Saswat Nanda's photo of Manhattan from Staten Island Ferry. Wikimedia Commons.
Two Polish American scholarly organizations issued calls for papers for their annual conferences, the Polish American Historical Association, due by 15 April 2019 and the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences, due by March 15, 2019.
The previous issue of this blog contained detailed Call for Papers for PAHA's 77th Annual Meeting in New York, held as part of the 134th yearly meeting of the American Historical Association from January 3–6, 2020. Abstracts for papers and panel proposals are now being accepted and should be submitted to Anna Muller at anmuller@umich.edu.
PIASA CALL FOR PAPERS FOR JUNE 2019, GDANSK, POLAND
The Polish Institute of Arts & Sciences of America is pleased to invite proposals for the Seventh World Congress on Polish Studies to be held at the University of Gdańsk, Poland, June 14-16, 2019.
Proposals are solicited for complete sessions or individual papers in any of the disciplines in the liberal arts, sciences, or business/economics. The general theme of the conference is “Anniversaries,” which, because 2019 lends itself to the remembrance of so many varied historical moments, should be interpreted as any formative event. Papers do not necessarily have to address the conference theme. Since the Institute values comparative sessions that place the Polish and East Central European experience in context, individual papers need not focus specifically on Poland or the Polish diaspora, but may include papers on a central topic that focus on other national or regional experiences. Similarly, sessions including presenters from more than one country are encouraged.
Each session is scheduled for 90 minutes to accommodate three papers or 20 minutes per paper. The conference language is English, although complete sessions in Polish will also be accepted (sessions must contain either all English or all Polish presentations). All conference rooms will be equipped with AV for the use of PowerPoint and CD/DVD presentations. Presenters are invited to submit their conference papers for possible publication in The Polish Review subsequent to the conference.
To submit a paper or complete session, please send the name, e-mail address, institutional affiliation, a tentative paper title and a brief one-paragraph abstract for all presenters to program chair James Pula at jpula@pnw.edu. The deadline for proposals is March 15, 2019. All participants are expected to pay the conference registration fee.
The University of Gdańsk is located along the sandy shores of the Baltic Sea. Its eleven faculties, with almost 28,000 students, are concentrated in the three cities of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot that boast an efficient transportation system, an international airport, fast train connections to Warsaw and Kraków, and ferry connections to Scandinavia.
The Tri-City area is one of the most beautiful places in Poland. The charming location on the coast, as well as its many outstanding theatres, concert halls and restaurants constitute an attractive asset for conference participants. The attractions of historic Gdańsk include numerous museums of the city’s fascinating past (muzeumgdansk.pl)—Maritime Museum, National Museum, World War II Museum, Westerplatte where the first shots of the Second World War in Europe were fired, as well as the European Solidarity Center located on the grounds of the former Lenin shipyard where the workers’ strike of 1980 initiated a process that led to the crumbling of Communism in East Central Europe.
The attractions of the modern city of Gdynia—“the city of sea and dreams”—includes the new Emigration Museum as well as museums of the Polish Navy and of the city itself. All of them are located on the shores of the bay. Sopot, the pearl of the Baltic Sea on the very coast itself, each year draws thousands of tourists to its charming beaches and cafes. Less than an hour away from Gdańsk, in Malbork, there is the 13th century Teutonic Knights castle, a world renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site.
PAHA’s 77th Annual Meeting will be held in New York as part of the 134th yearly meeting of the American Historical Association from January 3–6, 2020.
This year AHA announced no theme for the incoming conference. As explained in the general CFP:
Next year, as every year, the program committee will welcome all proposals and not consider relevance to a theme. For the first time since 2003, no historian will needlessly try to package a proposal to appear to fit a theme. Let a hundred flowers bloom.
Having in mind this encouragement to let a hundred flowers bloom as an invitation to embrace the richness of ideas and proposals that may come from our colleagues, we would like to nevertheless suggest that the incoming PAHA conference reflect on the three most recent anniversaries, the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining independence, the centennial of Polish women gaining voting rights, and PAHA’s 75th anniversary.
We celebrated all three anniversaries only last year, and, we hope, that all three can keep pushing us to reflect on our past, the past failures and accomplishments, but also the path that we may embark upon in the future. We hence propose that the conference offers a chance to reflect on what it means to be Polish and Polish-American and how the past can guide our discussions on these question in the changing landscape of the 21st century.
We invite scholars who study the Polish-American communities or the greater Polish diaspora as well as those who deal with migration, ethnic, and regional studies and would like to join discussions related (but not limited) to the following topics:
• Polish-Americans and the restoration of Poland’s independence, 1918
• Polish-Americans and their contribution to the civic, institutional, and political life of the U.S.
• Intersections of ethnicity, class, gender, and race
• The changing understanding of the ethnic heritage
• Identity politics and the role of migrations in the past and contemporary world
• Immigration to the USA and state building in Poland and in the United States
• Transatlantic migrations to the Americas and state building in Poland and migrant communities in North and South America
• Heritage, legacy, and a new understanding of the role that ethnicities play in the modern world
• Polish Americans vs. other ethnic groups in a comparative perspective on both American continents and in Europe
• Responses to Polish transatlantic migrations in Europe, also in a comparative perspective
We invite proposals for sessions as well as individual papers related to all aspects of the Polish-American experience (in history, sociology, literature, art, music, etc.) on both American continents. We are committed to putting together well-researched and argued proposals in panels consisting of 3 participants. For the first time, PAHA is trying to implement commentators for each (or almost each) session.
