April 19 marked the 80th Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. To honor this anniversary, the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw has curated a robust program under the umbrella title of “Thou Shalt Not Be Indifferent” and spanning the entire year of 2023. This worldwide program includes such events as…Continue Reading 80th Anniversary of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Article and translations by Marek Zebrowski Good news sometimes takes time to percolate up the information chain on its way to a wider audience. This process certainly applies to Monika Wolińska, who for several years has been appearing as guest conductor on important European stages. Her international orchestral engagements are invariably well received by those…Continue Reading Wolińska Fêted in France
USC Thornton School of Music’s new music ensemble, Thornton Edge, under the direction of faculty member Donald Crockett (pictured above with Witold Lutoslawski when the PMC was founded in 1985), presents the Slava Festival—an evening of contemporary music by composers of Ukrainian origin, including a world premiere by Composition alum Adam Karelin. Curated by Karelin,…Continue Reading USC Thornton ‘Slava Festival’ Celebrates Ukraine
Polish composer Joanna Bruzdowicz, a great friend and benefactor of the Polish Music Center, would have been eighty years old this May 17. Unfortunately, she unexpectedly passed away at her residence in the south of France on November 3, 2021. Since then, her three sons—Mark, Jan and Jörg Tittel with their families—had generously donated a…Continue Reading Sounds of History
On March 26, audiences in Paris will hear Liquid Air by Elżbieta Sikora. Composed in 2021 and commissioned by the Warsaw Autumn Festival, Liquid Air will be performed in its French premiere by Orchester Pasdeloup under the baton of Marzena Diakun. More information and tickets are available at concertspasdeloup.fr. Three weeks later, on April 19,…Continue Reading Elżbieta Sikora: French and World Premieres
Cellist Bartosz Koziak, previous PMC Paderewski Lecture-Recital performer, will perform on March 27 at the Berlin Philharmonic. He will perform Krzysztof Meyer’s Canti Amadei Cello Concerto accompanied by Kammersymphonie Berlin. Koziak has previously recorded this with the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Sopot. Listen to the recording here. March 27, 2023 | 8 PM Bartosz Koziak Performs…Continue Reading Bartosz Koziak at the Berlin Philharmonic
Major Gift of Manuscripts and Published Scores Just a few weeks ago, the Polish Music Center received another priceless donation of manuscripts and various other published materials from our longtime friend and the 2005 Paderewski Lecturer, Marta Ptaszyńska. The large donation of mostly oversized items was graciously conveyed to PMC Director Marek Zebrowski at the…Continue Reading Ptaszyńska at PMC & in the Headlines!
Pump Out the Music! Virtuoso accordionist Wiesław Ochwat (above) teamed up with maestro Maciej Tworek and the Sinfonietta Cracovia ensemble to record two new concertos for accordion and orchestra for the Opus label (86 | 2022). Their CD features Maciej Zimka’s Concerto for Accordion and Chamber Orchestra and Mikołaj Majkusiak’s Concerto In Between for the…Continue Reading Feb 2023: PMC Gifts
…an ensemble that sounds like one instrument… – violinist Maxim Vengerov On March 25, the Polish Music Center will present one of the brightest stars of the young Polish chamber music scene: Duo Karolina Mikołajczyk & Iwo Jedynecki. Both virtuosos in their own right, Mikołajczyk and Jedynecki bring great energy to the stage, shining a…Continue Reading 2023 PMC Spring Concert: Duo Karolina Mikołajczyk & Iwo Jedynecki
On February 17-18, ensembles of the Warsaw Philharmonic performed the music of Krzysztof Penderecki and César Franck, conducted by Jurek Dybał. In the first half, excerpts from an unfinished opera by Penderecki titled Freda were given their world premiere. The composer began working on Freda with text by Jean-Baptiste Racine, but did not complete the…Continue Reading Penderecki’s ‘Fedra’ Opera Premiere