcover book is a treasure trove of fascinating texts about interpreting music and the pulse of musical narration. Leading with an extensive article by Ignacy Jan Paderewski first…Continue Reading More Gifts to PMC: July – August 2017
Roman Ryterband’s daughter, Diana Eisele, stopped by the PMC recently with another valuable donation, an orchestral score of her father’s ballet music, Herakles and The Argonauts. “It was a real find,” Diana said with a smile, “because for many years we’ve considered this score lost.” Commissioned by Walter Fischer, a Swiss acquaintance of the composer who also…Continue Reading The Ryterband Collection Grows
This June, as in all odd-numbered years since 2009, selected winners of the Youth Piano Competition administered by the Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles travelled to Poland on the Festival’s International Cultural Exchange Program. Our partners in Poland—the Province of Tarnów and the Paderewski Center in Kąśna Dolna—once again provided the venue and accommodations for students from three regions around the world—California, Małopolska,…Continue Reading 2017 Paderewski Festival Exchange in Poland