Individual participants should include the following information when submitting a proposal:
- Paper title(s) and short abstracts (of no more than 300 words)
- Biographical paragraph (up to 250 words)
- Please indicate if you are willing to serve as a chair and/or a discussant for a session
- Also, note if you need A/V.
Session organizers should include the following information when submitting a panel proposal
and session organizers:
- Paper/Session abstract(s) (up to 300/500 words)
- E-mail address for each participant
- Biographical paragraph (up to 250 words) for each participant
- Chair and commentator for the session
- Also, note if you need A/V.
Please be advised that it is not always possible for PAHA to provide A/V equipment for all sessions due to the high mandatory rental fee from AHA. Most likely we will try to gather all presentations that require A/V equipment in one day. It is therefore important for the presenters to indicate their need for A/V when submitting their proposal.
The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2019. Abstracts for papers and panel proposals are now being accepted and should be submitted to Anna Muller at anmuller@umich.edu.
Prof. Anna Muller, University of Michigan, Dearborn, was elected to lead the organization and took over the helm at the PAHA Board Meeting in Chicago, on January 6, 2019. In her role as First Vice President she was the Chair of the Program Committee of the 76th Annual Meeting of PAHA, held in Chicago on January 3-6, 2019. Her remarks are reproduced below.
OPENING REMARKS AT THE 76TH ANNUAL MEETING OF PAHA
IN CHICAGO (1/3/2019)
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 76th annual Polish American Historical Association conference. This is a special one – the first one after our big 75th anniversary that we celebrated just five months ago, which was also in Chicago. So, here we are again – in beautiful and vibrant Chicago – a city that has a very special place in the heart of the Polish-American community. To many of us, Chicago feels like home – a place that resonates with important histories and memories for both Poles and Polish-Americans. So here we are again – making friends, thinking of new projects, drawing stimulating observations from history, and ultimately making history again.
This is the first year of the next 75 years of PAHA’s life, hopefully as creative as the first 75 years. The theme for this year’s conference is “Loyalties.”
Yes, we mirror the AHA conference theme that defines loyalty as a form of human attachment that functions on multiple levels – social, political, group, and individual. I find this topic especially constructive for us – Polish American historians – because in our work, we continuously reflect on the intricacies and richness of individual and group identities, the various forms they take, the conflicts and negotiations they imply, and creative (and less creative) solutions the struggle around them provoke. I am convinced that personally and professionally, this theme has a special meaning for us and the ways we imagine or construct our own identities as well as the identities of the individuals or groups we study.
This year, like previous years, PAHA enjoys a significant interest from European scholars. We compiled in total 9 panels comprising twenty-nine presentations dealing with Polish and Polish-American history. Unfortunately, every year January is a challenging month to travel which means that some of the presenters had to cancel their participation, resulting in a few panels having only two presenters. However, I am pretty sure we can deal with the extra time by filling it with thought-provoking discussions.
So, let me wrap up by wishing us all interesting presentations, challenging questions, and stimulating discussions. I hope that by the end of Saturday we will feel personally and professionally enriched and satisfied. On Saturday night, we will close this year’s conference with an award’s banquet at the Chopin Theatre, a place that is very important for the local community and which I hope will welcome you with an exceptional and festive atmosphere appropriate for the end of two days of heavy work and the initiation of another calendar year of PAHA’s work.
CLOSING REMARKS AT THE AWARDS CEREMONY AT THE CHOPIN THEATRE IN CHICAGO (1/5/2019)
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Serving as PAHA President is a great honor and responsibility. Many of you may not know me, as I am a relatively recent addition to PAHA. I will be very honest and say that when I was asked to become the first v-ce president over two years ago, it did not quite occur to me that the 1st v-ce president most likely at some point would have to become president. It was too late to back out when I realized what is in store for me.
For the last couple of years, I have been learning from you: from the effortless elegance and effectiveness of Grażyna Kozaczka, from Ania’s unbeatable enthusiasm and energy. I cannot name everybody here, but Ania Jaroszyńska- Kirchman, Mary Erdman, Pien Versteegh, Jim Pula, Neal Pease, and of course Maja Trochimczyk were models of unmatched dedication to the Polish-American community, the organization, and to former leaders.
But in addition to learning to respect your individual efforts, for the last years of being close to you, my appreciation was growing for your skills of working together – negotiating, coming up with new projects, finding means and times to accomplish your goals.
I kept learning that PAHA is much more than an organization – it is a group of friends, an intellectual and emotional community that is driven by a mutual respect and devotion to the past, but also a sense of civic duty that links the past with the present.
Becoming the president for PAHA for the next two years, I cannot promise the deep knowledge of the organization that Ania and Grażyna have (and I know most of you have as well).
From this point of view, it seems that as long as I don’t ruin everything, the organization will be fine. It is strong and more importantly it has some seriously committed members. But to be serious, I appreciate your trust, feel very honored, and I hope to continue the path that Ania initiated – by making sure that the organization maintains a strong position in academic organizations and responds to the challenges of the 21st century, while building bridges between generations and continuously reflecting on who we are, how we are changing and where we are going.
I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for your trust. I am honored to be granted the responsibility of running the PAHA for the next two years. I would like to say thank you to the previous PAHA board for their service and commitment. At the same time, I would like to welcome new PAHA board as well as thank you for your willingness to serve our organization. Ahead of us is another busy year full of work on various projects that we have initiated within the last couple of years. I am very grateful for your willingness to serve the organization and I am sure together we can achieve a lot. Thank you.
