Jan Kidawa-Blonski, Little Rose, and a Cosmic Adventure

"On Little Rose and Polish Film"


On Saturday, March 12, 2011, at 6:30 p.m. the Modjeska Club will host the eminent Polish film director Jan Kidawa-Błoński at the exclusive residence of Helena and Stanley Kołodziey in Beverly Hills.

Jan Kidawa Błoński is a film and TV director, screenwriter and producer. He studied architecture at the Silesian Technical University, and film directing at the Moscow Film School. In 1980, he graduated from the Łódź Film School (Directing). He collaborated with the Silesian Film Studio and, after its dissolution, with OKO and Zodiak Production Corp. He has been a member of the Cinematography Committee since 1990 and served as the President of the Association of Polish Filmmakers from 1990 to 1994.

A laureate of many prizes, he received the Silver George Prize for the best director for his film Little Rose (Różyczka) at the Moscow International Film Festival in 2010, among other honors. Our conversation (in Polish) will be illustrated with fragments of this extraordinary film.

According to IMDb, "The film's screenplay was loosely inspired by the true story of famous Polish writer and historian Pawel Jasienica. It was discovered after many years from his death that his beloved wife had been a communist agent. She is said to have provided the secret service with useful information about her husband and the people who surrounded him." The cast includes: Andrzej Seweryn (Adam Warczewski), Magda Boczarska (Kamila), Robert Wieckiewicz (Roman Rożek), Jan Frycz (col. Wasiak), Grażyna Szapołowska (Roma), and others.

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March 26, 2011 at 6 p.m. - "Cosmos - the Real Poetry”

presented by JPL/NASA Staff - Artur Chmielewski, Andrew Dowen, David Lehman, Witold Sokolowski and Marek Tuszynski

Our Board member, Andrew Dowen, the event's organizer, writes:

"Our wonderful Modjeska Art and Culture Club brings to us the beauty of poetry, literature, arts and music. But is there greater beauty than the universe itself? What we learn from other worlds goes beyond the most sophisticated rhymes, most pleasant chords and greatest human intellect. Space exploration touches upon the very understanding of us, where we came from, who we are and where we are going.
Five Polish engineers surrounded by spacecraft in the auditorium at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena will share with you the excitement of space exploration.

You are cordially invited to JPL's Von Karman Auditorium located at 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena, CA 91109. The event will take place on March 26th, 2011 at 6PM and is free to all attending.

Please note that JPL is a Federal Research Facility and you will be stopped by JPL Security and asked about the purpose of your visit. Simply state that you are attending an outreach event in Von Karman Auditorium. The guard will point you toward the "Gust Parking Lot" (2nd out on the circle), which is located directly to the left as you approach the second Guard Checkpoint. Please park there and walk toward the entrance to the parking lot where one of us will show you the way to Von Karman Auditorium."

Mickiewicz Today - with Leonard Kress, Roman Koropeckyj and Beata Pozniak

You are cordially invited to a celebration of the poetry of Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855), one of Europe's foremost romantic poets, with Professors Roman Koropeckyj (UCLA) and Leonard Kress (Owens College), featuring a special guest appearance by eminent actress Beata Pozniak Daniels accompanied by pianist Sue Zhou. The conversations will be in English and the poetry will be presented in both languages at the historical Ruskin Art Club, a 120-year old cultural landmark of Los Angeles (800 South Plymouth Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90005) at 6: 30 p.m., on Saturday, February 19, 2011. RSVP by 2/16/11 to prezes@modjeska.org; or tel. 818-352-4411 (leave your phone number).

"To a Pole, the name Adam Mickiewicz is emblematic of Polishness and greatness. What Homer is to the Greeks, or Shakespeare to the British, Mickiewicz is to the Poles. He is a cultural icon, a name inextricably connected with Polish literature and history, and one mentioned with pride. Mickiewicz stands out in the consciousness of Poles both as a man of letters and a political leader." Scholar Regina Grol thus started her popular essay summarizing Mickiewicz's contribution to European history and culture. She points out controversial and unexamined aspects of Mickiewicz's life and work. Two guests of the Modjeska Club have dedicated years to unraveling these mysteries (Koropeckyj) and making his poetry more accessible to the English-speaking world (Kress).

