The Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles announces the Summer 2025 Cultural Exchange Program. Carried out by the Festival Board in collaboration with the USC Polish Music Center, as well as other partners in California and Poland, this year’s Exchange will send two students—winners of the annual Youth Piano Competition in Paso Robles—on all-expenses paid study…Continue Reading 2025 Paderewski Festival Cultural Exchange Program
During World War II, Polish-Jewish luthier Franciszek “Franz” Kempa was imprisoned at Dachau, the first concentration camp established by the Nazis in 1933 in southern Germany. Based on the discovery of a note hidden in a recently examined instrument, it seems that Kempa masterfully crafted a violin out of the crude materials available to him…Continue Reading Violin Made in K. L. Dachau Discovered!
Janusz Wawrowski, acclaimed Polish violinist and professor at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, is using an extraordinary instrument — the Stradivarius Polonia — to record violin works by Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz. In his latest project, Wawrowski explores Bacewicz’s dynamic violin works, bringing attention to one of Poland’s most important composers of the…Continue Reading Wawrowski records Bacewicz on a Stradivarius
During their recent tour of the U.S. and Switzerland, the Karolina & Iwo Duo visited the Morgan Library and Museum in Washington to perform their arrangement of a previously unknown Waltz by Fryderyk Chopin. Discovered by curator Robin McClellan while cataloging the Arthur Satz Collection, this significant piece is the first major Chopin discovery since…Continue Reading Karolina & Iwo Duo Perform Recently Discovered Chopin Waltz
From June 13–18 in New York City, the 2025 Jazztopad Festival will present a lineup including: Immanuel Wilkins with the Lutosławski Quartet (World Premiere – watch live here), Michiyo Yagi with Hamid Drake, Patricia Brennan & Maciej Obara, Maciej Obara NYC Quartet with John Patitucci & Nasheet Waits, Wacław Zimpel with Brooklyn Raga Massive with…Continue Reading 2025 Jazztopad NYC Festival
The 2025 season finale of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic on May 30 will mark a significant artistic moment with the world premiere of the Non-Academic Overture by Agata Zubel. Born in Wrocław, composer Agata Zubel returns to her hometown with a new composition commissioned by the National Forum of Music as part of the “Composers’…Continue Reading Zubel’s “Non-Academic Overture” Premieres in Wroclaw
The 35th edition of the International Music Course in Opole, held in conjunction with the 18th Silesian Summer of Music Festival, will take place from August 5 to 16, 2025. Supported by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage through the Culture Promotion Fund, this special anniversary year welcomes both solo performers and chamber ensembles….Continue Reading 35th Int’l Music Course in Opole
The Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association (SPMK), publisher of Notatnik Pianistyczny, invites composers to participate in the “Chopin Inspirations” composition competition. Celebrating the enduring legacy of Fryderyk Chopin, the competition seeks original piano miniatures inspired by Chopin’s iconic waltzes or mazurkas. Submissions are open until June 30, 2025, with two competition categories: While there is no…Continue Reading “Chopin Inspirations” Composition Competition
On May 16th, Jadwiga Rappé, an outstanding Polish soprano, mentor to many remarkable musicians, and our dear Friend, passed away. She will remain in our memory as an exceptional interpreter of music from all eras. With her talent, skills, and artistic passion, she was an extraordinary and fascinating person. We will miss her dearly, though…Continue Reading Jadwiga Rappé Obituary
The Monster’s Voice is a new opera with music by renowned composer Alek Nowak and acclaimed librettist Robert Bolesto, and staged by visionary film director Agnieszka Smoczyńska. Premiering on June 27 and 28 at Aula Artis in Poznań during the Malta Festival, this original production fuses myth with contemporary reality, exploring themes of identity, alienation,…Continue Reading Opera Premiere of “The Monster’s Voice” by Alek Nowak