August 22, 2024 marked one hundred years since Andrzej Markowski was born in Lublin. He was a noted Polish conductor, composer and founder—as well as the first director—of the Wratislavia Cantans Festival. Coming from a musical family (his father, Tadeusz, was a singer and actor, and his older brother, Jan, a composer and pianist), Andrzej…Continue Reading Markowski Centenary
The prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has recently published a full recording from Mateusz Krzyżowski’s May 8 concert. Mateusz Krzyzowski is an award-winning Polish pianist, who also enthralled audiences during his Gala Recital performance at the 2023 Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles. Krzyżowski performed in Washington D.C. on the Millennium Stage…Continue Reading Krzyżowski Kennedy Center Concert Recording
The world-renowned chamber ensemble, Sinfonietta Cracovia, is gearing up for its 30th anniversary celebration. These celebrations will last a full year of programming, but the spring 2024 season featured a special highlight concert on July 9. Held at the Kraków Philharmonic, the program featured several outstanding artists associated with the ensemble, as well as the…Continue Reading Sinfonietta Cracovia Anniversary & Majkusiak Premiere
On June 8, the Selesian Quartet will be having a concert at NOSPR Hall in Katowice. This program is a part of their series entitled “Silesian Quartet. Masterpieces with Polish Counterpoint,” and will be dedicated to composer Andrzej Panufnik’s 110th birthday. June 8th is also the birthday of Arkadiusz Kubica, co-founder of the Silesian Quartet,…Continue Reading Silesian Quartet & Panufnik
Worldwide celebrations of composer Elżbieta Sikora’s eightieth birthday year continue apace. On May 15, France’s Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM), one of the world’s largest public centers dedicated to musical creation and scientific research, published an extensive article summarizing Sikora’s life and oeuvre. Author Michèle Tosi used a telling quote for the article’s…Continue Reading Sikora Fêted by IRCAM
On Saturday May 25, the Polish History Museum in Warsaw hosted a concert to commemorate the 110th anniversary of composer Andrzej Panufnik. In this concert, the Andrzej Jagodziński Trio and Sinfonia Iuventus (conducted by Maciej Tomasiewicz) performed Panufnik’s Sinfonia rustica and Sinfonia sacra, as well as Jagodziński’s Piano Concerto in G minor for Jazz Trio…Continue Reading Panufnik 110th Anniversary Concert
On May 28, the Silesian Philharmonic hosted a birthday gala for Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa, featuring works of the outstanding composer. The event featured a screening of the film Under Pressure of Sound and Word, followed by a celebration with the composer on her new monographic album on the Anaklasis label (ANA 030). It concluded with a…Continue Reading Wnuk-Nazarowa Birthday Gala in Katowice
This month in celebration of the 75th birthday of Piotr Moss, the Polish Orchestra ‘Sinfonia Iuventus‘ performed a program the composer’s symphonic works. Held on February 17, the concert program included Zoo, a five-part Suite for orchestra that is a humorous reminiscence of the composer’s visit to the Warsaw Zoo. The audience also heard Moss’s…Continue Reading Piotr Moss: 75th Birthday Concert
The Paderewski Polish-Ukrainian Foundation, together with the Lviv Philharmonic and the Second Life Foundation, will present an important concert at the National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw on Sunday, February 25 at 7 p.m. This gala event is scheduled to commemorate the second anniversary of Russian military aggression against Ukraine and celebrate the unprecedented solidarity of…Continue Reading Polish-Ukrainian Solidarity Concert in Warsaw
The 2023-2024 concert season is filled with special anniversary performances of several composers who recently celebrated their eightieth birthdays. Last summer, it was Marta Ptaszyńska and Krzysztof Meyer who turned eighty, and last October it was Elżbieta Sikora’s turn to pass this important milestone. Stanisław Suchora and his agency, Sonora Music, have done a wonderful…Continue Reading Celebrating Anniversaries: Sikora