The world premiere of Krzysztof Meyer's Concerto for clarinet and orchestra was conducted by Antoni Wit during the 125th anniversary of the Philharmonic in Duisburg, Germany. The soloist was famed clarinetist, Eduard Brunner.

Mezzo-soprano Jadwiga Rappe's recital ended the II Moniuszko Festival of Podlesie with songs by Moniuszko, Karlowicz, Szymanowski and Lutoslawski in the Philharmonic Hall in Bialystok.

Paderewski: Portrait of a Musician" Exhibition will be on display at Newman Recital Hall Gallery, USC, Los Angeles, from 17 September 2002, to 10 January 2003. Culled from the extensive collection of materials held at the Polish Music Center at the USC Thornton School of Music, this exhibition chronicles the life and career of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the musician-statesman who received an honorary doctorate from USC in 1923. Throughout his musical career Paderewski was actively lobbying for Polish independence; he collected funds to benefit the country, its soldiers and the victims of the war. His campaign resulted in Poland returning to the map of Europe; he then became the first Prime Minister of Poland and the first Polish delegate to the League of Nations. Paderewski's compositions include songs, and piano pieces, an opera, Manru (1901), and a Symphony in B minor Polonia (1907). He also edited a 20 volume anthology of music by other composers, and Chopin's complete works. However, his main title to fame was his talent as a virtuoso pianist; his music was partly preserved on piano rolls and transferred to CDs.

The exhibition presents the composer's historical photographs from 1890-1930s, manuscripts, piano-roll recordings from 1910s, early editions of his music, samples of his editorial work (Chopin, Century Library), concert programs from American tours in 1920-24, advertisements for Steinway, Victor-Victrola, and the Aeolian Co., as well as books and recordings on LP and CD. Californian material linked to Paderewski includes documentation about his honorary doctorate from USC (1923), programs from his Los Angeles performances, and the Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles. The Exhibition is illustrated with excerpts from Paderewski's speeches and period writings (poetry and music criticism). It is curated by Dr. Maja Trochimczyk. Free, hours vary. Opening Reception: September 17, 2002; 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.

Following the reception you might attend a concert from the Thornton Music Masters Series, September 17, 2002. 8 p.m. USC Alfred Newman Hall, Free. Cynthia Munzer, mezzo-soprano, Kevin Fitz-Gerald, piano and Peter Marsh, violin.

A world-class opera veteran who has sung over twenty roles with the Metropolitan Opera Company, Cynthia Munzer joins Kevin Fitz-Gerald and Peter Marsh to perform chamber works and songs by Sergei Rachmaninov, Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner and Aaron Copland.

Laura Grazyna Kafka, originally from California now teaching and living on the east coast, recently gave a recital for the Polish Cultural Club of Greater Hartford, Conn. accompanied by Dr. Michael Patterson. The Polish American Journal identified her a specialist in the music of Karol Szymanowski. I am happy to claim some credit for her interest in this composer, who is now being more and more recognized. I remember we appeared on our local TV station many years ago, when he talked about the Polish Music Center at USC and Laura performed Szymanowski while I accompanied her on the piano. [WW]

Ann Patrick-Green performed Chopin during her piano recital at the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda on 16 June.

DONATIONS TO THE POLISH MUSIC CENTER

In the past two calendar years, the Polish Music Center received a record number of donations of books, manuscripts, original material, scores, recordings, and other publications, given by a number of extremely generous individuals. The gifts included over 100 music manuscripts donated by Polish composers, their friends and families, in response to manuscript donation drive initiated in the spring 2000 by Maja Trochimczyk and several substantial collections of research material. The planned donation of Zygmunt and Louisa Stojowski Collection of manuscripts and research material dating back to 1880s has not been finalized yet. The list below names the main current donors in chronological order, while describing their gifts in detail.

Donated in 2000

Donations reported by Maja Trochimczyk, Wanda Wilk, Barbara Zakrzewska, with gratitude to the donors and hope for others to emulate their generosity.

WHERE TO FIND POLISH SCORES

Looking for music scores by Polish composers? We just received this inquiry from a pianist in Toronto, Canada, who was looking for music by Oginski and Moniuszko. Why not try finding them on the internet at: Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne: www.pwm.com.pl (Its N. American distributor: www.presser.com) Theodore Front Music Literature: www.tfront.com For music by women composers: www.hildegard.com

The second edition of the Wilk Book Prize for Research in Polish Music will be held in 2002. Submissions are welcome from the publishers or authors (two copies of the book). The rules below describe the conditions of this Prize. The deadline this year is extended to July 31, 2002.

1. All books published outside of Poland by scholars who are not normally based in Poland are acceptable. Polish scholars on sabbatical or fellowship abroad are not eligible. Books by non-Polish authors published in Poland and in Polish are not eligible.

2. Submissions may be forwarded by the authors, publishers or third parties.

3. The submitted book should be published within the past 5 years (first edition of the competition in 2000) and 3 years (thereafter).

4. The books may be published in English, German, or French.

5. The authors should be professional scholars, who hold a doctorate or have equivalent experience and are professionally active in the field of Polish music.

6. The jury is chaired by the Stefan and Wanda Wilk Director of the Polish Music Center and consists of invited scholars who specialize in Polish music, especially those from Poland.

7. The Competition is held biennally in even years (2000 and so forth).

8. The submissions (2 copies of the book) must be received on or before June 30th of the year of the Competition.

9. The award will be given by November 30 of the year of the competition, preferably during a national meeting of a major professional society.

10. The award will consist of a $2,000 cash prize and a certificate of award.

11. In the case of a tie, or a larger number of deserving books in the competition the jury will divide the award into two or three prizes of equal cash value. However, preference will be given to awarding one prize.

12. The jury reserves the right of not awarding the prizes if no submissions are deemed acceptable. All the decisions of the jury are final.

13. All entries should be addressed to the Wilk Book Prizes in Polish Music, Polish Music Center, Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0851.