On November 21, the Łódź Philharmonic presents the premiere of a recently rediscovered piece by Aleksander Tansman – a Polish-Jewish composer born in Łódź, who spent post of his life and illustrious career abroad in Paris and briefly Los Angeles. Although Tansman deeply cherished his Polish roots as a composer, his works were rarely performed…Continue Reading Newly Discovered Tansman Ballet Premiered
The Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club in Los Angeles announces the Inauguration of the Helena Modjeska Festival. This special celebration of art and culture will take place on December 6-7, 2025, at the Writers Guild of America West and Crescent Theater in Beverly Hills. With concerts and film screenings, the Festival promises to be…Continue Reading 2025 Helena Modjeska Festival in LA
Earlier in November, ‘Polish Season‘ in Lyon, France opened with a series of exceptional concerts celebrating the richness and diversity of Polish music. The renowned early-music ensemble Arte dei Suonatori, joined by Marcin Świątkiewicz and Krzysztof Firlus, inaugurated the program with a captivating performance at the Auditorium de Lyon. The Equilibrium String Quartet with pianist…Continue Reading ‘Polish Season’ in Lyon: Poland’s Musical Treasures
Based in New York City since 1925, the Kosciuszko Foundation marked its 100th anniversary with a series of major events in Warsaw and Kraków during October and November. A large delegation of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, led by President and Executive Director Marek Skulimowski (shown below, left) and Chairman of the Board Alex of…Continue Reading A Century of the Kosciuszko Foundation in NY
Dr. Magdalena Baczewska, a Polish-born pianist and harpsichordist as well as Chair of the Music Performance Program at Columbia University, was recognized by the Board of Directors of the Pilsudski Institute with the Ignacy Paderewski Arts and Music Award for her distinguished contribution to promoting Polish classical music worldwide. The 2025 Gala Award Ceremony was…Continue Reading Baczewska Honored in New York
POINTS WELL MADE We recently received a fascinating and richly illustrated collection assembled by Boosey & Hawkes and Sikorski music publishers. Turning Points—Music by Persecuted and Exiled Composers in the Shadow of World War II is a catalogue of works by European Jewish composers interspersed by recordings lists and extensive scholarly articles sharing the most…Continue Reading PMC Gifts: November 2025
Dear Friend, This year marked the completion of the fortieth anniversary of the Polish Music Center’s presence on the USC campus. Since 1985, we have continued the work and sustained the legacy of Wanda Wilk, our founder and first director. Last fall we launched our celebrations with a concert of music by Henryk Wars, whose…Continue Reading 2025 PMC Year-In-Review
On November 22 in Chicago, popular jazz vocalist and culture curator Grażyna Auguścik will present a program entitled “Music of Victor Young” at the Academy of Music of the Paderewski Symphony Orchestra. Auguścik will be joined onstage by the following quartet: Vijay Tellis-Nayak – piano, Ethan Philion – bass, Jon Deitemyer – drums and John…Continue Reading Auguścik & the Music of Victor Young
On November 11, 2025, the Art Mintaka Foundation presented the world premiere of Rafał Gorzycki’s contemporary opera Lustro [The Mirror] in the Opera Hall of the New Campus of the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz. The performance, directed by Kamila Siwińska with a libretto by Małgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk, brought together several leading Polish ensembles…Continue Reading Premiere of Gorzycki Opera “Lustro” – Recording Now Available
On November 23, 2025, Teatr Wielki in Poznań will present the world premiere of Dorian Gray, a new opera by acclaimed composer Elżbieta Sikora and directed by David Pountney. Additional performances are scheduled for November 25, 27, and 29. Sikora’s opera draws on Oscar Wilde’s well-known novel, tracing the story of a young man who…Continue Reading World Premiere of Sikora Opera “Dorian Gray”