Organized by the USC Polish Music Center, celebrations across Los Angeles of the artistic and intellectual legacy of Szymon Laks (1901-1983) will be held on October 19. Paris-based Polish Jewish composer and writer Szymon Laks’s music uniquely balances elements of French modernism, Polish folk music and American jazz. The composer survived imprisonment at Auschwitz by conducting the camp orchestra, an experience which he later recalled in his hauntingly honest memoir entitled Music of Another World. All the day’s events are free and open to the public!
At the heart of the day is the PMC’s flagship event, the annual Paderewski Lecture-Recital, which takes place on USC’s downtown campus in Newman Recital Hall at 7:00 pm. Guest pianist and lecturer Grzegorz Mania (pictured at left) will be joined on stage by USC Thornton students—Maya Irizarry-Lambright and Nathan Nguyen, violins; Mathew Pakola, viola; and Miles Reed, cello—and other guest performers for a program including Laks’s lively Piano Quintet. This work is based on Laks’s Third String Quartet, composed using Polish folk idioms just after regaining his freedom in May 1945. As this Paderewski Lecture-Recital marks the end of the PMC’s 40th anniversary celebrations, we will also take this moment to recognize significant donors and partners from our four-decade history, with a brief ceremony on stage and a courtyard reception after the recital.
Earlier in the afternoon, a companion Witness to Truth event will take place in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood at the Museum of Tolerance at 1:00 pm. Co-presented by the MOT, PMC and Holocaust Museum LA, the event will highlight the experience of 2nd generation Holocaust survivors through the lens of the Laks family. Guest scholar Dr. Mania and Mark Katrikh, MOT Deputy Director, will lead a conversation via video with philosopher André Laks, speaking from Mexico City, followed by a performance of music by his father, Szymon Laks. Related items from the archival collections of the USC Polish Music Center and the Museum of Tolerance will be temporarily on exhibit at this event.
Please RSVP below to join us!
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2025 | 1:00 P.M.
Witness to Truth: André Laks, with Music of Szymon Laks
Venue: Museum of Tolerance, 9786 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA (venue & parking map)
Parking (Free): in structure below the Museum
FREE admission, RSVP Required
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2025 | 7:00 P.M.
2025 Paderewski Lecture-Recital: The Music World of Szymon Laks
Venue: USC Newman Recital Hall – 3616 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA (venue map)
Parking ($4-$20): McCarthy Way Structure* – 620 USC McCarthy Way, Los Angeles, CA (parking map)
FREE admission, RSVP Below
Reception in Herklotz Courtyard to follow the lecture-recital
If you require assistance between parking and venue or any other accommodations, please call 213-764-4977
*Please note that USC has recently transitioned to processing all parking transactions through the Text2Park system. This platform allows all guests to conveniently pay for parking directly from their mobile phones upon arrival. Once you park, simply text MCCY to 25023. You will then receive instructions to complete the parking payment.
Sponsors & Partners
This project is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund, and co-organized with the Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association (SPMK), Polish Cultural Institute NY, Holocaust Museum LA, and Museum of Tolerance. Our generous sponsors include the Consulate General of Poland in LA, POLAM Federal Credit Union, Polish Center in LA, Moonrise Press, and Modjeska Art & Culture Club.