Our colleagues at the Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association [Stowarzyszenie Polskich Muzyków Kameralistów, or SPMK] have a very busy fall planned for this year, starting with a September full of offerings across the globe.
Beginning in New York City, members of the SPMK will perform two concerts celebrating primarily works by Polish-Jewish composers. First on September 9 at the Bernikow JCC on Staten Island, mezzo soprano Hanna Hipp and pianist Grzegorz Mania will perform works by Szymon Laks, Mieczysław Weinberg and Roman Ryterband, along with Fryderyk Chopin, Zygmunt Noskowski and Mieczysław Karłowicz. The concert is FREE, however RSVP is required.
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 | 6:00 PM
SPMK Concert: The Music of Polish Jewish Composers
Lewis Stolzenberg Social Hall – Bernikow JCC
1466 Manor Rd, Staten Island, NY 10314
FREE Admission, RSVP required here
On the next day, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research will host the concert “Refugees from World War II: Reclaiming the Music of Polish Composers” at the Center for Jewish History in New York City. The program includes, among other works, compelling Jewish-themed music by Laks, Weinberg, and Ryterband. All of the featured composers were arrested or fled from Poland after the Germans bombed Warsaw on September 1, 1939—completely destroying its Philharmonic Hall and many other sites—and subsequently occupied the city until 1945. The program is performed by distinguished members of the SPMK, including mezzo soprano Hanna Hipp, pianists Grzegorz Mania and Marcin Sikorski, and violinist Jarosław Nadrzycki, who will be joined by the noted American clarinetist Alan R. Kay.
This concert is presented by the American Society for Jewish Music, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Holocaust Music Lost & Found, and Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association, and is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund, in collaboration with the Polish Cultural Institute – New York.
Wednesday, September 10, 2025 | 7:30 PM
SPMK Concert: Refugees from World War II: Reclaiming the Music of Polish Composers
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research – Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th St., New York, NY 10011
FREE Admission, RSVP required here
Then, SPMK members Jarosław Nadrzycki and Marcin Sikorski travel to Houston, Texas to perform a piano and violin recital at the University of St. Thomas on September 11. This recital program will cover a wide scope of Polish composers of various eras, including works by Weinberg and Ryterband as performed on previous concerts, as well as Chopin, Henryk Wieniawski and Karol Szymanowski.
Thursday, September 11, 2025
SPMK Recital: Polish Music for Piano and Violin
Cullen Hall – University of St. Thomas
4001 Mt Vernon, Houston, TX 77006
Info: 713-522-7911 or facebook.com
‘Kraków Music Salon’: One-of-a-Kind Festival in Poland
Back in Poland, the 9th edition of the SPMK’s Kraków Music Salon Festival [Krakowski Salon Muzyczny] will be held from September 6 to October 1, 2025. Each year, this unique festival transports listeners back to the intimate atmosphere of 19th-century music salons, reviving the long-forgotten tradition of home music-making and chamber concerts. A highlight of the 2025 festival will be the world premiere of a new composition, commissioned as part of the SPMK–ZAiKS Composers’ Residency Program.
This year’s edition will unfold in remarkable venues: Fontana Hall [Sala Fontany] at the Museum of Kraków, as well as in private salons on Studencka and Garncarska Streets. Admission to all concerts is free of charge, making the festival accessible to a wide audience.
Since its founding in 2017, the Kraków Music Salon has been the only festival of its kind in Poland and it continues to grow each year, offering audiences an extraordinary blend of chamber music in intimate settings while celebrating the richness of Polish and international musical traditions. The 2025 edition will feature performances by leading local Polish artists, including: Katarzyna Budnik, Elżbieta Stefańska, Marta Gidaszewska, Robert Łaguniak, Piotr Pawlak, Hanna Hipp, Grzegorz Mania, Bartosz Koziak, and Bartłomiej Wezner. Also on the bill are many distinguished international guests, among them: PMC Director Marek Żebrowski with the V4 Quartet of Miranda Liu, Daniel Rumler, and Tomas Krejbich, as well as Charles Own and Katya Apekisheva,.
Festival programs will span a wide musical spectrum. From the timeless works of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, through Polish masters such as Żeleński, Noskowski, and Stojowski, to 20th-century music by Weinberg, Laks, and Lutosławski, as well as works by Henryk Wars—whose manuscripts located at the USC Polish Music Center were added to the Polish UNESCO ‘Memory of the World’ list.
Full details of all concerts are available at spmk.com.pl.
September 6 to October 1, 2025 | Various times
Kraków Music Salon Festival
Various venues in Kraków, Poland
FREE Admission, RSVP by email: promocja@spmk.com.pl