American Paderewski Piano Competition - May 21 - 26, 2013 (Vol. 4, No. 6)

The Ignacy Jan Paderewski Society invites all lovers of music and the piano to attend the 2nd American Paderewski Piano Competition that will take place at the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles from May 21 to 26, 2013. The Semi-Final Round will take from Tuesday to Thursday, May 21-23. After the day of rest on Friday, May 24, the selected six pianists will compete in the Final Round on Saturday, May 25. The spectators may attend a piano recital of Piotr Kosinski, the winner of the previous round of the competition on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The grand finale and the concert of Prize Winners is scheduled for Sunday, May 26, starting at 4 p.m. For more information about the Competition's events visit its Schedule Site.

There are 27 wonderful pianists of a very high caliber who will show off their interpretations of a broad array of music including classical, romantic and 20th century repertoire and at least one piece by Paderewski.  The International Competition Jury includes two pianists from Poland, Prof. Adam Wibrowski, Prof. Wojciech Switala of Katowice, Prof. Lee Kum Sing, as well as Prof. Wojciech Kocyan of Loyola Marymount University who serves as Artistic Director for the Paderewski Society and Prof. John Perry of the University of Southern California.

All the way through, a photography exhibit by Polish artists from the Group KRAK led by Andrzej Kolodziey, will adorn the walls of the Colburn School. The exhibit will include two images that I took - such as the keyboard of Chopin's 1845 piano, from the collection of the Polish Library in Paris.


To celebrate the life and art of Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941), a Polish pianist, statesman, and composer, let's read a poem by California's Kathabela Wilson:

What Paderewski Taught Me About Being

good
he tells me
the heart moves

moves like the ocean
sometimes like a mountain
constantly in greeting

his words
my pulse the same
surprises

trembles
holds back
rushes forward

washed always
in silence
silence for what is not

for what has been taken
for what is left
for what has been given

a nation for what is right
the dearly loved
what he always wanted

from the edge
of her seat
a woman leans forward

holds
a breath
time waits

the woman breathes out
whish of wind
essence of man

dark and light
rubato of being
becomes being again