Anna Muller
President of Polish American Historical Association
Members of PAHA Board during the meeting in Chicago, January 2019
L to R, standing: James Pula, Robert Synakowski, Dominic Pacyga, Bozena Nowicka McLees, Neal Pease, and Anna Jaroszynska Kirchmann. Seated L to R: Maja Trochimczyk, Anna Mazurkiewicz, Pien Versteegh, Anna Muller.
PAHA Buttons made by Valdosta State University students in Georgia
At its 76th Annual Meeting at the Hilton Chicago in Chicago Il. (January 3-6, 2019) the Polish American Historical Association announced the recipients of its Annual Awards for 2018. The Meeting also included many scholarly presentations in nine sessions on diverse aspects of Polonia’s culture, presented from historical, sociological, critical, and literary perspectives with a focus on immigration issues and the theme of “loyalties and communities.” The meeting was held in conjunction with the 131st annual Meeting of the American Historical Association.
Dr. Anna Muller of the University of Michigan, Dearborn, PAHA's new President (for 2019-2020) presented the Awards at the Chopin Theatre, a Chicago landmark that celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.
The Miecislaus Haiman Award is offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans. The 2018 Award was presented to Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz of the University of Gdańsk, the first Poland-based president of PAHA and an outstanding scholar who advances the field and is recognized on both sides of the Atlantic by various prizes and prestigious fellowships.
Anna Mazurkiewicz
Her
research is particularly significant for its comparative aspect that helps us
better understand the complexities of the era and issues she studies. Her
scholarly reputation will no doubt be enhanced by her forthcoming book East
Central European Migrations During the Cold War: A Handbook. According to
Ulf Brunnbauer from the Leipzig Institute for East and Southeast European
Studies: “Eastern Europe is an emblematic space of mobility; also its Cold War
history cannot be told without considering migration from and into the
countries of the region; presently, migration is again one of the defining
political and economic issues. This volume comes timely and provides a uniquely
comprehensive account, full of useful information for further research. It will
be a must-read both for migration studies scholars and for area specialists.” In
the words of her colleague: she is an “exemplary scholar who is determined to
hunt down the last archival scrap of paper for her project.” Additionally, this
award recognizes her energetic leadership of PAHA, her generosity, and her
unwavering commitment to bring together scholars from both sides of the
Atlantic.
Dr Stephanie Kraft
The Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community. The 2018 Award was presented to Dr. Stephanie Kraft, a journalist who visited Poland for the first time 28 years ago and, after that visit, she decided to learn Polish. She is recognized as a translator of such novels as Emancypantki (Emancipated Women) by the 19th-century Polish novelist Boleslaw Prus, and Stone Tablets by Wojciech Zurkowski, and co-translated Marta by Eliza Orzeszkowa (2018). In one of her interviews, Stephanie Kraft said “I really want Polish literature to be better known… that’s really why I got involved in this.”
Prof. Neal Pease
The Joseph Swastek Award is given annually for the best article published during the previous year in a given volume of Polish American Studies, the journal of the Polish American Historical Association. This award, established in 1981, is named in honor of Rev. Joseph V. Swastek (1913-1977), the editor of Polish American Studies for many years, and a past president of PAHA. The PAS Editorial Board has decided to award the Swastek Prize to “Mighty Son of Poland: Stanislaus Zbyszko, Polish Americans, and Sport in the 20thCentury,” by Prof. Neal Pease, PAS, 74/1 (2017): 7-26. This well-written and well- organized study of professional wrestler Stanislaus Zbyszko (Jan Stanislaw Cyganiewicz) makes a persuasive argument based on extensive use of primary resources.
Prof. James S. Pula
The James S. Pula Distinguished Service Award is given to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization. The 2018 Award was presented to Prof. Dorota Praszalowicz of Jagiellonian University in Poland, who has been contributing to the success of PAHA for a long time, including her role in securing Polish grants for PAHA’s 75th Anniversary Conference. The series of conferences titled American Ethnicity that she organizes every two years offers an outstanding opportunity for PAHA members to present their work, advance their expertise and knowledge, and connect with distinguished European scholars.
President Anna Muller
The Creative Arts Prize recognizes contributions in the field of creative arts by individuals or groups who have promoted an awareness of the Polish experience in the Americas. The 2018 Prize was presented to Ken Peplowski who, in the words of Russell Davies, is “arguably the greatest living jazz clarinetist.” Born to the Polish parents in Cleveland, Ken grew up to the tunes of Polish music. In a 2013 interview, Ken Peplowski said: “When you grow up in Cleveland, Ohio, playing in a Polish polka band, you learn to think fast on your feet.”
The Skalny Civic Achievement Awards honor individuals or groups who advance PAHA's goals of promoting research and awareness of the Polish-American experience and/or have made significant contributions to Polish or Polish-American community and culture. The 2018 Skalny Awards recognize five outstanding individuals.
Stephen Kusmierczak
1. Stephen Kusmierczak made numerous contributions to the flourishing of Polish and Polish American culture: he serves on the Board of the Polish Museum of America and together with his wife Jamie actively invests time and funds for its advancement. Among the various charitable organizations and cultural institutions are the Gift of the Heart Foundation and the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
2. Joseph A. Drobot Jr.’s devotion to the cause of sustaining Polish-American communities spans over 50 years. Born in Detroit, he serves a number of esteemed economic institutions in Michigan, including the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America. He also serves as the Chairman of the Executive Board of The Polish Museum of America.
3. Edward Rajtar Edward Rajtar has been the Artistic Director, choreographer and dancer for the Dolina Polish Folk Dancers in the Twin Cities area, Minnesota, for the past 22 years; he also established dance groups for children and teenagers. He served on the board of directors of the the Polish Folk Dance Association of the Americas. In the 1980s and 90s, Rajtar served as president of the Polish American Cultural Institute of Minnesota (PACIM). Under his direction, PACIM represented the Polish community at the annual Festival of Nations in the Twin Cities and established a Polish Library.Since 2008, Edward Rajtar became one of the founding members of a tremendously popular Twin Cities Polish Festival, which for a few days in August gathers audiences of several thousand people from Minnesota and elsewhere in the Midwest to celebrate the Polish culture. Rajtar served as both co-chair and chair of the Festival, which is now in its tenth year.
Mary Lou Wyrobek
4. Mary Lou Wyrobek received the Award for her role in advancing knowledge and appreciation of Polish history and culture in the United States. There is not enough space to mention all the initiatives she has been involved in, Mary Lou Wyrobek arranged many concerts by local and internationally recognized Polish artists, coordinated movie festivals and exhibits, as well as various scholarly events. Since 2007, she has also served as the President of the Central Administration of the Polish Singers Alliance of America.
Anne Gurnack
5. Anne Gurnack has undertaken a number of efforts to mobilize both the Polish American community and to engage the Polish institutions to study, protect and promote Kaszub heritage in Milwaukee. She fostered cooperation between the Milwaukee Public Library and the Emigration Museum and contributed to the international cooperation between the Universities of Gdańsk and Wisconsin - Parkside. The hours of lobbying, perseverance and commitment extended to our students made this exchange a success.
Florence Vychytil-Baudoux and Weronika Grzebalska
The Graduate Student/Young Scholar Travel Grant to young and promising scholar in the humanities or social sciences. The winner receives a travel grant to present the paper at the PAHA Annual Meeting. This year PAHA recognized two young outstanding scholars: Weronika Grzebalska and Florence Vychytil-Baudoux.
Books from Ohio University Press's Polish and Polish American History Series were on display
Bozena Nowicka McLees receives books from Moonrise Press's Maja Trochimczyk
for Loyola University Chicago
Anna Muller, Neal Pease, Dominic Pacyga and Bozena Nowicka McLees.
NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The 76th Annual Meeting also included the presentation of the new Board of Directors of the Polish American Historical Association, to serve in 2019-2020, under the newly elected President Dr. Anna Müller of University of Michigan at Dearborn. The Officers include: Dr. Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – First Vice President; Dr. Marta Cieslak, University of Arkansas – Little Rock, Second Vice President; Dr. James S. Pula of Purdue University – Treasurer; Dr. Maja Trochimczyk of Moonrise Press – Secretary and Communications Director; Dr. Pien Versteegh, The Netherlands – Executive Director; Dr. Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann of Eastern Connecticut State University - Editor of Polish American Studies.PAHA Council will also include Dr. John Bukowczyk, Wayne State University; Dr. Mieczysław B. B. Biskupski, Central Connecticut State University, Dr. Mary Patrice Erdmans, Case Western Reserve University; Dr. Ewa Barczyk; Dr. Grażyna Kozaczka, Cazenovia College; Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz, University of Gdańsk, Dr. Hubert Izieniecki, Purdue University Northwest, and Dr. Kathleen Wróblewski, University of Michigan.
Winter in Chicago, January 5, 2019. Photo by Maja Trochimczyk
The anniversary year 2018 is winding down. PAHA celebrated its 75th Anniversary with a special conference held in Chicago at Loyola University Chicago in September, whereas all Polish communities celebrated Poland's 100th Anniversary of Regained Independence across the U.S. through October and November. The number and type of anniversary celebrations was staggering, with conferences, festivals, conferences, commissions of new works, recitals, film screenings, religious celebrations, theatrical premieres, school performances, receptions, and more.
While Poland was independent for just 50 of the past 100 years, the fact that the country was resurrected at all was a major miracle deserving our gratitude and pride. Congratulations and best wishes to all event organizers, attendees, speakers, dancers, musicians, actors, and chefs! It was a major effort of every Polish American community to celebrate the rebirth of their Old Country! Thank you very much!
Educational Display of fighters for Polish Independence, Polish Center, Yorba Linda, CA
One of the most notable celebrations was the worldwide tour of Polish Tallship, Dar Mlodziezy, that is in San Francisco on Dec 19 - 22 and will arrive in Los Angeles on Dec 25 to Dec 27, going down to San Diego afterwards. In Los Angeles area the tallship will be in the harbor of San Pedro.
Its worldwide tour is partly funded by Polish National Foundation and organized in collaboration with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute of Poland, and the Foreign Ministry of Poland (and the local Consulates of the Republic of Poland along the route of the tallship). The crew includes hundreds of teens and young adults, some of whom will be able to come offshore and visit the places that they stopped in. The local residents will be able to visit the tallship and see its magic.
CHOPIN THEATRE CELEBRATES ITS 100th ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR!
The Chopin Theatre in Chicago celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. According to information provided by the Dyrkacz family, the theatre opened March 11, 1918 and was designed by architects Worthmann & Steinbach. It originally had 546 seats and was operated by Victor Bardonski. It was first opened as a motion picture theatre. In 1923, the site was renamed the Harding Theatre and the seating capacity was expanded to 987. By 1931 it was called the Chopin Theatre again. At some point it was also called the Pix.
