The year’s end and the holidays usually prompt our friends near and far to send us all kinds of important publications, scores and other materials that are gratefully accepted and integrated into the Polish Music Center’s library collection. There are several wonderful new items that arrived during the last two months that we would like…Continue Reading Gifts to PMC January 2019
At its 76th Annual Meeting at the Hilton Chicago, held from January 3-6, 2019, the Polish American Historical Association (PAHA) announced the recipients of its Annual Awards for 2018. The meeting also included many scholarly presentations in nine sessions on diverse aspects of Polonia’s culture, presented from historical, sociological, critical, and literary perspectives with a…Continue Reading 2018 PAHA Awards
On January 17, the Witold Lutosławski Polish Radio Concert Studio will host a second concert in the “Resounds: New Polish Music” series. The Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra will perform works by Mieczysław Weinberg and Grażyna Bacewicz from the 1940s to show the wider historical context of new Polish music and the changes that have occurred since then. There will be an opportunity to…Continue Reading Resounds: New Polish Music
A total of 22 symphonies, including seven for voice and orchestra, eight operas, 17 string quartets, concertos, sonatas, cantatas, and songs… One cannot stop marvelling at the richness and diversity of Mieczysław Weinberg’s life work. He was a composer “from three worlds”: a Polish artist of Jewish origin, an émigré who settled in the Soviet…Continue Reading 100th Birth Anniversary of Mieczysław Weinberg
2019 marks a double anniversary for Grażyna Bacewicz, who was born 110 years ago on February 5, 1909 in Łódź and died in 50 years ago, on January 17, 1969 in Warsaw. Despite the politically tumultuous time during which she lived and composed, many of her works were awarded top honors and prizes—including the Queen Elizabeth of Belgium…Continue Reading Grażyna Bacewicz Year
On 3 March 2019, the LA Museum of the Holocaust will present a rare Los Angeles performance by Polish-Canadian pianist Daniel Wnukowski, who will perform an all-Polish program of Mazurkas. The program will include works by Chopin as well as lesser-known Polish-Jewish composers who survived the Holocaust. Daniel Wnukowski has performed throughout Europe, North America, South…Continue Reading Daniel Wnukowski at LA Museum of the Holocaust
By Marek Żebrowski With great sadness, we note the passing of Dr. Zbysław Petryka, a longtime friend and supporter of the Polish Music Center. He died on January 18 and was 88 years old. He is survived by his sister, niece and her family in Poland. Born on 11 February 1930 in Warsaw, Dr. Petryka…Continue Reading Farewell Dr. Zbysław Petryka
A review by Marek Zebrowski Commemorating the centenary of regaining Poland’s independence, during the second half of November the Polish National Opera Theatre in Warsaw presented a spectacle, “Nasz Chopin/Notre Chopin,” featuring the Polish National Ballet dancing to live performances of Chopin’s Piano Concertos in E and F minor with pianist Krzysztof Jabłoński and Grzegorz…Continue Reading Dancing Chopin
The Jerzy Semkow Sinfonia Iuventus Polish Orchestra, under the direction of Marek Wroniszewski, will perform the works of Bacewicz, Szymanowski, Różycki and Karłowicz on January 19 at the Witold Lutosławski Polish Radio Concert Studio in Warsaw. Piotr Pławner will perform as a soloist. Polish Neo-Romantic composers Ludomir Różycki and Mieczysław Karłowicz were inspired by the colorful…Continue Reading 20th Century Polish Symphonic Music
The Polish premiere of Epitaph for Paweł Adamowicz composed by Katarzyna Kwiecień-Długosz will take place on January 18. Monika Kaźmierczak will perform the piece on the carillon of the St. Catherine’s Church in Gdańsk. The composer dedicated the Epitaph to the recently murdered Mayor of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz, whose name and city are referenced within the composition of the work…Continue Reading Musical Epitaph in Memory of Paweł Adamowicz