In 2015 the world will celebrate the 85th birthday of Romuald Twardowski. Born in 1930 in Vilnius, Twardowski is one of the greatest composers of Polish choral music. Apart from vocal works, he is also the author of numerous theatre and symphonic compositions. His keen sense for melodic invention, instrumentation, original form and the unique…Continue Reading Twardowski Celebrations In Lublin
The first concert played by the Warsaw National Philharmonic in its hall, newly-reconstructed after war-time destruction, was given on February 21, 1955. The recording of this historic concert—now digitally re-mastered by Grammy Award winning sound engineers Aleksander Nagórko and Andrzej Sasin—has been released on the Warner Classics label under the title Warsaw Philharmonic Archives: The…Continue Reading Warsaw Phil On Warner Classics
Warsaw, Poland Vietnamese pianist Dang Thai Son joined the National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw at a special Fryderyk Chopin birthday concert on Sunday, March 1, marking the 205th anniversary of Chopin’s birth. In 1980, Dang Thai Son became the first Asian pianist to win the prestigious Chopin Competition, and indeed any major international piano competition….Continue Reading Chopin’s 205th Birthday Celebrations
As the Lira Ensemble celebrates their ‘Joyous Jubilee’ of 50 years, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago and the Board of Directors of the Lira Ensemble invite all supporters to “Music Just for Lira” benefit concert in Chicago on March 11. Featuring the Lira Singers Quartet, the program will be comprised…Continue Reading Lira 50 Year Jubilee Benefit Concert
On March 15, the SUNDAYS LIVE! Chamber Music Series presents violinist Phillip Levy and pianist Rina Dokshitsky performing Paderewski’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op.13. Also on the program are Mozart’s Sonata in G Major, K301, and Prokofiev’s Five Melodies, Op.35. Born in Cardiff, Wales, Phillip Levy received his musical training in Israel and Europe….Continue Reading Paderewski at Sundays Live! in L.A.
On January 28, Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (MKiDN) published the results of the call for applications for the 4th edition of the ministry’s program “Collections – Composing Commissions,” which is operated by the Institute of Music and Dance in Warsaw (IMiT). 90 pairs of composers and music organizations were awarded grants amounting…Continue Reading “Composing Commissions” 2015-2016 – Results
Music of beauty and enormity… it is a perfect masterpiece… it is a hymn to humanity… to the international solidarity of those who, subjected to the most terrible evil, stood up against fascism. –Dmitri Shostakovich about The Passenger The Lyric Opera of Chicago presents the Chicago premiere of Polish-Jewish composer Mieczysław Weinberg’s The Passenger…Continue Reading Exploring Mieczyław Weinberg in Chicago
Award-winning Polish composer Marta Ptaszyńska will succeed Shulamit Ran as the artistic director of Contempo, the University of Chicago’s renowned contemporary music collective. Ran, the Andrew MacLeish Distinguished Service Professor of Composition and a Pulitzer Prize winning composer, will retire in June after more than 40 years of service to the University and 12 years…Continue Reading Ptaszyńska to Lead Chicago’s Prestigious ‘Contempo’
The SYNTHETIS 2015 International Summer Course for Composers will take place in Radziejowice (near Warsaw) between July 13 – 25, 2015, organized by the Music Gardens Foundation. Young composers (up to 35 years old) from all over the world are invited to apply by April 30, 2015 for the opportunity to attend lectures and individual…Continue Reading Synthetis 2015
One of the newest installments in Google’s Cultural Institute initiative is the exhibit Witold Lutosławski 1913-1994, an interactive exploration of the life and works of the famous Polish composer, through images and text. This is the third Cultural Institute exhibit to be curated by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute’s flagship website, Culture.pl. The images are culled from…Continue Reading Lutosławski on Google