Writing for The Guardian on April 8, Andrew MacDowall paints a picture of how tourism in Poland is affected by the world’s fascination with Fryderyk Chopin, in the article “Chopin movement music to ears of Polish tourism officials.” Below is an excerpt: “We see that people feel a connection with Chopin that is almost religious,”…Continue Reading Chopin & Tourism
Starting on May 2, the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra is embarking on a concert tour of Asia. The ensemble will play 17 concerts at the La Folle Journée Festival in Japan, as is customary for the ensemble at this time of year. Also, for the first time in the history of the ensemble, the Orchestra will play three…Continue Reading Sinfonia Varsovia Asia Tour
Kraków Music Academy and Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing are jointly organizing a series of concerts from April 20 until May 5. Concerts of the combined orchestras from these two music schools will be presented in Kraków, Vienna, Beijing and Tianjin. The Kraków concert was held at the Szymanowski Philharmonic Hall on April 23…Continue Reading Polish and Chinese Music Students Collaborate
New York-based Polish pianist Magdalena Baczewska recently made her San Francisco Symphony solo debut on April 25, 2015, stepping in last-minute for a sold-out performance of Tan Dun’s Banquet Concerto at the Davies Symphony Hall, with maestro Damian Ioro conducting. In May, Baczewska will return to Beijing, China, where back in October 2014 she performed with maestro…Continue Reading Baczewska in China
Chicago, IL With a Polish population second only to that of Warsaw, Chicago is a city that revels in Polish holidays – and May 3rd Constitution Day is no exception! This year Chicago’s May 3rd Parade celebrating the Polish Constitution of 1791 will be held on Saturday, May 2 starting at 11.30 AM, with the…Continue Reading 3rd of May Celebrations
Marta Marciniak (PhD – University at Buffalo, SUNY), who previously presented a paper on Polish punk music and the politics during the PMC’s Sounds from Behind the Iron Curtain: Polish Music after World War II Conference in April 2013, is currently seeking funding to attend a new conference on the subject of “Oral History in…Continue Reading ‘Oral History in Central-Eastern Europe’ Conference Fund
UNESCO has proclaimed April 30 to be International Jazz Day, so as to “better realize the value of the international community of jazz as an educational tool and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and cooperation between peoples.” At the culmination of International Jazz Month, International Jazz Day is an opportunity for governments, organizations, institutions and…Continue Reading Poland Celebrates International Jazz Day
Screen debut of Premiere and Conductor-in-Residence The premiere of two films produced by the Institute of Music and Dance in Warsaw (IMiT)—Premiere and Conductor-in-residence—was held on Wednesday, 25 March at 7 pm at the Mazovia Institute of Culture. Written and directed by Maja Baczyńska, the films were produced by the young artists of MUDO Music Documentaries. The executive producer is the…Continue Reading IMiT in Support of Young Musicians
MAY 31 APPLICATION DEADLINE The launch of the 5th edition of the ”Blank Pages of Music” research grant program—run by the Institute of Music and Dance (IMiT)—has been announced. The call for applications is addressed to Polish and foreign scholars who intend to carry out research related to neglected or little known areas of Polish…Continue Reading “Blank Pages of Music”
Poland’s premiere music publishers, Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne SA (PWM), celebrates 70 years of operations in 2015. It is appropriate that this anniversary lines up with the PMC’s own celebration of 35 years, as it was the close relationship with PWM—cultivated by PMC founder Wanda Wilk—that led to the development of the PMC’s extensive collection of…Continue Reading PWM Celebrates 70 Years