The Zarębski Piano Duo is comprised of Piotr Różański and Grzegorz Mania—two professors of piano from the prestigious Penderecki Music Academy in Kraków, and co-founders of the Polish Chamber Musicians Association (SPMK). From March 9-11, the duo will perform two concerts and give a lecture at various venues in Los Angeles.
Their LA concert programs on March 9 and 11 will highlight piano compositions for four hands from 19th and the 20th century Polish and Jewish composers, including Paderewski, Moszkowski, Friedman, Żeleński, Godowski and Zarębski. The lecture on March 10 will feature prof. Grzegorz Mania, who will explore the extraordinary life of Szymon Laks (1901-1983)— Polish émigré composer, linguist, writer, and Holocaust survivor, whose 40th death anniversary is marked with international events during 2023.
Event Details
Thursday, March 9, 2023 | 6:00 p.m.
Zarębski Piano Duo – Concert @ HMLA
Holocaust Museum LA
100 The Grove Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Paid parking at The Grove, across the street from HMLA
Event Details & RSVP: www.holocaustmuseumla.org
FREE ADMISSION
Friday, March 10, 2023 | 12 noon
Grzegorz Mania – “Szymon Laks: Music of Another World” Lecure
USC Doheny Library, Music Library – Herklotz Room (DML, basement level)
3550 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Parking: $4/hr in McCarthy Parking Structure (USC parking info here)
Event Details: polishmusic.usc.edu
FREE ADMISSION
Saturday, March 11, 2023 |3:30 p.m.
Zarębski Piano Duo – Second Saturdays Concert
Westwood Public Library (balcony level)
1246 Glendon Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Free parking while at the Library
Event Details: www.lamusicalsalon.org
FREE ADMISSION
Duo Biography
Founded in 2013 by two Kraków-based pianists, Piotr Różanski and Grzegorz Mania, the Zarębski Piano Duo specializes primarily in performing compositions for piano 4 hands, exploring a vast repertoire available for this ensemble that includes works by Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Dvořák.
Moving beyond the classical and romantic era favorites, the Zarębski Piano Duo also programs contemporary works for their concerts, including compositions by Samuel Barber, Gyōrgy Ligeti, Paul Hindemith, Edwin Schulhoff, and John Corigliano, among others. A special place on the Duo’s concert programs is taken by Polish music from the 1800s until the present time, represented by such composers as Juliusz Zarębski, Zygmunt Noskowski, Władysław Żeleński, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Ignacy Friedman, Maurycy Moszkowski, Leopold Godowski, Piotr Kędzierski, Michał Pawełek, and Emil Wojtacki. Also notable is the Zarębski Duo’s dedication to works by contemporary women composers, including Hanna Kulenty, Joanna Bruzdowicz, Anna Ignatowicz-Glińska, Katarzyna Kwiecień-Długosz and Anna Rocławska-Musiałczyk.
The ensemble has performed in many noteworthy venues across the world, appearing at the St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, Newman Recital Hall in Los Angeles, the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, as well as in Tampere, Kemijärvi and Kuusamo, at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and at the Pharos Arts Foundation in Nicosia, Cyprus. The Duo’s other international concerts included performances in Stuttgart and Frankfurt am Main, Israel, and Ukraine. In Poland, the Zarębski Piano Duo was heard at the inauguration of the XXII Czerny-Stefańska National Piano Competition in Żagań, and performed for the prestigious project, “Gradus ad Parnassum – Academy of Master Pianists” in Kraków. They have also appeared at various festivals, including “Rzeszów Musical Autumn,” “Kraków Musical Autumn,” “Kraków Musical Salon,” “Józef Hofmann in Memoriam” in Kraków, as well as at the “Women in Music” festivals in Gdańsk and Warsaw. Grzegorz Mania and Piotr Różański have also performed as soloists with the Polish Art Philharmonic. Both are also active as professors at the Kraków Music Academy and other music schools, where they conduct workshops and master classes.
In 2019, the Zarębski Piano Duo’s album “Poland for 4 Hands” was released, featuring works by Zarębski and Paderewski, as well as complete opus for piano four-hands by Żeleński. Both artists are active in publishing, preparing editions of piano music for the ensemble for the PWM Edition, including the collection “Let’s Play More for Four Hands – Selected Pieces for Advanced Students,” and selected works by Franciszek Lessel.
[Sources: press release, holocaustmuseumla.org, lamusicalsalon.org. Photo: Natalia Jansen]