The Chopin Theatre has always been very supportive of the ideas of PAHA: in 1980s it created & published 10,000 copies of “The Story Map of Poland” and distributed it to Polish schools and other organizations. In 1990, the Chopin Theatre saved from demolition four buildings on the Polish Triangle. After a decades-long fight with the Daley Administration, the activists associated with the Chopin Theatre won the restoration of the name “Polish Triangle” to the intersection of Milwaukee, Ashland and Division streets. The Chopin Theatre is located across the Polish Triangle in Chicago and since 1990 it has been owned and managed by the Dyrkacz Family. It is a multi-cultural arts center with three stages presenting over 500 theatrical, literary, film and music events annually. Visit: www.ChopinTheatre.com.
PRESIDENT ANNA MAZURKIEWICZ BECOMES FULBRIGHT AMBASSADOR
JADWIGA BARANSKA RECEIVES THE 2018 MODJESKA PRIZE
Congratulations to the legendary actress Jadwiga Baranska for graciously receiving the Helena Mojeska Prize from the Helena Modjeska Art an Culture Club in Los Angeles. Established in 2010, the Modjeska Prize honors the most eminent Polish actors and commemorates the patron of the Modjeska Club, actress Helena Modrzejewska (Modjeska, 1840-1909). Previous Modjeska Prize recipients include Jan Nowicki, Barbara Krafftówna and Anna Dymna. More information is on the Modjeska Club blog. https://modjeskaclub.blogspot.com/2018/12/jadwiga-baranska-receives-2018-modjeska.html
We wish all our readers and visitors Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and the happiest and healthiest New Year 2019!
Conference Celebrating the Centennial of Poland’s Rebirth in Georgia
Valdosta – Students, faculty, and local citizens attended a conference celebrating the centennial of Poland’s rebirth on 9 November 2018. Sponsored by the History Department of Valdosta State University (VSU), it was also supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington D.C., the Polish American Historical Association, the Kosciuszko Foundation, and the Faculty of History, University of Gdańsk (UG).
The conference featured four components: academic papers, a Polish lunch and trivia game, a student essay competition, and a film screening. Organized by visiting professor Anna Mazurkiewicz (UG) and John Dunn (VSU), their goal was to provide an introduction to Poland’s history and culture. This started with a collection of posters graciously provided by the Polish Embassy in Washington. These gave a real sense of the tremendous strides made by Poland in the last 30 years, along with enticing images that encourage students to consider a study abroad experience in 2019.
Mazurkiewicz established a focus of academic presentations, one that showed how America responded to crises in Polish history. The keynote speaker, Dr. Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (UWM), started with a concise look at why Poland’s rebirth was important in an international context. Dunn followed up with an account of Paul Eve, the only native-born American who served with insurgents during the November Insurrection (1831), while Dr. Mathew Adams, Savannah State University, told of the many American connections to Poland’s 1918-1921 struggles, ranging from the Grey Samaritans to the Kościuszko Squadron. The academic papers concluded with Mazurkiewicz explaining 1980s America’s part in “Poland’s way out of Communism.”
With a sense that students were still hungry for knowledge about Poland, the next component featured an east-central European lunch. Guests were offered barszcz, bigos (regular and vegan), piernik and of course pierogi. Dr. Yakov Woldman, VSU Chemistry, earned a special distinction for making 100 of the pierogi Russian style, while Ewa Barczyk gained honor for bringing a suitcase full of pierogi and sausage from Milwaukee. An hour later, only a few slices of bread remained on the tables.
Barczyk, former director of the Library at UWM continued support for the conference by allowing students to submit encyclopedia entries for her upcoming book, A Guide to Polish Historical Sites in North America. Two students produced entries worthy of reward: Ms. Logan Mabey of Georgia, and Ms. Aylar M Chijayeva, a native of Turkmenistan. Both obtained a certificate, plus an award of $50.
The conference concluded with a screening of the Fourth Partition. This 2013 documentary directed by Adrian Prawica, tells the story of Polish emigration to America, all the way back to Jamestown. Following this, select participants enjoyed a celebratory banquet. Rumor has it Żubrówka, complete with bison grass, may have been served.
Participants judged the conference a success, as it helped cement the already good relations between Gdańsk and Valdosta Universities. Future plans include continuing exchanges of professors and students, while furthering a mutual interest in Polish History.
Eagle at the Garrison Church on Podwale St. in Warsaw, Poland
Music has been a crucial part of Polish national identity especially during the 123 years of partitions, when Poland disappeared from the maps of Europe, yet Polish culture survived in Polish homes and concert halls. Thus, music is a crucial part of celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Poland's Regained Independence. There are many concerts planned for this weekend, and some have already taken place.
100 for 100 Concert at Carnegie Hall in New York
PWM Edition and the Polish Cultural Institute New York present Oratorio Society @ Carnegie Hall - a Concert Commemorating the Centennial of Poland's Regained Independence and the Armistice of the First World War on November 11, 1918 (Sunday at 2 pm). On this special occasion, the legendary and award winning Oratorio Society of New York will perform at Carnegie Hall featuring masterpieces by renowned Polish composers, Henryk Górecki and Karol Szymanowski, as well as an English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams. The concert is part of the NYC Chapter of the 100 for 100. Musical Decades of Freedom program. The program includes Henryk Górecki, Euntes ibant et flebant; Karol Szymanowski, Stabat Mater, Op. 53, and Ralph Vaughan Williams, Dona Nobis Pacem.
The Oratorio Society of New York (OSNY) is one of the city's oldest cultural organizations and since its foundation in 1873 has been an essential part of New York City's cultural fabric. OSNY has performed internationally across Europe, Asia, Latin and South Americas, and has won numerous awards including a UNESCO Commemorative Medal and the Cocos Island World Natural Heritage Site Award for its series of benefit concerts in Costa Rica.
