Friends of Polish MusicA nonprofit organization under the auspices of the School of Music at the University of Southern California
by Wanda Wilk
The Friends of Polish Music (FPM) was organized in 1981 by Wanda Wilk upon an invitation by the University of Southern California's (USC) Dean of the School of Performing Arts at that time, Grant Beglarian, to form an auxiliary to sponsor the Szymanowski Centennial celebration to be held at the School of Music in 1982 and to try to solicit enough funding to create a Chair in Polish Music at the University.
A nonprofit organization under the auspices of the School of Music at the University of Southern California, the FPM set as its main objective to correct America's past unfamiliarity with Poland's contribution to the commonwealth of western music in literature and to help make the music of Polish origin an integral part of the mosaic of the musical culture of America.
Wanda Wilk became its first president, forming a Board of Directors as follows: Frank R. Gondek, M.D.; Ted Knight and Stanley R. Kersten, vice presidents; Mania Suski, treasurer; Janice Foy, secretary and Dr. William Thomson, director of the School of Music. The advisory Board, selected from the local music community (artists and University faculty): Harry Bulow, Leonid Hambro, Hans Lampl, Daniel Lewis, Walter Martin, Daniel Pollack, Naomi Reynolds, Carol Rosenberger, Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld, Diana Spencer, Dr. Robert Wojciak and Arthur Zadinsky, zealously worked on organizing a week-long tribute to Poland's greatest composer after Chopin.
The week-long festival at USC included lectures by leading scholars from England (Jim Samson), Poland (Wlodzimierz Kotonski) and several from the U.S. along with performances by local and guest artists in recital and concerts by the USC School of Music Orchestra, featuring the Szymanowski Second Violin Concerto with faculty member, Eudice Shapiro, as soloist, and the Rio Hondo Community Orchestra featuring pianist Donn Alexandre Feder of New York in Szymanowski's Fourth Symphony. A large exhibit in the Heritage Room of Doheny Library was prepared by Wanda Wilk and an outdoor festival featuring Polish arts and crafts and food was prepared by many members of the Polish-American community headed by Gillian Olechno-Huszcza, Dr. Frank Gondek, Helena Borowska, Hanka Gutkowska and others.
The festival activities were crowned with a banquet filled to capacity at Town and Gown, at which time pianist Jakob Gimpel received an award for his contribution to promoting the piano music of Szymanowski throughout his career. Father Konrad Urbanowski opened the festivities with a beautiful poem by St. Augustine about music, in a hall transformed into a fairy land by floral artist and FPM V.P, Stanley R. Kersten.
A modified version of the exhibit later travelled for more than a year and was shown in more than twenty university libraries across the USA.
Using the academic community as its platform, the FPM decided to accomplish its objectives by publishing scholarly monographs on selected topics of Polish music and by sponsoring lectures and programs on Polish music. At the time of the festival Wanda Wilk launched the Polish Music History Series (PMHS) by preparing a short guide on Szymanowski.
This was followed by four scholarly in-depth monographs, for a total of five books published thanks to the donations that were received from individuals from the Polish-American community in the United States. The first one thousand dollars came from the American Council of Polish Cultural Clubs, thanks to a motion made by Mr. Zachariasiewicz at the annual convention in 1981. Donations received from membership dues filled out the rest.
The second and third monographs in the series were devoted to Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969), the greatest woman composer of all times and one of the most respected Polish composers of this century. They are the first books in English devoted to this composer. Judith Rosen of Los Angeles, a specialist on women composers, wrote on the composer's life and works and Professor Adrian Thomas of Queen's University (Belfast) and former head of Radio 3, BBC put forth an analysis of the composer's orchestral and chamber music for university use.
The first bibliography on Polish music in English became the fourth number in the series. Compiled by Poland's foremost bibliographer, Kornel Michalowski, it was revised with additions by Gillian Olechno-Huszcza, archivist for the Polish Music Reference Center at USC.
The first definitive monograph on Karol Szymanowski came off the press in October, 1993. It was written by the Polish expert on Szymanowski, Teresa Chylinska, and is based on the correspondence and writings of Szymanowski, collected for over thirty years by the author. It was translated from the Polish by Dr. John Glowacki, professor emeritus from New Mexico State University and edited by Wanda Wilk. It includes all first performances of Szymanowski's works in America, background information on the beginnings of the choral masterpiece, Stabat Mater, scenario to the ballet, Harnasie, the composer's own analysis of his Second Piano Sonata, a complete bibliography and a selected discography.
The Friends of Polish Music does not have any general meetings, but is governed by the Board of Trustees, which presently includes: Wanda Wilk, president; Stanley R. Kersten, Vice President; Janice Foy, Secretary; Stefan P. Wilk, M.D., Executive Director; and Board members: Mark Bielski; Anna Briscoe; Diane and Howard C. Deshong, Jr.; Brena Hazzard; Edwin Marzec and Dr. Zbigniew Petrovich.
In addition to financing the publishing of the Polish Music History Series, the FPM has also assumed the role of an auxiliary umbrella support organization for the Polish Music Reference Center at USC.
From: Polish Americans in California, vol. II. National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs & Polish American Historical Association. California 1995.