Warsaw, Poland Vietnamese pianist Dang Thai Son joined the National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw at a special Fryderyk Chopin birthday concert on Sunday, March 1, marking the 205th anniversary of Chopin’s birth. In 1980, Dang Thai Son became the first Asian pianist to win the prestigious Chopin Competition, and indeed any major international piano competition….Continue Reading Chopin’s 205th Birthday Celebrations
Panufnik In New York Times On November 28, the New York Times published an interesting article about the life and music of Polish émigré composer Sir Andrzej Panufnik on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Entitled “His Nightmares Starred Communists, Not Nazis – Celebrating Panufnik, a Polish Composer in London” and written by Michael White,…Continue Reading 2014 Anniversary Year
by Marta Gargas-Borowy Composer Roman Ryterband was born in Poland in 1914, and thus his centenary has been celebrated throughout 2014. Having left Poland during World War II, Ryterband and his family settled in Palm Springs, CA in 1967 and his life became forever intertwined with the cultural fabric of Southern Calfornia. Marking November as…Continue Reading Ryterband Anniversary Year
Panufnik 100 In London On 30 November 2014, the Brodsky Quartet and the Panufnik family and friends present Panufnik 100: A Family Celebration, a chamber music festival to mark the centenary of Anglo-Polish composer Andrzej Panufnik’s birth. Held at Kings Place London, the Panufnik family brings together an impressive roster of artists to celebrate the life and…Continue Reading Panufnik Anniversary Year
Born This Month 3 October 1882 – Karol SZYMANOWSKI, composer, pianist, (d. 29 March 1937) 3 October 1923 – Stanislaw SKROWACZEWSKI, composer and conductor 4 October 1910 – Eugenia UMINSKA, violinist 6 October 1885 – Karol STROMENGER, teacher, composer, publicist, music critic (d. 1975) 9 October 1924 – Regina SMENDZIANKA, pianist 10 October 1910 –…Continue Reading 2014 Anniversaries
Born This Month 1 September 1900 – Kazimierz WIŁKOMIRSKI, cellist, conductor, teacher (died in 1990) 5 September 1924 – Krystyna MOSZUMAŃSKA-NAZAR, composer 5 September 1938 – Piotr LACHERT, pianist, composer, pedagogue 6 September 1916 – Tadeusz DOBRZAŃSKI, composer and conductor 7 September 1943 – Elzbieta STEFAŃSKA, harpsichordist 9 September 1921 – Andrzej DOBROWOLSKI, composer (died…Continue Reading September 2014 Anniversaries
2013 was an anniversary year for Krzysztof Meyer, who celebrated his 70th birthday last August. In recognition of Meyer’s admirable accomplishments as a composer, many concerts and festivals throughout Europe commemorated the occasion with a slate of concerts devoted to Meyer’s opus. First and foremost, two of Meyer’s operas were premiered in Poland: Gracze [Players]…Continue Reading Meyer at 70
Already in full swing, the 2014 Panufnik Centenary celebrations are moving into festival mode for the summer, then leading towards the birthday month of September and the autumn season. Performances in the Americas will continue the tradition of American orchestras playing a prominent role in the history of works by Andrzej Panufnik: his Sinfonia Elegiaca…Continue Reading Seasons Of Panufnik
Born This Month August 4, 1879 – Józef REISS, musicologist, Polish music expert (d. 1956) August 7, 1935 – Monika (Izabela) GORCZYCKA, musicologist (d. 1962) August 8, 1946 – Mieczyslaw MAZUREK, composer, teacher, choral conductor August 8, 1897 – Stefan SLEDZINSKI, conductor, musicologist August 10, 1914 – Witold MALCUZYNSKI, pianist, student of Lefeld August 11,…Continue Reading August 2014 Anniversaries
In 2015, the Lira Ensemble will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. Lira began as a small group of talented young women singers, but today the Lira Ensemble includes a symphony orchestra and a dance troupe as well as the Lira Singers, based at Loyola University Chicago as artist-in-residence since 1995. Over nearly 50 years, the Lira Ensemble…Continue Reading Lira Ensemble Celebrates 50 Years