Prof. Leonard Kress studied religion at Temple University, Polish literature and folklore at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, and creative writing at Columbia University. He currently teaches religion, philosophy, and creative writing at Owens College in Ohio. He has published six collections of poetry, including his translation of Pan Tadeusz (available from HarrowGatePress, www.harrowgatepress.com), most recently The Orpheus Complex and Thirteens.

Prof. Roman Koropeckyj received his BA in Comparative Literature from Columbia University in 1976 and his PhD in Slavic Languages & Literatures from Harvard University in 1990. He is the author of The Poetics of Revitalization: Adam Mickiewicz between ‘Forefathers’ Eve’, part 3 and ‘Pan Tadeusz’ (2001), Adam Mickiewicz: The Life of a Romantic (2008) as well as numerous articles on Polish and Ukrainian literature. He has been a professor of Slavic Languages & Literatures at UCLA since 1992.

Born in Gdańsk, Poland, Beata Poźniak Daniels is an acclaimed actress, artist, activist and poet. Best known for her role as Marina Oswald in Oliver Stone's JFK, she starred in over 30 film and TV projects internationally, including Babylon 5, Melrose Place, Mad About You, JAG, Złotopolscy and other TV series in the U.S. and Poland. As an activist, she spearheaded passage of the first bill to recognize International Women's Day in the U.S. Her theater company, Theatre Discordia, has presented numerous avant-garde theater projects combining dance, magic, visual projections, and spoken word. For more information, see her website: www.beata.com

The program will include conversations with both scholars about their interest in Mickiewicz and publications about him (in English), followed by a reading of Mickiewicz's poetry in English and Polish. We will re-create a 19th century romantic salon where Adam Mickiewicz recited poetry accompanied on the piano by his future mother-in-law, eminent pianist Maria Szymanowska (1790-1831). Pianist Sue Zhou will be our Szymanowska and will play her Nocturne as well as accompany a unique presentation of a "melodrama" - Mickiewicz's poetry recited to the music of a forgotten composer Marian Signio. Quite appropriately, the poetry is an excerpt from Mickiewicz's epic, Pan Tadeusz, describing a cembalom concert by a Jewish musician, Jankiel, "Koncert nad koncertami."

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Calendar of Events

For the spring season we planned the following events:

12 March – Conversation with film director Jan Kidawa-Błoński (author of "The Little Rose") and Member of Seym/Parliament, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska (for club members only)

26 March – What’s new in space? Program by Andy Dowen and his guests at JPL/NASA, held at JPL in La Canada Flintridge

16 April – Poets about Miłosz with guests poet John Guzlowski (nominated to Pulitzer Prize for Poetry) and Cecilia Woloch (USC faculty)

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Photo Credits

Walenty Wankowicz, Portrait of Adam Mickiewicz (1827-1828), Warsaw Museum of Literature, Wikimedia Commons, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adam_Mickiewicz.PNG

Warsaw, Adam Mickiewicz Monument, photo by Halibutt, Wikimedia Commons.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Halibutt/Image_gallery

From the Winter Wonderland to Tibet...

The wonderful New Year's Eve Ball at the private Long Beach Petroleum Club was a enjoyable and elegant way of welcoming the new year 2011.

It is the year of the Rabbit in the Chinese calendar and we hope that it will be both peaceful and blessed - bringing in a welcome moment of tranquility after the turmoil in the year of the Tiger and before the final Apocalypsis of 2012, if you believe in Mayan prophecies of the end of time.

Whether you believe the Mayas or not, believe your Maja and definitely plan to spend the New Year's Eve with us next year. Our Ball welcoming the 2011 was quite an astounding affair!

Krystyna Okuniewski outdid herself as she designed and made extraordinary decorations, transforming the Terrace Room of the Petroleum Club into a magical Winter Wonderland with frost flowers on silver trees, snowflakes everywhere, and ostrich and peacock feathers adorning the centerpieces.

The white and light blue room looked enchanted, with silver snowflakes and icy blue crystals everywhere. Those who attended and those who did not may enjoy our album of photos at New Year's Eve - Picasa Web Albums.

DJ Richard Mojica provided the stars on the ceiling and a well-rounded music program, with golden oldies of Sinatra, Piaf, and Elvis, mixed with ballroom standards (Strauss waltzes, classic sambas), Polish hits selected by Wojtek Szeremeta, and a full range of fashionable Latin and Italian music that everyone loves dancing to.

Andrzej Maleski surprised everyone with a personal and very Polish accent: "Koncert Zyczen" (Concert of Best Wishes) with witty dedications of Polish oldies to individual members of the Club. Irene Ujda led the whole Club and guests in a Polish classic dance, the polonaise, set to the music from Andrzej Wajda's film "Pan Tadeusz".

The Petroleum Club chef and kitchen crew are highly recommended for the quality of their buffet selections and their efficient and timely service. We got a lot of positive comments about the quality of our dinner, which is rare on such occasions. Our menu was not your typical hotel fare, for sure...

All in all, the Modjeska Club welcomed the New Year with sophistication and class, following on the best traditions of Polish intelligentsia and nobility.

We are already planning our events for the spring and are looking forward to our next meeting at the artistic and modern residence of tapestry-artist Monique Chmielewski Lehman and NASA's own David Lehman in Pasadena.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS PLANNED FOR THE SPRING OF 2011:

* January 22, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - Travel to Tibet with Edward and Maria Pilatowicz, screening of film and conversations with long-time club members and past-presidents. Home of Monique and David Lehman, Pasadena.

* February 19, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - Mickiewicz Today, conversation with Prof. Roman Koropeckyj, UCLA, Mickiewicz Scholar and Prof. Leonard Kress, Owens College, poet and translator of Pan Tadeusz into English. Illustrated with a surprise program by a famous Polish actor in Polish. The conversation will be in English. The Ruskin Art Club, Los Angeles.

* March 26, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - What's New in Space? Andrew Z. Dowen presents updates from NASA. Joint meeting with Polacy in Inland Empire Club. JPL Lecture Hall.

* April 16, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - Milosz in My Life, conversation with poets John Guzlowski and Cecilia Woloch, about Czeslaw Milosz, Nobel-Prize winning poet, whose year is celebrated in 2011. The Ruskin Art Club, Los Angeles.

Happy New Year 2011!

After a lovely, warm and welcoming Christmas Party at the Wilks in Anaheim Hills, singing Polish Christmas Carols with wonderful musicians, Karolina Naziemiec (viola and voice), accompanied by Arek Niezgoda (guitar) and Irina Chirkova (cello), we said our farewells to the Old Year and welcomed the New Year during an elegant New Year's Eve Ball at the private Long Beach Petroleum Club.
Our Ball had the theme of "Winter Wonderland." Board member and artist Krystyna Okuniewska designed the decorations in whites, silvers and blues. She transformed the hall into a magical space of sparkling crystals and ice. Dance music was by DJ Richard Mojica, who presented an assortment of favorite dance music, from golden oldies, ballroom, through rock, salsa, tango, waltz. The eclectic evening had something for everyone and featured Polish dance music and a Polonaise selected by club member Wojciech Szeremeta. Andrzej Maleski entertained the guests with a concert of Polish oldies dedicated to various attendees. Historical dance choreographer Irene Ujda led the Polonaise to officially start the ball. A report with photographs of the event will be available on the new website. For now, the invitation contains the basic information about it: Invitation Flyer PDF We are slowly adding material to the website. Recently, a report from the Kabaret Starszych Panow Program (November 21, 2010), was added to the Polish part of the new site, with content by Jolanta Siemieniewski, Witold Fraczek and Witold Czajkowski: Kabaret Report in Polish, PDF. These texts will also be translated and added to the English website.

