From the Argentine-Polish Cultural Association (ACAP), its member Ivonne Rajczakowski shares with us the initiatives that have been strengthening cultural ties between Argentina and Poland for 20 years, and she gives us details about the highly anticipated opening concert of the 2024 season, featuring the renowned pianist Lidia Książkiewicz.
By Virginia Chacon Dorr
In a constant effort to enrich the cultural landscape and strengthen ties between Argentina and Poland, ACAP has played a fundamental role since its foundation in 2003. In this conversation, we explore the various activities and projects that have marked the institution’s trajectory. Additionally, Ivonne gives us a glimpse into the upcoming concert that will kick off the 2024 season: a performance by the talented pianist Lidia Książkiewicz, scheduled for Thursday, April 11th at 7 p.m. in the Jorge Luis Borges Auditorium of the National Library. Click here to read the Interview with Lidia Książkiewicz.
– Argentine musical life has always been very rich, and Poland’s is recognized and celebrated worldwide. For those who are not yet familiar with the musical activities of the Association, how would you describe them?
– Since 2002, the institution has been organizing numerous concerts featuring national and international artists in different venues in Buenos Aires and, on some occasions, in other parts of the country. We also hold conferences on classical and popular music from Poland and Argentina. Currently, there are many proposals including piano performances, chamber music, choral music, folklore, jazz, and tango.
Among our achievements, it’s worth mentioning that during the tenure of Engineer Andrés Jezierski, the Argentine-Polish Cultural Association provided scores to Argentine artists who included works by Polish composers in their repertoires, premiering works by Karol Szymanowski, Grażyna Bacewicz, Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński, Juliusz Zarębski, and Zygmunt Noskowski in Argentina.
We have also collaborated with choirs, teaching their members to sing in Polish (such as the Choir of the Province of Santa Fe, the Choir of the University of Salvador, and the Chamber Choir XXI, among others).
In a reciprocal exchange, we taught the Choir of the Faculty of Engineering of the city of Częstochowa to sing in Spanish, preparing them for performances of Ariel Ramírez’s two masses (Misa Criolla and Misa por la Paz y la Justicia) which the choir presented at a sacred music festival held in that city in 2007. On that occasion, Ariel Ramírez’s son, Facundo, participated as a reciter.
We were also very active in promoting music on Argentine radio, under the direction of Engineer Andrés Jezierski. For almost a decade, there was a program about music by Polish composers on Radio Nacional Clásica, with more than 460 broadcasts.
– What are the criteria for selecting artists and works for the music programs? What are the main axes around which the music programming is built?
– The main focus is to prioritize the dissemination of Polish music while also incorporating Argentine and universal composers into the repertoire. We aim to maintain a high level of academic music offerings. Throughout the year, we organize two or three piano concerts featuring international artists. Sometimes we co-organize concerts with the Embassy of Poland. We also collaborate on some Renaissance and Baroque music festivals with Ars Hungarica at the Polish Church. For this year, for example, we plan to hold a Bach Festival featuring harpsichord and string concerts. Additionally, we try to include popular music, and we usually close the year with a Jazz concert in the gardens of the Fernández Blanco Museum. When selecting artists, we evaluate available proposals as well as costs, the latter of which poses a significant challenge as the institution finances activities primarily through membership fees and/or sponsorship.
– Last year, the Association celebrated its 20th anniversary. What were the values that allowed its growth over these two decades?
– The main value is to preserve cultural heritage. We cannot imagine a society without cultural life. It’s something deeply ingrained in our institutional identity. Looking at Poland’s history, it’s very noticeable how the lack of existence of the state during the 19th century greatly fostered all kinds of cultural activities that served to maintain and strengthen the Polish spirit of the nation, which had no sovereignty over its territory. Throughout that long 19th century, it was the artists who kept that spirit alive. Artists like Chopin, Mickiewicz, Słowacki, Henryk Sienkiewicz – the first Polish Nobel laureate in literature – and later the great pianist and composer Paderewski, among many others. For our Association, it’s a great pride as well as a great responsibility and commitment to continue this legacy by doing everything possible to present various aspects of our cultures, both Polish and Argentine. We aim to actively contribute to the integration of musical and artistic richness into the cultural life of Argentina, strengthening ties between the two countries.
In the musical field, for example, these exchanges and cultural ties have been happening for several decades. The post-war migratory wave also brought artists of different genres who contributed to the musical life of Argentina. Like tenor Eugenio Valori, who formed part of the stable cast of the Teatro Colón. Jerzy Petersbuski, composer of operettas and tangos in the golden age of Polish tango (1930), collaborated with a revue theater in Buenos Aires. Grzegorz Fitelberg conducted several seasons at the Teatro Colón (Rimski Korsakoff’s The Tsar’s Bride, Borodin’s Prince Igor, among others). The numerous and outstanding tours of Witold Małcużyński. The visits of Stanisław Skrowaczewski conducting at the memorable concerts of the State Radio Youth Orchestra at the Faculty of Law. Stanisław Wisłocki, who was the artistic director of the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra and prepared the South American premiere of Karol Szymanowski’s opera “King Roger” with prominent Polish soloists of world renown. Krzysztof Penderecki performed several times as a guest conductor and was named an Illustrious Citizen of the City of Buenos Aires.
Reviewing all these remarkable performances – just to name a few – it is a great privilege for ACAP to be a reference for Polish culture today. In recent years, we have presented pianists such as Ewa Pobłocka at the Amijai Community Auditorium, Rafał Łuszczewski at the Libertad Temple, and Anna Miernik at the Fernández Blanco Museum.
– I would like to ask for some final words to invite all our readers to explore the interesting activities you offer.
– Our activities are free and open to all; most of them are free of charge. Over these more than 20 years of existence, we have found a loyal audience, to whom we are immensely grateful. Anyone who wishes to join us as new members and discover our agenda can request information on our websites. We always say that the best thing we can offer to artists is a full house, so everyone is warmly invited to listen to Lidia Książkiewicz. This concert is quite special because it marks the opening of the 2024 Season and, furthermore, because it is the first time we present a musical event at the National Library. The concert will take place on Thursday, April 11th at 7 p.m. in the Jorge Luis Borges Auditorium, with free admission. We are also very grateful to these prestigious institutions that generously open their doors to us. (Click here to read the Interview with Lidia Książkiewicz.)
More information https://acapcultural.com/
