August 3, 2024, marked the tenth anniversary of Jan Jarczyk’s untimely death. This talented and internationally-recognized jazz pianist, composer and educator moved to the U.S. in 1977 and taught in the 1980s at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. After moving to Montreal in the 1990s, he joined the faculty of the McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, where he was active practically until the end of his life.
Recipient of the 1974 Grand Prix at the Concours d’Improvisation de Piano Jazz in Lyon and the Socan Award for Best Jazz Composition at the 1999 Montreal Jazz Festival, Jarczyk performed throughout Europe, North America and Japan. He recorded several albums in Poland and Canada, and one of them, Things to Look For, was nominated for the Félix Award in 1996.
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Jarczyk’s death, the Schulich School of Music at McGill announced several public events taking place in early October. They include an afternoon gathering of Schulich School Alumni on Friday, October 3 at 3 p.m. and a 7:30 p.m. concert celebrating Jan Jarczyk’s music. A commemorative musical mass is planned for Saturday, Oct. 5 at 11 a.m. to be followed by the art exposition and picnic in Jan’s Ruelle Verte neighborhood at 1 p.m. You can RSVP to any or all of these events at this link: Jan Jarczyk Commemoration
For more information, contact Letitia.brewer@mcgill.ca.
[Source: email from McGill]