Maestro Jan Krenz, an outstanding conductor, composer, and honorary member of the Polish Composers’ Union, died on 15 September 2020 at the age of 94. Jan Krenz was a student of Zbigniew Drzewiecki (piano), Kazimierz Sikorski (composition) and Kazimierz Wiłkomirski (conducting). From 1947-49 he worked at the Poznań Philharmonic. In 1949, he became associated with…Continue Reading In Memoriam: Jan Krenz
On 5 September 2020, the Pomeranian Music Society in Toruń held an online concert during which the Fantasia on a rafting song, written by several Polish composers, was premiered via Facebook Event. The Raftsman’s Song, an old folk melody popular at the beginning of the 20th century, used to sound in the form of chanting from the Toruń…Continue Reading “Fantasia on a rafting song” premiere in Toruń
Music is a language, but language carries its own music. In our festival’s programme, these two elements will intertwine in various ways, touching upon issues such as: the role of words in music; words embedded in music and music embedded in words; the language of music, the music of language; common elements between music and language;…Continue Reading 2020 Warsaw Autumn Festival
Karol Rathaus, composer Works by Karol Rathaus (1895-1954) continue to be gradually rediscovered by a growing circle of performers and audiences worldwide. Born in Tarnopol, Poland (now Ukraine), Rathaus studied music in Vienna and Berlin and was a favorite pupil of the renowned Franz Schreker. His successful decade as a composer and professor of music…Continue Reading Rathaus by Stoupel
On Saturday, Sept 5, at 6 pm (PT), the limited music series Show me That! will spotlight a performance and conversation with Darek Oles along with the host of the Series, Otmaro Ruiz, a pianist, composer and arranger, and Oles’ former Cal Arts classmate. During the Facebook Livestream, Oles’ original pieces will be performed and followed with…Continue Reading Virtual Performance Darek Oles with Otmaro Ruiz
As of September 1, the Polish Music Center will now be available on a limited basis on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. PDT. If you would like to access the PMC in person during these hours, we require at least 24-hour notice via email at polmusic@usc.edu, at which point we will also provide…Continue Reading PMC Re-opens on Tuesdays!
On Sunday September 13, the newly re-branded Holocaust Museum LA (formerly the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust) will present a livestream broadcast of Cracow Duo: Live From Krakow’s Jewish Quarter. This special live performance by cellist Jan Kalinowski and pianist Marek Szlezer—known collectively as the Cracow Duo—will be streamed from the Center for Jewish…Continue Reading Cracow Duo: Live From Krakow’s Jewish Quarter
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Solidarność, or Solidarity, and the signing of the Gdańsk August Agreements. Founded in 1980 as a trade union in the Gdańsk Shipyard, Solidarity became a leading political force in the defeat of the Communist regime in Poland. Eventually the Polish government was forced to negotiate…Continue Reading Sikora & Mykietyn Premieres in Gdańsk
Wiesław Dąbrowski, President of the AVE ARTE Foundation and director of the Paderewski International Festival in Warsaw, recently sent us two very interesting items. The first is a program booklet of the Sixth International Paderewski Festival that was held November 2-10, 2019 in Warsaw. With several attractive venues (The Royal Castle, Lutosławski Concert Studio, Warsaw…Continue Reading PMC Gifts: Aug 2020
Following on successful premiere performances of the Violin Concerto of Ludomir Różycki (1883-1953) by soloist Janusz Wawrowski in January 2020, an exciting premiere recording of the work has been announced for release in Spring 2021. According to an article in The Guardian, the manuscript for this 1944 composition had been buried by Różycki in a…Continue Reading Wawrowski Rediscovers and Records Różycki