Interwoven Melodies: Mieczysław Weinberg’s World in Music and Words

The Kosciuszko Foundation, in collaboration with the Polish Cultural Institute New York, the New York City Opera, and the National Institute of Music and Dance, cordially invites you to

Interwoven Melodies: Mieczysław Weinberg’s World in Music and Words

An evening celebrating the life and body of works of the composer Mieczysław Weinberg. This event blends a captivating recital with an insightful lecture, exploring Weinberg’s musical legacy and the historical context that shaped his compositions.

FEATURING:

• Kristina Reiko Cooper, cello
• Noreen Cassidy-Polera, piano
• Grzegorz Mania, piano
• Andrzej Ciepliński, clarinet (KF scholar 2024/2025)
• Bret Werb, musicologist at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum

PROGRAM – Mieczysław Weinberg:

• Sonatina for Piano, Op. 49
• Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 28
• Fantasy for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 52 – arr. for cello and piano

This special event serves as a preview of the forthcoming concert “Music of Survival: Works by Weinberg, Korngold, and Rovner,” to be held on February 24th at the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.

A reception will follow the presentation. The event is by invitation only. Space is limited. Registration is required. In place of admission, a donation to the Kosciuszko Foundation is appreciated.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:

The internationally heralded cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper stands out among her peers not only for her polished virtuosity but for her fierce intelligence and imaginative programming. Her natural stage presence and effervescent personality inform all aspects of her musicianship—whether as recitalist, soloist with orchestra, recording artist, teacher, lecturer, or as a member of a chamber performance. But it is her curiosity and enthusiasm that have led her to commission and play works by Lera Auerbach, Josef Bardanashvili, Kenji Bunch, Mario Davidovsky, Avner Dorman, Tan Dun, Philip Glass, Tania Leon, Roberto Siera, and Benjamin Yusupov. She serves as Co-Director with Joel Sachs and Cheryl Seltzer of the pioneering New York-based contemporary music group Continuum. MORE

Pianist Noreen Cassidy-Polera ranks among the most highly regarded and diverse chamber artists performing today. She maintains a career that has taken her to every major American music center and abroad to Europe, Russia, and Asia. Recent performances include those at Alice Tully Hall, Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, 92nd Street Y, Jordan Hall, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Kennedy Center, and Salle Cortot. She has appeared at the Caramoor, Bard, Grand Teton, and Cape Cod music festivals, and has performed with the chamber music societies of Philadelphia and La Jolla. She has recorded for Sony, EMI, Audiophon, and Centaur Records. MORE

Grzegorz Mania graduated with distinction from the Academy of Music in Kraków (where he studied piano under Stefan Wojtas) and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London (where he was tutored by Martin Roscoe, Charles Owen and Caroline Palmer). He also read law at Jagiellonian University, and obtained his Ph.D. for a dissertation about music and copyright law. In 2019 he obtained a post-doctoral degree in the Academy of Music in Kraków. He works extensively as a recitalist, an orchestral soloist and a chamber musician, and is a member of the Piano Cooperative and the Extra Sounds Ensemble. MORE

Andrzej Ciepliński is a distinguished Polish clarinetist who has gained recognition from a wide audience, performing as a soloist with such orchestras as: Sinfonieorchester Basel, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice (NOSPR), Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Warsaw, Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Lviv Philharmonic, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Aukso. As a representative of Polish Radio, he won the prestigious title of “New Talent of the Year” at the International Forum of Young Performers in Bratislava, organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). He is also a laureate of several clarinet competitions. MORE

Bret Werb is a long-serving music specialist and recorded sound curator at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum; Bret Werb has contributed to scholarly books and periodicals, produced recordings of ghetto, camp, and resistance songs, and collaborated on numerous theatre, film, and concert projects.