  CALENDAR OF EVENTS PLANNED FOR THE SPRING OF 2011:

• January 22, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - Travel to Tibet with Edward and Maria Pilatowicz, screening of film and conversations with long-time club members and past-presidents at an art-filled home of Monique and David Lehman, Pasadena.
• February 19, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - Mickiewicz Today, conversation with Prof. Roman Koropeckyj, UCLA, Mickiewicz Scholar and Prof. Leonard Kress, Owens College, poet and translator of Pan Tadeusz into English. Illustrated with fragments of Andrzej Wajda's "Pan Tadeusz" in Polish. Conversation in English. The Ruskin Art Club, Los Angeles.
• March 26, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - What's New in Space? Andrew Z. Dowen presents updates from NASA. Joint meeting with Polacy in Inland Empire Club. JPL Lecture Hall.
• April 16, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - Milosz in My Life, conversation with poets John Guzlowski and Cecilia Woloch, about Czeslaw Milosz, Nobel-Prize winning poet, whose year is celebrated in 2011. The Ruskin Art Club, Los Angeles.

Christmas and New Year's Wishes

After a cheerful and lovely Christmas Party (December 11, 2010) at an elegant and beautifully decorated home of Jola and Alex Wilk in Anaheim Hills, Club members and friends will gather at another celebration: New Year's Eve Party at the Long Beach Petroleum Club. Our theme is nostalgic and typically Polish - "In a Winter Wonderland..." There will be magic in the air, as we will welcome the New Year together...

After that, we will enjoy a trip to Tibet with Edward and Maria Pilatowicz, at the hospitable home of Monique and David Lehman (January 22), study Mickiewicz with Prof. Leonard Kress and Roman Koropeckyj (February 19, Ruskin Art Club), take a trip into space with NASA engineers (March 26, JPL), share a delight in the poetry of Czeslaw Milosz (April 16), and relish many other inspirations with Polish music and culture. Current information is now posted on a new server, at modjeskaclub.org; while the general information and Club history is available at modjeska.org.



I would like to end the year on a more personal note and share my wishes including two poems on the theme of Christmas. For the holiday season, I was asked to write something "Christmasy" for the party of Little Landers Historical Society at Bolton Hall in Tujunga. I thought that a recent poem for a married couple celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary would fit it quite well, if there was a carol in the text. I chose to quote a carol that remains one of the most beloved Polish carols, cited by Fryderyk Chopin in his Scherzo in B-minor, op. 20.


Married Christmas

May your path be smooth, and your sunlight mellow
~ an old blessing

He said - “You are the apple of my eye”
She said - “Let us have tea for two”

Steam rises from bronze liquid
freshly-baked szarlotka waits its turn
scent of cinnamon sweetens the air
the music box plays an ancient carol

Lulajże, Jezuniu, moja perełko,
Lulaj ulubione me pieścidełko

She does not have to finish –
one glance and he knows
after thirty-five years together
faithful like cranes on a Chinese etching

Their looking glass is hidden away
in a box of treasures they don’t need
to find blessings
among daily crumbs of affection

* * * * * * * *

The carol's text incipit means: “Hush, hush, Baby Jesus, my little pearl, my lovely little darling…” – This ancient Polish carol is a simple lullaby, filled with tender love for the infant, held in the arms of his gentle mother. There are many lullabies among Polish carols; the focus of Polish Christmas is on the baby and his mother, on the familial love that binds them. The Lulajże Jezuniu carol is sung throughout the Christmas holiday season, from Christmas Eve to February 2nd, the Candlemas.



Last year, I was traveling close to Christmas, and the empty airports were full of fake cheer, recorded Christmas carols blaring from the loudspeakers and tinsel with childish decorations everywhere.

The poem I wrote about that is similar in tone to the "Married Christmas" - extolling the virtue of the subtle affection, gentle understanding of a shared life, the true family virtue...




