THREE PADEREWSKIS
PRESS RELEASE
November 21, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THREE PADEREWSKIS, a new American musical hybrid, explores the life and work of composer and founder of the Polish nation, Ignacy Jan Paderewski. This project has been commissioned in co-operation with Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the international cultural programme POLSKA 100 accompanying Poland’s centenary of regaining independence.
With book by University of Southern California professor and playwright Oliver Mayer and music by award-winning composer Jenni Brandon, this 40-minute performance looks at three versions of the great Paderewski (one of them female) as they sift through a lifetime of memories far too large for any one person. Ignacy the pianist/composer, Jan the visionary statesman, and Paderewski the viticulturist assess a lifetime of love and loss, exile, war and wine. But when the ghost of Antonina, their long-departed wife, rejoins them, memories become immediate with a vibrancy that sheds light on the depths of their endless love.
Members of the cast include singers who have appeared with the Los Angeles Opera, with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, at the Kennedy Center, in major motion pictures and on Grammy-award winning recordings. Directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera of the Playwright’s Arena, the cast will be accompanied by the L.A. based ensemble Central4 Piano Quartet with music direction by composer Jenni Brandon.
This project has been commissioned by The Adam Mickiewicz Institute in collaboration with the following Institutions: UCLA TFT, USC School of Dramatic Arts, Ghost Road Company, Playwrights’ Arena, Wang Music International, CAC New Orleans, UNO, Tricklock Company, UNM, Tisch School of the Arts, Philadelphia Theatre Company, MASS MoCA, The Consulate General of Poland in Los Angeles, The Polish Cultural Institute in New York as part of the international cultural program POLSKA100 accompanying Poland’s Centenary of regaining independence.
Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland as part of the multi-annual program NIEPODLEGŁA 2017-2022.
Cast:
Katherine Powers – Antonina Maria Dominique Lopez – Ignacy
Todd Strange – Jan Steve Pence – Paderewski
Ariel Pisturino – Chorus Soprano Shabnam Kalbasi – Chorus Alto
Omar Crook – Chorus Tenor Emilio Valdez – Chorus Bass
Central4 Piano Quartet: Timothy Durkovic-piano, Elizabeth Hedman-violin, Meredith Crawford-viola, Paula Fehrenbach-cello
Projections: Simon Chau
When:
Saturday, December 1st, 2018
Time:
2pm
Where:
USC Kaufman Performance Studio
849 West 34th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90089-3521
RSVPs:
This event is free but please RSVP to threepaderewskis@gmail.com to reserve tickets
Running Time:
Approximately 45 minutes
Directions and Parking:
Please enter the USC campus via Gate 5 (McClintock and Jefferson Avenues) and pay $12 at the kiosk. From there, guests will be directed to the Royal Street Parking Structure to park their vehicles. The Kaufman Performance Studio is a short walk along 24th Street from the parking structure.
Additionally, there is metered street parking along McClintock and Jefferson Avenues and Hoover Street.
Social Media:
#PADEREWSKIMUSICALPROJECT
#PADEREWSKIONTOUR2018
#aminstitute
#celebratinpolska100
Contact:
Ian-Julian Williams
ianjulianwilliams@gmail.com
718.915.6463