Karol Szymanowski is considered one of the most renowned Polish composers of the Young Poland modernist movement. Rather than rely on the traditional Latin text of the Stabat Mater, Szymanowski based his piece on a modern Polish version by the writer and philosopher Józef Jankowski. Szymanowski's Stabat Mater, Op. 53 (Composed in 1925-26), combines authentic folk materials from the Tatra Mountains, echoes of old church songs, and post-Romantic orchestration.
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki became a leading figure of the Polish avant-garde in classic music, bringing together a genuine interest in Polish "roots" culture and folk traditions with a minimalist focus in his Euntes Ibant et Flebant, Op. 32 (Composed in 1972).
Ralph Vaughan Williams is the great symphonists and a composer of the utmost importance for English music of the 20th century. In spite of incorporating music written much earlier, Dona Nobis Pacem is all of a piece, aided by motivic evolutions that course almost instinctively through the entire work.
This concert is a part of 100 for 100: Musical Decades of Freedom is co-organized by PWM edition to celebrate the centenary of Poland regaining independence. On this day, ensembles from around the world are performing 100 works by Polish composers. It is held under the National Patronage of Andrzej Duda, the President of the Republic of Poland to mark the Centenary of Regaining Independence and financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland as part of the Multi-Annual Programme Niepodległa 2017-2021. This concert is also presented in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York.
Chicago Philharmonic Proudly Celebrates Polish Classical Music
with Ground-Breaking Five Day Festival
As Chicago’s vibrant Polish community celebrates the 100 year anniversary of the regaining of Polish independence, Chicago Philharmonic honors the rich music traditions of Poland and the importance of the community in the cultural history of Chicago in Chicago Philharmonic Festival: Poland 2018, November 7-11.The ambitious festivalwill present world-class Polish musicians and soloists, Polish-Chicago music and arts organizations, music from Polish composers, the Chicago Philharmonic orchestra, and Artistic Director Scott Speck across five concerts presented in five days throughout the city of Chicago culminating in a free performance on November 11 – the day celebrating the 100th year of independence and Armistice Day. The festival comes following a tour of 10 Chi Phil musicians to Poland in April of this year and this is the first project of its kind from the organization, with plans to celebrate Chicago’s many diverse communities with similar festivals in the future.
The festival opened on November 7 with a guest performance from award-winning Polish string ensemble The Silesian Quartet performing at Fourth Presbyterian Church in downtown Chicago. The quartet is known for their skilled, enthusiastic interpretations of Polish repertoire both timeless and contemporary; “The highest level of performance. They play like devils.” (NRC Handelsblad) The ensemble showcased their stunning textural range and artistry in masterful 20th century string quartets. Featured were trailblazing female composer Grażyna Bacewicz’s driving, expressive String Quartet No. 4, written in post-WWII Poland in 1951; String Quartet No. 2 by Karol Szymanowski, who took inspiration for the piece from the folk music of the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland; and String Quartet No. 1 by Henryk Górecki, which is centered around the 16th century Polish church song “Already it is Dusk”. Rounding out the program was String Quartet No. 3 (“Leaves of an Unwritten Diary”) by beloved Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki.
On November 8, the festival continued at the stunning St. John Cantius Church (named “The Most Beautiful Church in America” in 2016) with a solo performance from Kraków born and raised organ master Andrzej Białko. Recipient of the Polish Medal for Merit to Culture - Gloria Artis, Białko performed organ music from Poland, Eastern Europe, and North America on the church’s historic 92-year old Casavant Frères pipe organ. The program began with Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt as the composer explored the popular B-A-C-H motif in music. Also featured were pieces by Polish composers including church and organ composer Mieczysław Surzyński, living sacred choral music composer Paweł Łukaszewski, and a Christmas Carol-inspired fantasy Christmas Eve on Wawel Hill by Feliks Nowowiejski. Also performed was an excerpt from prominent Czech composer Petr Eben’s“Job” for Organ cycle. In addition to these Eastern European composers, Białko completed the program with English-Canadian Healy Willan’s Five Preludes, influenced by the composer’s love of Gregorian chants.
In partnership with the Polish Museum of America, the Chicago Philharmonic will present jazz pianist Piotr Orzechowski on November 9 at the museum in an evening event with music, food, and drink. Orzechowski will bring his 24 Preludes and Improvisations, based on Johann Sebastian Bach’s pivotal 24 Preludes and Fugues. The first ever Pole to win the prestigious 1st Prize at Montreux Jazz Festival, Orzechowski’s 24 Preludes and Improvisations allow his extraordinary composition and improvisational talents to shine.
On Saturday, November 10, the festival’s first full orchestral concert, Celebrate Polonia, will take place at the Copernicus Center. Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago Piotr Janicki will introduce this concert. Joined by young piano virtuoso Łukasz Krupiński, the Chicago Philharmonic and Principal Conductor Scott Speck will perform legendary Polish pianist, composer, and politician Ignacy Jan Paderewski’s Piano Concerto and Frédéric Chopin’s dazzling, technically demanding Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante for solo piano and orchestra.Also featured is Karol Szymanowski’s Concert Overture, masterfully orchestrated in the style of the composer’s contemporary Richard Strauss. Finishing the program is the Tragic Overture by 20th century composer Sir Andrzej Panufnik, composed in secret during World War II and later reconstructed by the composer from memory after the score was lost in the devastating fires of the Warsaw Uprising. Pre-concert entertainment will be provided by the Lira Ensemble singers, Chicago’s premier Polish music ensemble.
