The Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club of Southern California presents a unique jazz concert by famous Polish jazz vocalist Grazyna Auguscik with Brazilian guitarist Paulinho Garcia. Entitled “Polska i Brazylia,” the concert will take place on Sunday, April 7 at 7 pm at the Illusion Magic Theater (formerly known as Magicopolis) in Santa Monica. Admission is free for Club members and…Continue Reading Grazyna Auguscik & Paulinho Garcia in L.A.
During the 76th ceremony of the Grands Prix Internationaux du Disque, organized by the French Académie Charles Cros, Polish composer Elżbieta Sikora will receive the Prize of the President of the French Republic for her entire body of work. The award ceremony will take place on March 21, 2024 at the Embassy of the Republic…Continue Reading Another Great Honor for Sikora
Virtual reality meets composition with “Point Line Piano” in Karlsruhe, Germany. This audiovisual composition experience was created in collaboration with digital artists OpenEndedGroup and Polish composer-pianist Jarosław Kapuściński. “Point Line Piano” is a project that rethinks the composition, performance and reception of piano music by fusing its modes of creating, playing, and listening. “Point Line…Continue Reading Kapuściński Premiere in Germany
On March 23, the USC Polish Music Center welcomes to campus the esteemed Verona Quartet, presenting the annual PMC Spring Concert in collaboration with guest pianist and USC Thornton faculty member Bernadene Blaha. Entitled “Celebrating Bacewicz & Szymanowski,” this concert features pioneering female composer and polymath, Grażyna Bacewicz, and the father of Polish modern music, Karol Szymanowski, highlighting how…Continue Reading 2024 PMC Spring Concert: Celebrating Bacewicz & Szymanowski
A Concert Review by Marek Zebrowski Pianists Grzegorz Mania and Piotr Różański—also known as the Zarębski Duo—performed an afternoon of attractive music for piano four-hands on Sunday, February 25. Presented by the USC Polish Music Center, the concert was held at Murphy Recital Hall on the campus of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Observing…Continue Reading Symphonic Piano Sound
A recording of Elżbieta Sikora’s works for soloists and orchestra published by ANAKLASIS (ANA 024) was recently honored as one of only two albums nominated for the Fryderyk Award in the “Concertante Music” Category. Entitled Concertos, this album highlights three of Sikora’s compositions written during the past two decades. The first item on this disc…Continue Reading Sikora’s Nomination and Award
Two Treasures from the National Film Archives During her recent PMC visit, Dr. Dorota Lekka, Head of the International Department of the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute (pictured at left with PMC Director Marek Zebrowski and Assistant Director Krysta Close), donated to us two fascinating items: a DVD of Stanisław Moniuszko’s opera Halka, and…Continue Reading PMC Gifts: February 2024
We regret to inform our readers that Ewa Podleś, the great Polish opera singer, passed away on January 19, 2024 at the age of 71. Possessing a beautiful and rare true contralto voice with a range of three-plus octaves, Ewa Podleś sang in the most prestigious houses around the world—Teatro alla Scala, Deutsche Oper Berlin,…Continue Reading Obituary: Ewa Podleś, an Opera Legend
Poland’s Phonographic Academy [Akademia Fonograficzna] and the Association of Audio Video Producers [Związek Producentów Audio Video – ZPAV] have announced the recipients of the 2024 Golden Fryderyk Awards. This year, four artists have joined the exclusive group of musicians who received this prestigious lifetime achievement award. The official ceremony dedicated to jazz and popular music will take…Continue Reading Krzysztof Meyer Receives a 2024 Golden Fryderyk Award
The POLIN Music Festival, a festival celebrating Polish and Jewish music, has recently finished four exciting concert evenings. Held from February 22-25 in the POLIN Museum of Polish Jews in Warsaw, this year’s festival explored questions such as ‘What is Jewish music today?’. Performers range from new artists to international stars such the Grammy Award-winning…Continue Reading 2024 POLIN Music Festival