On Saturday, October 25th, 2025, the USC Polish Music Center welcomed a group of students from the Polish School in Los Angeles (Polska Macierz Szkolna) for a special educational event dedicated to Polish music and history. The lecture, delivered by PMC Director Marek Zebrowski, focused on the life and legacy of Ignacy Jan Paderewski—one of…Continue Reading Polish School Students Visit the PMC for Lecture on Paderewski
Magdalena Majewska’s Paderewski, published by PWM as part of their “little monograph” series, was a huge hit with Polish readers almost as soon as it appeared in 2024. Now, thanks to editing assistance from the Polish Music Center, this entertaining little volume has been published in an English translation. This new version was officially introduced…Continue Reading New Paderewski Biography in English
The long-awaited premiere of string arrangements of music by Henryk Wars based on the materials held in the PMC Wars Collection was finally realized thanks to the Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association (SPMK) and a grant they secured for this unusual project. They were presented at the Kraków Music Salon, an annual concert series organized by…Continue Reading Wars/Vars World Premiere & SPMK Performances in the US
Organized by the USC Polish Music Center, celebrations across Los Angeles of the artistic and intellectual legacy of Szymon Laks (1901-1983) will be held on October 19. Paris-based Polish Jewish composer and writer Szymon Laks’s music uniquely balances elements of French modernism, Polish folk music and American jazz. The composer survived imprisonment at Auschwitz by…Continue Reading 19 Oct 2025: Paderewski Lecture-Recital & Conversation with André Laks
By Marek Zebrowski During the gloriously sunny summer months in Los Angeles, just as it seemed that vacation time is upon us with slower-than-usual traffic on campus, we were kept rather busy at the PMC. Besides working on preserving items from the Stojowski Collection with great and invaluable assistance from Anna Czajka, our expert in…Continue Reading PMC Gifts: July 2025
August was a time of many guests and meetings at the Polish Music Center, where there is truly never a dull moment in our summers! An excellent visit and knowledge-sharing session with our colleagues from the Wende Museum took place in mid-August, and included other esteemed PMC partners—Sonia Matheus from the Museum of Tolerance and…Continue Reading PMC Gifts & News: August 2025
Our colleagues at the Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association [Stowarzyszenie Polskich Muzyków Kameralistów, or SPMK] have a very busy fall planned for this year, starting with a September full of offerings across the globe. Beginning in New York City, members of the SPMK will perform two concerts celebrating primarily works by Polish-Jewish composers. First on September…Continue Reading SPMK in US & Kraków in September
A Summary by Marek Zebrowski Administered by the annual Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles and its partners in Poland, this year’s Youth Cultural Exchange Program was held from June 27 until July 13, 2025. Two California students—winners of the Festival’s Youth Piano Competition, held annually in Paso Robles—travelled for well over two weeks of concerts,…Continue Reading 2025 Paderewski Festival Cultural Exchange Program in Poland
Presented on the evening of October 19 in USC’s Newman Recital Hall, the PMC’s 2025 Paderewski Lecture-Recital will explore the artistic and intellectual legacy of Szymon Laks (1901-1983). A Paris-based Polish composer, writer and philosopher, Laks’s music uniquely balances elements of French modernism, Polish folk music and American jazz. Guest lecturer Dr. Grzegorz Mania (pictured…Continue Reading Save the Date for the 2025 Paderewski Lecture Recital!
Anna Czajka is a world-renowned preservation specialist at the Archive Conservation Laboratory of the Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych [Central Archives of Historical Records, or AGAD]. Czajka is a longtime colleague of the PMC as well. She has been a crucial participant in the 10+ year collaboration between the PMC and the Head Office of the…Continue Reading Anna Czajka Awarded for Cultural Heritage Preservation