With great sadness, we note passing of one of Polish Music Center’s friends and supporters, Dr. Teodor Polak. After a long illness, he died in his sleep in Los Angeles on 8 June 2021 at the age of 92. Born near Warsaw on November 9, 1928, already as a teenage patriot he joined the Polish…Continue Reading Dr. Teodor Polak In Memoriam
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 Paderewski Lecture was conducted as an interview via Zoom on 22 August 2020, and broadcast to the worldwide public via USC ThorntonLIVE on 10 October 2020. The interview, transcribed below, features composer Krzysztof Meyer (KM) and his wife, musicologist Danuta Gwizdalanka (DG), in conversation with PMC director Marek…Continue Reading 2020 Paderewski Lecture with Krzysztof Meyer: Lecture Transcript
The Stojowski Collection Expanded! In late March, quite unexpectedly, we received an email from Professor Frank Martignetti, chair of the Department of Music and Performing Arts at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut. He shared with us some truly stunning news about the materials that once belonged to Zygmunt Stojowski (1870-1946) and were stored at the University…Continue Reading PMC GIFTS April & May 2021
POLMIC’s Easter Surprise Together with the director Mieczysław Kominek, our friends at the Polish Music Information Centre in Warsaw (POLMIC) once again came through for us with a most thoughtful and timely gift. For many years already, we have been on the receiving end of POLMIC’s largesse and have happily accepted sets of unique recordings…Continue Reading PMC GIFTS: Feb-March 2021
The Jazztopad Festival, in partnership with Polish Cultural Institute New York, continues The Great Improvisation series online live-streamed from the National Forum of Music (NFM) in Wrocław, Poland. The series presents various faces of jazz—from bold avant-garde and daring improvisation through to the mainstream. The ideal acoustics of the NFM halls provide a perfect environment…Continue Reading Jazztopad ‘Great Improvisation’ Series Livestream Continues
Watch the broadcast here: www.thorntonlive.usc.edu On 20 March 2021, the Polish Music Center at the USC Thornton School of Music will recognize the tenth anniversary of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki‘s death last November. Due to pandemic restrictions on public performances, the annual Polish Music Center Spring event will be held online, in a one-time broadcast on…Continue Reading 2021: Remembering Górecki—A Discussion and Film Screening
Please note: the performers originally slated for February 19 (Maniucha & Ksawery) are unable to perform due to Covid-19 quarantine—they will return to the Jazztopad lineup in May/June. Instead, the dynamic Janusz Prusinowski Kompania will be performing in the February 19 at 11:00 a.m. PST slot! See updated information below. The Jazztopad Festival, in partnership…Continue Reading UPDATED: Jazztopad ‘Great Improvisation’ series Livestreams in February
The Jazztopad Festival, in partnership with Polish Cultural Institute New York, presents The Great Improvisation series online live streamed from the National Forum of Music (NFM) in Wrocław, Poland. The series presents various faces of jazz—from bold avant-garde and daring improvisation through to the mainstream. The ideal acoustics of the NFM halls provide a perfect…Continue Reading Jazztopad ‘Great Improvisation’ series Livestream
Polish Music Abroad The Art Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences [IS-PAN] just published the third volume in the series, Muzyka polska za granicą [Polish Music Abroad]. The title of the latest volume, American Dream, presents in print the proceeds of the October 2019 conference in Warsaw. Entitled “American dream. Polscy twórcy za oceanem,”…Continue Reading PMC Gifts: January 2021
Dear Friends of the Polish Music Center, Before sharing the annual PMC summary and our latest news, we would first like to express hope that you and your family have not suffered any hardships or ill health during the long months of the pandemic. It has been a truly extraordinary year in almost every respect…Continue Reading 2020 PMC Recap ~ Please support us into 2021!