Rules for Happy Holy Days

Don’t play Christmas carols
at the airport. Amidst the roar
of jet engines, they will spread
a blanket of loneliness
over the weary, huddled masses,
trying not to cry out for home.

Don’t put Christmas light on a poplar.
With branches swathed in white
galaxies, under yellow leaves, the tree
will become foreign, like the skeleton
of an electric fish, deep in the ocean.

Clean the windows from the ashes
of last year’s fires. Glue the wings
of a torn paper angel. Brighten
your home with the fresh scent
of pine needles and rosemary.

Take a break from chopping almonds
to brush the cheek of your beloved
with the back of your hand,
just once, gently. Smile and say:
“You look so nice, dear,
you look so nice.”

* * * * * * * *

This is the poetry of a moment in the kitchen, home cooking meals of the season and sharing a togetherness and affection that is quite beyond words, yet forms the very fabric of life. I hope all of Modjeska Club members will enjoy many such tender moments of love that fills each moment with meaning!

Best wishes to all!

Christmas Concert and "Sylwester"

On Saturday, December 11, 2010, at 6:00 p.m. members and guests of the Modjeska Club will celebrate the holiday season with a Christmas Concert at a private mansion in Anaheim, CA.

The event will feature Polish musicians, guitarist Arek Niezgoda, violist and jazz singer Karolina Naziemiec, and Bulgarian cellist Irina Chirkova. Their short Classical Music Program will be followed by Polish Christmas Carols Sing-Along, led by Karolina, with the support lent by Arek and Irina.

The musicians will have their CDs available for purchase and their performances will be filmed for Polish TV. Our festivities will feature a buffet dinner catered by Teresa Turek, elegant Polish desserts and holiday music.

PROGRAM:

6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – Welcome

6:30 p.m. – Sharing of the Oplatek

6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Polish Dinner Buffet, catered by Teresa Turek

7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. – Festive Music for Guitar and Strings

Ludwig van Beethoven -Duet ' with two eyeglasses obligato' /10 min./, Karolina Naziemiec- viola and Irina Chirkova -cello

Arkadiusz Niezgoda – Adelita Variations on a Theme by Francisco Tarrega (2010) /20 min./

8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. - Polish Christmas Carols Sing-Along led by Karolina Naziemiec and accompanied by Arek Niezgoda and Irina Chirkova.

8:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. – Desserts

Texts for the following carols will be distributed for the audience: Wśród nocnej ciszy, Anioł pasterzom mówił, Pójdźmy wszyscy do stajenki, Przybieżeli do Betlejem, Dzisiaj w Betlejem, Triumfy Króla Niebieskiego, Gdy się Chrystus rodzi, Jezus malusieńki, Lulajże Jezuniu, Gdy śliczna panna, Oj maluśki, maluśki, W żłobie leży, Mizerna cicha, stajenka licha, Ach ubogi żłobie, Mędrcy świata, Bóg się rodzi, O come, all ye faithful, The first noel, Away in a manger, and Cicha noc.

If you bring your favorite dance music, we will be able to listen to it and pick the “greatest hits” for our New Year’s Eve Party.

PERFORMERS:

KAROLINA NAZIEMIEC is a Polish violist and vocalist who has been training, teaching and performing in the United States since 2000. Ms. Naziemiec appeared with many orchestras in Poland, Germany, France, Belgium, Japan , and USA and participated in numerous music festivals throughout the world. In the U.S., she has performed with The Los Angeles Opera, The Los Angeles Master Chorale, The Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, The American Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall in New York City and in Los Angeles, The Aspen Music Festival Orchestra in Aspen, and The Jewish Symphony Orchestra in Los Angeles, among others. She holds a M.A. degree in viola from the famous Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. In 2008-09 she was teaching at the Idyllwild Summer Festival as viola coach. She's also performed as a vocalist in Los Angeles, and has recorded in scoring sessions at studios such as Warner Brothers, Fox, Sony and Paramount. To learn more about Ms. Naziemiec go to her website, www.karolinanaziemiec.com

ARKADIUSZ (AREK) NIEZGODA: In 1978, while his mother was pregnant with him, Arek first time heard his father practicing guitar pieces by Bach, Tarrega and other composers. When he was six years old, Niezgoda began playing piano and guitar. Arek graduated from Warsaw University’s Department of Musicology. He came to California two years ago considering Los Angeles a place where music has all the needed "liberty, sun and a great market too." As a self-taught composer and classic guitar player, Niezgoda was always worked to avoid overly academic influences. He wants to keep his compositions somewhere in-between universities and musical wilderness. This is his one of a kind musical path – that he believes leads to the undiscovered – Promised Land.

ADELITA VARIATIONS - is a set of Classic Guitar Pieces composed in 2010. The main theme is taken from Adelita - Mazurka - composed by Francisco Tarrega (21 November 1852 – 15 December 1909), an influential Spanish composer and guitarist of the Romantic period: www.tarrega-niezgoda.com

IRINA CHIRKOVA: Originally from Bulgaria, Irina came overseas in 1997 when she attended The Boston Conservatory and graduated with a BM and MM. As a performer, she won multiple competitions such an American String Teachers' Association Competition, II Prize in MA; performed multiple times as a soloist with an orchestra, one of which was her own arrangement of Dvorak's Cello Concerto adopted for two violins, a cello, two DJs and an orchestra (performed with Orchestra X, Houston, TX). Irina is an electric cellist as well. As a teacher, she was a founder of the First Cello Competition at Brookline Music School, MA, where she was a String Department Coordinator and a member of the Cello Faculty for seven years. From 2001 until 2005, she was a Teaching Assistant at Wellesley College, MA. Irina has performed multiple times as a soloist for Bill Clinton and the former Governor of MA, Mitt Romney. Some of her recent performances include performing with Kanye West and Elan Artists. She has performed for Yo-Yo Ma, Bernard Greenhouse, Aldo Parisot, Timothy Eddy, Tokyo String Quartet, Norman Fischer and Andor Toth. Currently, she is a band/group member of Novel3 Trio, Rouge ensemble, CCBONNES and the Chamber Pop. Irina is a faculty member at Santa Monica Music Center, Cornerstone Music Conservatory and Neighborhood Music School, CA.

CHAMBER POP ENSEMBLE: Arek, Karolina and Irina are members of Chamber Pop Ensemble which performs pop songs arranged for Classic Guitar/Piano and String Quartet. This crossover group involves musicians from Pop/Rock and Classic Music World. www.chamberpop.com and www.myspace.com/chamberpopensemble

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SYLWESTER - POLISH NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY

Our New Year's Eve Party will be held at the elegant Long Beach Petroleum Club (Terrace Room). There are only 12 seats left and we will open the reservations to guests on November 30. The $80 per person ticket includes: dinner with a choice of entree, two drink tickets, glass of champagne at midnight, chocolate cake for dessert, and appetizers served at night. Dinner served at 8 p.m., dancing until 1 p.m., cash bar available on site. Music will be provided by DJ Richar Mojica, who will play an assortment of favorite dance music, from ballroom, through rock, golden oldies, to salsa, including Polish dance music, and a Polonaise at midnight!

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EVENTS IN THE SPRING OF 2011

January 22, 2011, 6:30 p.m. (Saturday) - Travel to Tibet with Edward and Maria Pilatowicz, screening of film and conversations with long-time club members and past-presidents. Home of Monique and David Lehman, Pasadena.

February 19, 2011, 6:30 p.m. (Saturday) - Mickiewicz Today, conversation with Prof. Roman Koropeckyj, UCLA, Mickiewicz Scholar and Prof. Leonard Kress, Owens College, poet and translator of Pan Tadeusz into English. Illustrated with fragments of Andrzej Wajda's "Pan Tadeusz" in Polish. Conversation in English. The Ruskin Art Club, Los Angeles.

March 19, 2011, 6:30 p.m. (Saturday) - What's New in Space? Andrew Z. Dowen presents updates from NASA. Joint meeting with Polacy in Inland Empire Club. South Pasadena Public Library Historic Lecture Room, with documentary film screening.

April 16, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - Milosz in My Life, conversation with poets John Guzlowski and Cecilia Woloch, about Czeslaw Milosz, Nobel-Prize winning poet, whose year is celebrated in 2011. The Ruskin Art Club, Los Angeles.

Cabaret of Clubs, November 21

The Modjeska Club presents a Cabaret Show, “To Save from Oblivion: The Cabaret of Jeremi Przybora and Jerzy Wasowski” illustrated with songs from the Old Gents’ Cabaret (Kabaret Starszych Panów). The program, directed by Jolanta Siemieniewska will be performed by members of Club PIE, Poles in Inland Empire. The event will take place at the elegant private club, Long Beach Petroleum Club (3636 Linden Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90807-4068, tel. 562-427-7966) at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, 21 November 2010.

The program is based on ”Leksykon-Ostatni Naiwni Kabaretu Starszych Panów” (Roman Dziewoński, Monika i Grzegorz Wasowscy) and on internet sources. Playbook and Direction: Jolanta Siemieniewska; Consultation, Sound and Lighting: Gwido Zlatkes; Management: Witold Frączek; MCs: Zofia Czechowicz and Witold Frączek: Performers: members of Club PIE. This is our friendly partner club in Riverside presenting many cultural and scientific meetings and events for local Polonia. Details: www.klubpie.com.

This event is free for Modjeska Club members and the package includes a light supper with hors-d’oeuvres and beverages such as tea and coffee (for those interested, a full-service cash bar will be available throughout the evening). We will be collecting a fee of $20 per person from our guests. The parking is free.

The following songs by Przybora and Wasowski will be presented:

Kuplety Starszych Panów - Wojtek Gawecki & Teodor Przymusiński

Wezwanie - Wojtek Gawecki

Przeklnę Cię - Jolanta Siemieniewska & Teodor Przymusiński

W czasie deszczu dzieci się nudzą - Katarzyna Gawecka

Zosia i ułani - Jolanta Siemieniewska & Bartek Pankowski

Zobowiązanie - Wojtek Gawecki & Teodor Przymusiński & Agnieszka Cooper

Jak pan się trzyma - Jolanta Siemieniewska & Teodor Przymusiński

O koniu (skecz) - Basia Gałaj & Bartek Pankowski

Rodzina - Katarzyna & Wojtek Gawecki

Kaziu, zakochaj się - Irena Tomaszewska & Teodor Przymusiński

Odrobina mężczyzny na co dzień - Katarzyna Gawecka & Irena Tomaszewska

Na całej połaci śnieg - Basia Gałaj

Addio, pomidory (nagranie)

Dziecię tkaczy - Bartek Pankowski

Pejzaż bez ciebie (nagranie)

Piosenka jest dobra na wszystko - zespól

The spectacle is a labor of love by the following team of dedicated artists:
Jolanta Siemieniewska (playbook & direction), Gwido Zlatkes (consultation, lighting, sound), Ann Frenkel (piano and vocals), Dasia Bytnerowicz, Anna Gawecka, Jola Siemieniewska (graphic design and stage decor), Wojtek Gawecki (multimedia), and Witold Frączek (management).

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MODJESKA CLUB PLANS FOR THE 2010-2011 HOLIDAY SEASON


A reminder that during the holiday season our plans include the following events:

11 December – Arek Niezgoda and Karolina Naziemiec present music for guitar and viola, followed by a Holiday Party with Polish carols sing-along; private residence in Orange County

31 December – New Year’s Eve Party (please RSVP and send your checks by 30 November, there are only 18 seats left!);

22 January – In Tibet with Marysia and Edward Piłatowicz.

Other events in 2011 are planned for: 19 February, 19 March, 16 April, 21 May, and 25 June. We will try to keep these dates, while filling in the program details.