On Saturday, March 23 at 4:00 pm, the USC Polish Music Center presents the annual PMC Spring Concert, featuring the Verona String Quartet with USC Thornton faculty member Bernadene Blaha. The program highlights works by pioneering female Polish composer and polymath, Grażyna Bacewicz, as well as the father of Polish modern music, Karol Szymanowski. Acclaimed…Continue Reading Save the Date: PMC Spring Concert (March 23)
The next few days will bring two new exciting world premieres of works written by Polish composers. First, on December 15, 2023, we’ll have a chance to hear Aleksander Nowak’s Concerto per mezzo for piano and orchestra. The concert will be performed by pianist Piotr Sałajczyk and the Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of…Continue Reading More December Premieres: Aleksander Nowak & Zygmunt Krauze
Originally planned for performances in Israel, our colleagues from the Stowarzyszenie Polskich Muzyków Kameralistów (SPMK), or Polish Chamber Musicians Association, are instead bringing their latest project to the US! Entitled “Muzyczne ślady Polskich Żydów” [The Musical Worlds of Polish-Jewish composers], concerts will be performed in New York City and Washington D.C. between December 5 and…Continue Reading SPMK performs ‘Musical Worlds of Polish-Jewish composers’ in NY & DC
Following on the heels of their riveting performance this past weekend at the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles, the duo of Joanna Freszel (soprano) and Łukasz Chrzęszczyk (piano) continue their tour northward up the West Coast of the US. These two outstanding young Polish artists are individually winners of some of most prestigious awards in Poland and beyond….Continue Reading Freszel Duo: Seattle (12/5) and San Francisco (12/7)
Dear Friends of the Polish Music Center, Another year has passed very quickly and, again, quite a lot has happened at the USC Polish Music Center throughout 2023. As you peruse the summary below of our major events, milestones, and accomplishments achieved this year, we hope you will consider making a tax-deductible donation to support…Continue Reading Year-in-Review: PMC in 2023
On November 28, the International Festival of Contemporary Music “New Waves” begins its 9th iteration. Organized by the Gdańsk Branch of the Polish Composers’ Union, this festival focuses on finding ways to highlight the ideas coming from new composers and present contemporary creativity in bright new ways. The festival will be held in Gdańsk from…Continue Reading Premieres at the 2023 Int’l Festival of Contemporary Music “New Waves”
On Sunday, December 3, the Freszel Duo will perform ‘Works by great Polish composers of Jewish descent’ at the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles. Their program features compositions spanning the years immediately before, during, and after World War II. This event is organized by HMLA, in partnership with the USC Polish Music Center, Polish National…Continue Reading Freszel Duo at HMLA
On October 23, 2023, during the evening gala in the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, the Koryfeusz Polish Music Awards were presented to this year’s winners. The honorary lifetime achievement award went to Irena Santor, considered the first lady of Polish song and a performer of many unforgettable hits on the Polish music scene. Martyna Pastuszka became…Continue Reading 2023 Koryfeusz Polish Music Award Winners
A special all-Polish concert honoring the anniversary of the restoration of Poland’s sovereignty in 1918 will take place on 11 November 2023 at the Polish Museum of America (PMA) in Chicago. The music will be performed by the Cracow Duo: Kalinowski & Szlezer, with whom the American audiences are already well acquainted. Comprised of Jan…Continue Reading Nov 11 Concert with Cracow Duo at PMA in Chicago
This November marks two years since the passing of Joanna Bruzdowicz (1943-2021), one of the top Polish composers and promoters of Polish culture. Alongside Grażyna Bacewicz, Anna Maria Klechniowska, Bernardetta Matuszczak, Barbara Niewiadomska, and Marta Ptaszyńska, Bruzdowicz was one of several Polish female composers who studied with the famous Nadia Boulanger in France. Joanna Bruzdowicz…Continue Reading Czarakcziew & Kowal Honor Joanna Bruzdowicz