PADEREWSKI RETURNS TO NY, FESTIVAL 2025
In 2025, we celebrate the 165th anniversary of the birth of Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Culture & Art Foundation in cooperation with the Polish-Slavic Center, continues the implementation of an educational project aimed at restoring memory and expanding knowledge about this great Pole, with particular emphasis on his activities in the United States. Paderewski was connected with New York City for most of his life. He arrived here at the beginning of his artistic career in America and it was also in New York that he passed away. Therefore, building collective memory in this very city is especially important. It is worth reminding audiences of Paderewski’s contribution to the cultural and social life of New York, his artistic successes, his connections with the elite of contemporary aristocracy, prominent politicians, bankers, and industrialists, and above all, his lobbying for a free Poland. Ignacy Jan Paderewski remains a shining example of how much can be achieved by a person of humble origin who possesses exceptional talent, relentless discipline, and a great heart.
Program
October 9, 2025 5:30 PM Polish-Slavic Center
During the Polish Heritage Day at the Polish-Slavic Center, with the participation of the Polish-American community, VIP guests, and representatives of New York City authorities, the premiere of the exhibition “Paderewski in America” will take place. The exhibition tells the story about the artist, statesman, and patriot who won the hearts of Americans and left an enduring mark on the history of Poland and the world. Festival’s inauguration will be an opportunity to jointly celebrate Polish heritage and to experience a unique lesson of history, culture, and national pride.
November 16, 2025 12:00 PM & 1:00 PM
St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Parish, Manhattan
A Holy Mass will be celebrated in memory of the great Pole, followed by the event presenting the exhibition and a screening of the documentary “Paderewski in America.”
As part of the Festival, lessons of modern patriotism will also take place in several Polish Supplementary Schools across New York and New Jersey. In today’s era of fading moral authorities, the program will highlight the values to which young people should aspire.
November 21, 2025 6:30 PM
Polish-Slavic Center
Screening of the film “Mother Glory” (For the Glory of the Homeland), a documentary directed by Franciszek Kłosowicz, General Secretary of the Polish Falcons (“Sokół”) from 1925 to 1940. Filmed on 35mm to commemorate the 15th anniversary of recruitment to the Polish Army in France, it depicts Polish volunteers from the Tadeusz Kosciuszko Camp in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada, who fought for Poland’s independence. This screening offers a rare opportunity to encounter authentic images from over a century ago.
Accompanying the screening will be the exhibition “Strengthen Your Arm, Serve Your Homeland”, devoted to the history of the Polish Falcons in America. It presents unique documents, photographs, banners, and memorabilia from the late 19th to early 21st century, illustrating the organization’s role in Poland’s struggle for independence in 1918 and in shaping the patriotic consciousness of the Polish diaspora.
Both presentations are prepared by the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), which, through its extensive archives, makes available unique materials documenting the history of Poles abroad. These presentations allow audiences to better understand the importance of patriotic organizations in Poland’s history and their continuing influence on the contemporary Polish-American community. They are not only lessons in history, but also an inspiration to cherish national identity and tradition.
November 23, 2025 5:00 PM
Kaufman Music Center, Manhattan
The culmination of the 2025 Festival will be Gala Concert featuring international artists, officially opened by the President of the Institute of National Remembrance. The evening program will include works by Paderewski, Chopin, Wieniawski, Liszt, Brahms, and Sarasate, as well as the documentary film “Paderewski in America” The Gala will be a tribute to the artist and statesman who combined music with politics, art with patriotism, and talent with a lifelong mission of service to Poland.
The event is held under the Honorary Patronage of Mateusz Sakowicz, Consul General of the Republic of Poland in New York, Ignacy Paderewski Center in Kąśna Dolna – the only preserved residence of Ignacy Jan Paderewski in the world. Partners: Polish Museum of America, The Sembrich – The Marcella Sembrich Foundation, Polish-Slavic Center, Polish American WE. Patronage: Steinway & Sons Company, Józef Piłsudski Institute of America, Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA).
The project is co-financed by the Senate of the Republic of Poland as part of its support for the Polish community and Poles abroad in 2025.
Join us for the Festival events
Paderewski returns to New York, Festival 2024
On Sunday, December 1, 2024 Ignacy Jan Paderewski returned to New York. Culture & Art Foundation in cooperation with the Polish-Slavic Center, organized “Paderewski is Back to NY, Festival Opening Concert”. We host a large Polish community and many VIP guests including Ambassador Krzysztof Szczerski, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations, Consul General of the Republic of Poland Mateusz Sakowicz, Consul Krzysztof Płaski, the defense attaché at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington DC General Krzysztof Nolbert, representatives of many Polish organizations. The audience had a great time, rewarding all the artists with thunderous applause, Kate Liu, winner of the 3rd prize at the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, Fryderyk Chopin in Warsaw, laureate of the Asia-Pacific International Chopin Competition, Kamil Pacholc, winner of 2nd prize in the 11th International Ignacy Paderewski Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz, finalist of the International F. Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Liana Paniyeva, laureate of the George Gershwin International Piano Competition and the Grand Prize in the “Metropolitan International Piano Competition” in New York.
The event was held under the Honorary Patronage of Mateusz Sakowicz, Consul General of the Republic of Poland in New York and Ignacy Paderewski Center in Kąśna Dolna – the only preserved residence of Ignacy Jan Paderewski in the world. Partners: Polish Museum of America, The Sembrich – The Marcella Sembrich Foundation, Association of America (SWAP), Polish-Slavic Center, Polish American WE. Patronage: Steinway & Sons Company, Józef Piłsudski Institute of America, Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA), Polish Heritage Society of Philadelphia, Society of Polish American Travel Agents (SPATA). In cooperation with the Polish Cultural Institute in New York. Media patronage: TVP Polonia, Nowy Dziennik, White Eagle, Dziennik Polonijny, Kurier Plus, Echo Polonijne, Dziennik Związkowy, Tygodnik Katolicki Niedziela, Super Express US.
Guests appreciated the program and performers, Foundation received many letters of congratulations, including from Mayor of New York, in which Eric Adams expressed appreciation for the organizers of the concert and noted that he is proud to lead a city with such a large and dynamically developing population of Polish Americans.