November 11 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the regaining of Polish Independence and Armistice Day. Chicago Philharmonic will join in the worldwide celebration with a free performance of Polish composer Wojciech Kilar’s Missa pro pace (Concert for Peace).Kilar has composed for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, and soloists, but is best known for his film score compositions including those for The Pianist and Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Kilar’s 2001 Mass, Missa pro pace, was composed for a full symphony orchestra, mixed choir, organ, and a quartet of vocal soloists. The piece is inspired by the composer’s deeply spiritual background, and was performed in the presence of Pope John Paul II, the first Polish pope. The performance will be presented in a liturgical setting in Chicago’s stunning St. Hyacinth Basilica. Chicago Philharmonic will be joined by Kilar expert conductor Marek Mośand guest vocal soloists. Also included in the program is the world premiere of Fanfara by Krysztof Penderecki, commissioned by PWM edition and being performed in 11 cities around the world all on November 11.Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago Piotr Janicki will speak before the concert on this historic day.
Celebrate Polonia, November 10, 7:30pm, Copernicus Center, 5216 W Lawrence Ave,
Scott Speck conductor, Łukasz Krupiński, piano: Paderewski Piano Concerto; Chopin Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante; Szymanowski Concert Overture; Panufnik Tragic Overture
Concert for Peace, November 11, 1:30pm, St. Hyacinth Basilica, 3636 W Wolfram Street,
Chicago Philharmonic with members of Paderewski Symphony Chorus, Marek Moś conductor, Natalia Rubiś soprano, Katarzyna Sądej mezzo-soprano, Jesse Donner tenor, Kurt Link bass, Andrzej Białko organ. Program: Wojciech Kilar Missa pro pace (Mass for Peace). chicagophilharmonic.org
(312) 957 0000
Polish Organ Music at the Cathedral in Los Angeles, November 10, 2018
Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles invites to concert of Polish organ music performed by Jan Bokszczanin professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. The program will include music by Karol Szymanowski, Mieczysław Surzyński, Feliks Borowski, Feliks Nowowiejski, Marian Sawa and Johann Sebastian Bach. The concert will take place on November 10, 2018, at 18.00 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 W Temple St., 90012 Los Angeles. The organ concert will be held directly after the Mass for the Homeland on the Centenary of Poland's Regaining of Independence (the service will start at 17.00)
Professor Jan Bokszczanin graduated from the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw in the class of prof. Joachim Grubich in 2000. In later years he was a doctoral scholarship holder at the University of North Texas (USA), where he studied under the direction of an eminent pedagogue prof. Jesse E. Eschbach (graduate of master classes Marie Claire Alain and Marie Madeleine Durufle). He also completed the class of Chamber Ensemble and Baroque Game Practice under the supervision of prof. Lenory McCroskey (graduates of master studies of Prof. Gustav Leonhardt).
He has performed in most of Europe, Russia, Asia and the USA. He has given organ recitals at such prestigious venues as: Notre Dame de Paris, Freiberg Cathedral, Bruges Cathedral, University Chappell in Glasgow, Catholic Cathedral in Moscow and Meyerson Symphony Hall in Dallas (USA). He has held over 50 organ recitals in philharmonic halls around the world.
Organ at the Garrison Church in Warsaw, Poland
Jan Bokszczanin has recorded over twenty CDs with organ music for renowned record labels. Four notebooks with Marian Sawa's works were published by the Polihymnia Lublin publishing house. Many contemporary composers wrote for him, among others, Marian Sawa, Krzesimir Dębski, Adam Sławiński, Paweł Łukaszewski, Miłosz Bembinow, Alicja Gronau-Osińska, Dariusz Przybylski, Weronika Ratusińska, Piotr Tabakiernik, Ignacy Zalewski and Paweł Wróbel. Marian Sawa dedicated him to eight of the eleven compositions composed for him.
Jan Bokszczanin works as a professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music (Białystok). He also holds the position of a Deputy Dean at the same university.
Kate Liu Photo by Mary Kubal
Pianist Kate Liu Appears in a Gala Concert in Los Angeles
A Gala Concert to Celebrate 100th Anniversary of Poland Regaining Independence 1918-2018 took place at Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles, on November 5, 2018, with American pianist of Singaporean descent, Kate Liu. Organized by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland with the assistance of Helena Modjeska Art and Culture Club, the Gala Concert was sponsored by the Polish National Foundation (concert) and Polish Investment and Trade Agency (reception). The program included works by Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Fryderyk Chopin (mazurkas) and Beethoven's sublime sonata Op. 110. This was a star studded evening, with Poland's Senator Anna Maria Anders, Secretary of State for International Dialogue who flew in for one night! Also, many celebrities, including Wojciech Kocyan, pianist, Katarzyna Sadej, mezzosoprano, Kasia Smiechowicz and Marek Probosz aktors, Marcin Gortat from the Clippers, and many representatives of Polish American organizations from San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Francisco.
Kate Liu with Maja Trochimczyk and Consul Jaroslaw Lasinski.
