Paderewski Festival welcomes Magdalena Baczewska
By Melissa Chavez · Wed Nov 01 2017
A Gala Concert trifecta: Chopin, Szymanowski and Paderewski
[dropcap]E[/dropcap]very November, the Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles brings together music lovers, cultural exchange and delightful way to celebrate the contributions of composer, statesman and honorary Paso Roblan, Ignacy Jan Paderewski. This annual series of piano concerts, jazz and swing performances, youth recitals and more is a great way to savor some of the best entertainment and artistic enrichment that Paso Robles offers. Wildly talented and accomplished Polish classical artist Magdalena Baczewska will headline this year’s Paderewski Festival in a Gala Concert at the Paso Robles Inn Ballroom on Saturday, November 4, at Paso Robles Inn at 1103 Spring Street.
The artist’s program will music of three universally beloved Polish composers: Chopin, Szymanowski and Paderewski. A Wine Reception hosted by Epoch Estate Wines begins at 6:30 p.m. Concert doors open at 7 p.m., followed by the Gala Concert at 7:30 p.m.
Based in New York City, Ms. Bazcewska is the Director of the Music Performance Program and Lecturer in Music at Columbia University in New York City, as well as a professor at Accademia Europea Villa Bossi in Varese, Italy. The Washington Post characterized her work as a solo artist as "eloquent and technically flawless."
Born to a musical family in Poland, she has distinguished herself as a classical pianist, harpsichordist, university educator, performer, musical collaborator and recording artist.
Major symphony performances throughout the world, both home and abroad include Carnegie Hall in New York, National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Guangzhou Opera House, China National Symphony, San Francisco Symphony and in concert performances with contemporary classical composer maestro Tan Dun, Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell and others.
A classical pianist of laureate proportions, Baczewska’s accomplishments include the Chopin Competition at the Kosciuszko Foundation, Prix du Piano Ecoles d’Art Américaines Fontainebleau, Outstanding Achievement Award from the Minister of Polish Culture and more. Among her recording releases is Magdalena Baczewska Plays Chopin & Szymanowski.
A video montage of the Paderewski Cycle Project will feature nine finalists from East and West Coasts, followed by the award presentation of a national juried competition calling for treatments for a musical script featuring Ignacy Jan Paderewski. The event is sponsored by Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw.