2014 October PASO Magazine

EDUCATION & YOUTH
Concerts, piano recitals, film screenings & more November 6-9
Paderewski Festival returns to Paso Robles
By Meagan Friberg
The 2014 Paderewski Festival
comes to life November 6-9 with
concerts, youth piano recitals, film
screenings, dance performances, exhibits,
and more. Honoring the legacy
of Paso Robles’ most famous resident,
Ignacy Jan Paderewski, this year’s festival
will have ten events taking place
locally over the course of four days.
Paderewski is described on the festival’s
website as “a virtuoso pianist,
composer, humanitarian, orator and
politician – he was the first Prime
Minister of independent Poland after
World War I – with a charismatic personality
and popular appeal and a musical
legacy that continues to inspire
generations of musicians all around
the world.”
“I have always admired Paderewski,
not only as a musician but for his giving
spirit and his role as a great humanitarian,”
said Paderewski Festival
Artistic Director Marek Zebrowski.
First visiting the area in 1914 seeking
the health benefits of the local hot
springs, Paderewski frequently stayed
at the Paso Robles Inn. He later used
$75,000 to purchase land locally; he
developed almond orchards and grape
vineyards at his ranches, Rancho San
Ignacio and Rancho Santa Helena. By
the mid-1930s his wines were considered
one of the top 10 in California by
the LA Times.
“Paderewski’s dream was to retire
here in Paso Robles and use the
funds from his ranches to start a music
school – now we are helping to bring
that dream alive,” said Zebrowski.
History of the festival
The annual festival, initially
launched in Paso Robles in 1993,
was temporarily suspended after the
death of one of its organizers and the
2003 earthquake. It was re-launched
in 2006 with a solo recital at Cass
Winery by English pianist Jonathan
Plowright thanks to Zebrowski, with
the help of locals including Steve Cass
and Joel Peterson, grandson of the festival’s
founder, Virginia Peterson.
“Steve Cass is the most gracious,
accommodating person that I know,”
said Zebrowski.
Also the Director of the Polish
Music Center at USC, Zebrowski has
witnessed the growth of the festival
firsthand. After the first Cass Winery
concert, a committee of volunteers was
formed and plans were underway for
the 2007 Paderewski Festival.
“I am delighted that we continue
to have amazing cooperation from the
community and that we have such a
wonderful Board of Directors,” said
Zebrowski. “The board members are
all volunteers and they put a lot of
Marek Zebrowski, Artistic
Director of the Paderewski
Festival, along with a slew of
local volunteers, will bring
the 2014 festival to the
Paso Robles community
November 6-9.
their time and effort into keeping this
festival going.”
Former Paso Robles Mayor Frank
Mecham initiated a sister city agreement
between Paderewski’s former estate
in Poland, Kąśna Dolna and Paso
Robles. After an enthusiastic response
from the Ministry of Culture and National
Heritage in Poland, a delegation
representing the Paderewski Festival
Board of Directors traveled to Poland to
tour the area and meet with local leaders.
According to the festival’s website,
the agreement was signed in 2008 and
The 2013 Paderewski Festival Youth Piano Competition winners
are pictured, left to right: Sydney Haughian, Ivan Davidek,
Bella Oldenburg, Daniel Ha, Kevin Park, and Evan Lin.
was drawn up with a goal of “establishing
cultural, educational, personal and
commercial exchanges between the two
cities that share their historical ties to
Ignacy Jan Paderewski.”
Youth Piano Competition
& International Piano
Competition
Finalists from the 2007 and 2008
Paderewski Youth Piano competitions
took part in the first Paderewski Festival
Youth Exchange Program in 2009.
They participated in piano workshops
and master classes alongside Polish stu-
2014 Paderewski Festival Schedule of Events
• Friday, Oct. 3: Youth Piano Competition application deadline,
entry forms at www.paderewskifest.com.
• Saturday, Oct. 25: Youth Piano Competition auditions, Cass Winery
• Wednesday, Nov. 5: Recital of Youth Exchange Program pianists
from Poland and Ukraine, Cass Winery
• Thursday, Nov. 6: 6:30 p.m. wine reception, 7 p.m. concert, Celebration
of Paderewski’s birthday with Cuesta College Choir program, Cass Winery
• Friday, Nov. 7: 11 a.m. Concert of Youth Exchange Program students from
Poland and Ukraine, Cuesta College, SLO; 2 p.m., Master Class with Zheeyoung
Moon, Paso Robles Inn Park Ballroom; 7 p.m. wine reception and recital of
classical music with Mariusz Patyra, violin and Giovanni Caella, piano,
Paso Robles Inn Park Ballroom
• Saturday, Nov. 8: 10 a.m. Documentary of 2013 Paderewski Festival,
plus feature film Impromptu (1991) about Chopin, Park Cinemas, Paso Robles;
12:30 p.m. Polish dance group Krakusy presents traditional and folk dances,
Paso Robles City Park Gazebo; 4 p.m. Recital of 2014 Youth Piano Competition
winners, Paso Robles Inn Park Ballroom; 7:30 p.m. Gala Concert with pianist
Zheeyoung Moon, winner of 2013 Paderewski International Piano Competition,
featuring solo works by Chopin, Paderewski and others, Paso Robles Inn Park Ballroom
• Sunday, Nov. 9: 11 a.m. Recital of Youth Exchange Program pianists from
Poland and Ukraine, location TBD
dents at the manor house of Paderewski’s
former estate, Kąśna Dolna. Since
then, selected local and Polish musicians
spend time in each other’s respective
countries, with the locations alternating
each year.
“The kids spend a week together,
practicing, doing concerts, going hiking,
learning some cultural background and
history – it is a life-changing experience
for them,” said Zebrowski. This year,
there will be two youth musicians from
Poland and two from Ukraine spending
time with local host families. “After a
week of working together, the kids don’t
want to part with one another – they
become lifelong friends.”
Piano teachers in San Luis Obispo,
Monterey and Santa Barbara counties
are encouraged to submit applications
for their talented young pianists for the
Festival’s 2014 Youth Piano Competition.
Open to piano students – juniors,
ages 10-14, and seniors, ages 15-18
– who currently study with an established
piano teacher and reside within
the above counties; professional pianists
may not apply.
The competition jury will be headed
by Zebrowski, along with India D’Avignon
and Paul Woodring from the music
department at Cal Poly, SLO. Cash prizes
will be awarded; winners will be invited
to perform during the 2014 Paderewski
Festival and all audition participants will
receive a certificate.
Selected winners may also apply to
travel to Poland in the summer of 2015
under the exchange program. This allexpenses-paid
trip includes piano workshops,
master classes and concert performances
at Kąśna Dolna and the historic
Jagiellonian University in Kraków.
The Paderewski International Piano
Competition, held every three
years, takes place in the Polish city of
Bydgoszcz; laureates of the competition
are invited to perform in Paso
Robles. The Festival Gala concert on
Nov. 8 will feature a solo piano recital
by Zheeyoung Moon, winner of the
2013 competition; she will also provide
a master class for all interested pianists
on Nov. 7.
The Paderewski Festival is a non-profit
organization. In July, the Hind Foundation
of SLO gifted a grant worth $2,500
in support of the 2014 Paderewski Festival
Youth Piano Competition. Committed
to funding community-based projects and
programs that encourage people to work
together to build an enduring legacy for
future generations, the Hind Foundation’s
strives to provide nonprofit organizations
with resources, tools, and ideas so they can
achieve their objectives and better serve
their purpose, members, and communities.
For additional information on the
2014 Paderewski Festival, call 235-5409
or go to www.paderewskifest.com.
36 Paso Robles Magazine, October 2014