Born in Singapore in 1994, Kate Liu began to study piano at the age of four and moved with her family to the Chicago area when she was eight. She continued her studies at the Music Institute of Chicago and graduated from the New Trier High School in 2012. Currently she is studying at Curtis Institute of Music. Winner of the First Prize at the 2010 New York International Piano Competition in New York City and at the 2015 Chopin Competition in Daegu, South Korea, Katie Liu was also a prizewinner at the 2010 Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition in Oberlin, 2011 Hilton Head International Piano Competition for Young Artists in Hilton Head, 2012 Eastman Young Artist International, and 2014 Montreal International Musical Competition. In 2015 Kate Liu was the Third Prize winner at the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw and the recipient of the Polish Radio Special Prize for her performance of Chopin’s Mazurkas. Widely popular with the Polish public, Kate Liu received the highest number of votes cast by listeners of the Second Program of the Polish Radio, and won the “My Chopin” contest. In the opinion of listeners, she was the best pianist of the 2015 Chopin Competition.
Maciej Swirski of the Polish National Foundation with Minister Anna Maria Anders
Photo by Anna Krusiewicz
Katarzyna Sadej in 100 Years of Poland in Music Concert in Beverly Hills
The concert "100 Years of Poland in Music" featured Katarzyna Sadej (mezzosoprano) and Basia Bochenek (piano) with a special guest appearance by film composer & pianist Miro Kępiński. The event was held at Beverly Hills, CA, on Saturday, October 20, 2018, 6 p.m. and organized in collaboration with the Polish Film Festival of Los Angeles.Program included Zakazane piosenki – Inspiracje / Forbidden Songs – Inspirations, by Miro Kepinski, based on songs from the 1946 musical about occupied Poland, e.g. Zielone Jabłuszko, Hymn Szarych Szeregów, Kto handluje ten żyje, and a vocal recital by Sadej and Bochenek featuring patriotic songs, Hej, Orle Biały / Hey White Eagle
(1917) by Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941); Dziś do Ciebie przyjść nie mogę / I Cannot Come to You Tonight by Stanisław Magierski, written for the Home Army in German-occupied Poland during WWII, and Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino / Red Poppies on Monte Cassino (1944) by Feliks Konarski (text) and Alfred Schütz (music), written for the Polish II Corps of Gen. W. Anders. The program included Five Songs by Derwid (Witold Lutoslawski) from the upcoming CD by Sadej and Bochenek, as well as "100 Years of Poland in Music– Remarks" by Maja Trochimczyk, Ph.D. President of Helena Modjeska Art and Culture Club.
Photo by Iga Supernak
Miro Kępiński is an award-winning film composer, producer and performer. His music mixes minimalism with a ‘rawness’ of the north and a Slavic melancholy blended with classic themes. Miro’s recent credits include: a multiple-award winning feature documentary, The Wounds We Cannot See; a dark-comedy, Suicide For Beginners (with Sig Haig and Corey Feldman); In This Gray Place, his feature debut (with Phil LaMarr) and Lord Finn.
Photo by Lucyna Przasnyski
Katarzyna Sadej, a Polish-Canadian-American Mezzo-soprano was born in Wrocław, Poland, and is based in Los Angeles, California. Her international, eclectic career spans concert, opera, chamber music, oratorio, recital and voice-over performance. She has performed numerous world premieres and has had over a dozen new works composed especially for her. Recent opera performances: L.A. Opera debut as the Page of Herodias in Strauss’ Salome, SOPAC Ottawa debut as Le Prince Charmant in Massenet’s Cendrillon, and the title role of Bizet’s Carmen in the Palm Springs Opera Guild annual gala. Upcoming highlights include her debut with the Chicago Philharmonic as the alto soloist in Wojciech Kilar’s Missa Pro Pace, her Chinese debut at Opera Chengdu as Giannetta in Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore, and her debut with conductor Alexander Shelley as Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at the NAC Ottawa. Her debut at Walt Disney Hall was with the Pacific American Chorale (alto solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony). Other notable debuts: Industry Opera, Carnegie Hall, Festival Mozaic, the National Theater in Taipei, the Nuits Blanches Festival of Toronto, San Diego Opera, the Ravinia Festival as a Steans Fellow, the 2012 London Olympics, the Ojai International Music Festival, the Montenegrin National Theater, the Lviv (Ukraine) and Banatul (Romania) Philharmonics, the Music Biennale Zagreb, the Bard Summerscape Music Festival, the Cartagena International Music Festival, Harvard University, and more notable venues. www.katarzynasadej.com
Basia Bochenek, a Polish-American pianist, is an avid performer of classical music, whose passion and dedication for collaborative arts brought her to venues throughout the U.S. and Europe,working with world-renowned composers, incredible musicians and great conductors. Basia has made Los Angeles her home. Her performances include world premieres and new interpretations of art songs as well as chamber music. Basia has worked with Robert Jason Brown, Richard Faith, Anne LeBaron, Lori Laitman, Libby Larsen and Sofia Gubaidulina, among others. In the exploration of performing lesser known music by Polish composers as well as art songs, Basia works with Katarzyna Sadej. Their dedication to exploring new approach to art songs began at Songfest. Basia has worked at the California Institute of the Arts, coaching young artists, accompanying opera productions, recitals, classical works and musical theatre. Other engagements include accompanying the studios of acclaimed artists, such as LA Philharmonic concertmaster Martin Chalifour, Vermeer Quartet violist Richard Young, baritones Rod Gilfry and Sherrill Milnes. Her collaborations include performances with mezzo-sopranos Suzanna Guzman, soprano Ashley Maria Bahri, violinists Roberto Cani, Mark Menzies, Lorenz Gamma and Cheryl Norman-Brick. www.basiabochenek.com
And let us end with quite another concert: greetings from Lithuanian Railways to Poland, with the train horns performing the Polish national anthem; quite an amusing presentation, indeed.
