Paderewski Festival marks milestone year

By Camille DeVaul · Wed Nov 26 2025

20th anniversary celebration honors pianist’s legacy with four days of music and youth performances

PASO ROBLES — Paso Robles honored its historic connection to Ignacy Jan Paderewski earlier this month, marking both the world-renowned pianist’s 165th birthday and the 20th anniversary of the modern Paderewski Festival. The four-day celebration brought packed performances, youth showcases, and community gatherings that organizers said reflected a strong post-pandemic resurgence.

Festival Board President Marjorie Hamon said this year felt especially meaningful.

"I'm honored to be able to be the president of this festival. I have the hardest working board that I've ever been involved on," she told Paso Robles Press. "I'm honored and I think being the 20th year, it was a very successful year for us. It's been a tough haul coming back from COVID."

Festivities opened Thursday afternoon, Nov. 6, at the Paderewski monument in Paso Robles City Park, where the Paso Robles High School marching ensemble performed in celebration of Paderewski’s birthday. The group played three pieces for attendees and parkgoers who stopped to watch.

"It was very sweet to have them," Hamon said. "People who were walking by stopped and saw the cupcakes and also stayed to hear what we had to say."

Three of the festival’s early supporters also spoke at the gathering: Artistic Director Marek Zebrowski, Cass Winery owner Steve Cass, and Joel Peterson, whose grandmother helped support the original festival in the 1990s. Their reflections on the festival’s 2006 revival drew warm applause before the high school musicians closed with another performance and the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to Paderewski.

That evening, the Cuesta Concord Chorus performed at St. Rose Catholic Church, presenting selections from their upcoming holiday program. Before the concert, a local winery offered complimentary tastings outdoors.

"They do a beautiful program," said Hamon. "[It was] a lot of the songs that they're [Cuesta Concord Chorus] going to be singing at their Christmas program the first week of December."

Friday night featured an accordion-violin duo, Karolina Mikołajczyk (violin) and Iwo Jedinecki (accordion), whose high-energy concert quickly became a favorite among festivalgoers. Their musical chemistry, Hamon said, captivated the nearly full Park Ballroom.

"We had an accordion and a violinist duo that were absolutely phenomenal," Hamon recounted. "The way he looked at her when she played was just so sweet and so magical."

One of the festival’s most anticipated events, the Youth Piano Competition Winners Recital, filled all available seats Saturday afternoon. Though free, the recital required advance reservations due to its popularity.

"That was a sold-out crowd," Hamon said. "The young people that played were absolutely phenomenal."

That evening, the 2025 Gala Artist Adam Żukiewicz, who originally was scheduled to perform at the festival in 2020, played for an enthusiastic crowd at the Park Ballroom. The pianist had previously performed for Paso Robles audiences remotely during the pandemic, but this year marked his long-awaited in-person appearance.

The festival concluded Sunday morning with an intimate patrons’ concert at Libretto, featuring two Central Coast students, Ellen and Sela, who took part in the Paderewski Cultural Exchange Program in Poland earlier this year. One of the young musicians, Hamon noted, had just won the senior division of the festival’s 2025 youth competition. The two performed an encore four-hands piece before guests enjoyed a celebratory brunch.

As the festival looks ahead, organizers are considering expanding its programming, including the possibility of launching a collegiate-level competition.

Hamon added that the festival remains grateful for its longstanding partnership with the Park Ballroom, even if transporting a grand piano into the historic space requires some creativity.

"This was a great, a great year. I think we were all very, very pleased with the success," Hamon said.

For more information on the Paderewski Festival, visit paderewskifest.com

Feature Image: The Paso Robles High School marching ensemble poses with the Ignacy Jan Paderewski monument in front of the old library at Paso Robles City Park. The band performed in celebration of Paderewski's birthday during the 20th Paderewski Festival at the park. Contributed photo