Lira 50 Year Jubilee Benefit Concert

As the Lira Ensemble celebrates their ‘Joyous Jubilee’ of 50 years, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago and the Board of Directors of the Lira Ensemble invite all supporters to “Music Just for Lira” benefit concert in Chicago on March 11. Featuring the Lira Singers Quartet, the program will be comprised…Continue Reading Lira 50 Year Jubilee Benefit Concert

Paderewski at Sundays Live! in L.A.

On March 15, the SUNDAYS LIVE! Chamber Music Series presents violinist Phillip Levy and pianist Rina Dokshitsky performing Paderewski’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op.13. Also on the program are Mozart’s Sonata in G Major, K301, and Prokofiev’s Five Melodies, Op.35. Born in Cardiff, Wales, Phillip Levy received his musical training in Israel and Europe….Continue Reading Paderewski at Sundays Live! in L.A.

“Composing Commissions” 2015-2016 – Results

On January 28, Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (MKiDN) published the results of the call for applications for the 4th edition of the ministry’s program “Collections – Composing Commissions,” which is operated by the Institute of Music and Dance in Warsaw (IMiT). 90 pairs of composers and music organizations were awarded grants amounting…Continue Reading “Composing Commissions” 2015-2016 – Results

Exploring Mieczyław Weinberg in Chicago

  Music of beauty and enormity… it is a perfect masterpiece… it is a hymn to humanity… to the international solidarity of those who, subjected to the most terrible evil, stood up against fascism. –Dmitri Shostakovich about The Passenger The Lyric Opera of Chicago presents the Chicago premiere of Polish-Jewish composer Mieczysław Weinberg’s The Passenger…Continue Reading Exploring Mieczyław Weinberg in Chicago

Ptaszyńska to Lead Chicago’s Prestigious ‘Contempo’

Award-winning Polish composer Marta Ptaszyńska will succeed Shulamit Ran as the artistic director of Contempo, the University of Chicago’s renowned contemporary music collective. Ran, the Andrew MacLeish Distinguished Service Professor of Composition and a Pulitzer Prize winning composer, will retire in June after more than 40 years of service to the University and 12 years…Continue Reading Ptaszyńska to Lead Chicago’s Prestigious ‘Contempo’

Synthetis 2015

The SYNTHETIS 2015 International Summer Course for Composers will take place in Radziejowice (near Warsaw) between July 13 – 25, 2015, organized by the Music Gardens Foundation. Young composers (up to 35 years old) from all over the world are invited to apply by April 30, 2015 for the opportunity to attend lectures and individual…Continue Reading Synthetis 2015

Lutosławski on Google

One of the newest installments in Google’s Cultural Institute initiative is the exhibit Witold Lutosławski 1913-1994, an interactive exploration of the life and works of the famous Polish composer, through images and text. This is the third Cultural Institute exhibit to be curated by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute’s flagship website, Culture.pl. The images are culled from…Continue Reading Lutosławski on Google

Grabsky & Felder Bring Chopin to L.A.

The end of February usually brings annual Chopin celebrations, and this year is no exception.  Since 2015 marks the 205th anniversary of Chopin’s birth, a truly special event on February 23—encompassing a film screening and Q&A session with the artists—is planned for all fans of Polish music in Southern California. A Steinway Concert Artist and…Continue Reading Grabsky & Felder Bring Chopin to L.A.

Stańko to Give U-M’s Copernicus Lecture

From February 4-5, 2015, the Copernicus Program in Polish Studies at the University of Michigan welcomes Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stańko to campus. The New Yorker has proclaimed Stańko as “one of the most original and creative jazz trumpet players in the world.” Inspired by early Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane, he was 20 when he formed…Continue Reading Stańko to Give U-M’s Copernicus Lecture

Blecharz Comissioned By OpenICE

A volume of new collaborations has been launched by the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) in tandem with OpenICE—a far-reaching initiative to build diverse new audiences internationally. During the next 18 months, ICE will commission and premiere a new body of repertoire from a diverse group of composers to be presented in free performances around the globe…Continue Reading Blecharz Comissioned By OpenICE