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New York Folklore Events

Society for The Association for the Study of Play (TASP) for their 2014 Annual Conference: “Connecting the Past, Present, and Future”

New York Folklore Society to Partner with the Society for The Association for the Study of Play (TASP) for their 2014 Annual Conference: “Connecting the Past, Present, and Future,” April 23-26, 2014 at The Strong, Rochester, NY

TASP is a multidisciplinary organization that promotes the study of play, support and cooperate with other organizations having similar purposes, and organize meetings and publications that facilitate the sharing and dissemination of information related to the study of play. TASP’s broad focus includes many disciplines and scholarly interests, including folklore and anthropology.

With a shared interest in folklore and play, it is appropriate that the New York Folklore Society partner with The Association for the Study of Play for their 2014 conference.

NYFS members are invited to register for the conference at the TASP member rate. In honor of TASP’s 40th anniversary, they also invite New York Folklore Society participants to attend their 40th birthday bash.

NYFS will co-host the opening reception and present a panel, “The Folklore of Play,” on Thursday morning (April 24).

Register here for the Conference. When Registering, please mention the New York Folklore Society in the “Comments” section.

Farm and Field: The Rural Folk Arts of the Catskill Region

An exhibition of rural images, taken by photographer, Benjamin Halpern, will be on display at Delaware County Maple Weekends (March 23-23; 29-30).

“Farm and Field: The Rural Folk Arts of the Catskill Region” is one of the New York Folklore Society’s latest collaborative initiatives to document and showcase the rural folk arts of the Catskills region of New York State, especially those folk arts which relate to the community of farmers and agricultural workers in this region. The Catskills region continues to have a strong agricultural identity, with the dairy industry continuing to play a prominent role. By documenting and highlighting these ongoing activities, particularly as they are expressed in established and emerging artistic traditions, we hope to shine a light on this identity.

Photographs are made by Benjamin Halpern, a professional, who hails from Sullivan County, and whose childhood memories take him back to the dairy farms that once surrounded his home town. His objectives are to define the connection between the modern landscape and its people, and the cultural connection between the modern farmers and their agrarian roots.

Over the next several months, visitors and audience members can look forward to photographic exhibits, arts-based community activities, storytelling projects, and more.

The Exhibition, “Farm and Field,” will be showcased at the following locations: Shaver Hill Farm, Harpersfield; Brookside Maple, DeLancy; and Catskill Mountain Maple, Andes.

This collaborative project involves many partners. Photographer, Benjamin Halpern of Sullivan County has been a primary project architect who has supplied dozens of images of agriculture and its role on the landscapes of the Catskill region. Other partners include Catskills Folk Connection, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County, Delaware County Historical Association, and the Pine Hill Community Center. The project has been supported with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Arts Opportunities for Students, Educators, and Artists

The New York State Alliance for Arts Education announces the following opportunities:

For Students

New York State Summer School for the Arts: The Summer of 2014 will mark the 45th year of operation for the schools that form the New York State Summer School of the Arts. This program, with its seven component summer residential programs in Ballet, Choral Studies, Dance, Media Arts, Orchestral Studies, Theatre, and Visual Arts is administered by the New York State Education Department. Recognized as one of the finest programs of its kind in the nation, over 15,000 high school age students have become part of this unique summer experience. Alumni of the program will attest to the success of the schools in helping high school students with special talents identify and pursue career choices in all fields of the fine arts and performing arts at an early age. The Schools provide opportunities for all New York State students who qualify through auditions, to receive the highest level of training and instruction. Application information is available here. 

2014 VSA International Young Soloists – Call for Entries: VSA International Young Soloists Competition is now accepting entries. The VSA International Young Soloists Competition annually selects up to four outstanding musicians from the United States and the international arena, and supports and encourages them in their pursuit of a career. These emerging musicians receive $2,500, professional development opportunities, and a performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. All applications must be submitted for review by Monday, January 27, 2014.

For Professionals

Arts Connect All New York: One-on-One Mentorships for Arts Educators: Arts Connect All New York (ACANY) provides educators with a uniquely tailored mentorship for the Spring 2014 semester, with the goal to improve the quality of arts education provided to students with special needs. The mentorship includes three phone consultations, three on-site visits and self-reflective writing assignments. Participating educators receive a $125 stipend, intended as a partial reimbursement for their out-of-school time spent participating in ACANY. Through ACANY, participating educators will receive deep and meaningful professional development that will ultimate benefit hundreds of students across New York State. The application deadline has been extend, but please don’t delay! See NYSAAE’s Webpage for details.

ARTS@theCORE – Vital Training in Standards & Curriculum: Filling a critical gap in professional development for arts educators, ARTS@the CORE symposia, offered from January – March in select regions across the state, will expand participants’ knowledge & improve their arts teaching practice. With a faculty of nationally-recognized experts on arts education and the Common Core — Bruce Taylor, Scott Schuler and Susan Riley– each symposium establishes a context of the arts within the Common Core State Standards, explores the CCSS in both studio arts & integration classes, and provides opportunities for hands-on curriculum planning & collaborative group work. The symposia will provide 5.5 hours of PD credits for teachers. See NYSAAE’s webpage for details and registration information..

Residency

Call for Entries Saltonstall Arts Colony, Ithaca, NY: Time for inspiration, a quiet studio, a beautiful setting, and a stimulating community of artists working in diverse disciplines. Two-week and four-week residencies are offered between late-April and mid-September for New York State artists and writers looking for quiet, supportive environment in which to focus on their craft. See the Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts webpage for more information.

Art, Events, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , ,

Applications available for the Kosciuszko Foundation’s Marcella Sembrich Voice Scholarship Competition

The Kosciuszko Foundation’s Sembrich Voice Competition will take place on March 29th and 30th. Applications will be accepted through February 20, 2014.

The Sembrich Voice Competition honors the great Polish soprano Marcella Kochanska Sembrich, who made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1883. After an enormously successful career, the popular singer founded the vocal programs at both the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute. Previous winners of the competition include Barbara Hendricks and Jan Opalach.

Those who are accepted as contestants will be notified in early March 2014. They will then be required to submit a program for the preliminaries.

Application

To enroll, complete an application [pdf] and return to the Kosciuszko Foundation:

Marcella Sembrich Voice Scholarship Competition 2014
The Kosciuszko Foundation
15 East 65th Street
New York, New York 10065

Fax (212) 628-4552

Requirements

The Competition is open to singers 18 to 35 who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and full-time students with international visas. Applicants must include:

1. Resume and short bio – you may (but are not required to) include any other pertinent information you might like to share.
2. A copy of proof of age and citizenship or residency status.
3. One CD approx. 10 minutes in length. This can be any repertoire that you are comfortable with. Print your name and selection on the CD box. If you wish your CD returned to you, Include a stamped, addressed mailer.
4. One black and white photo of yourself suitable for reproduction, no smaller than 3 x 5 inches.
5. A non-refundable application fee of $35 payable by check or money-order to The Kosciuszko Foundation.

You need not submit suggested repertoire for the audition until you are notified that you are accepted as a contestant.

Required Repertoire

Those who are accepted as contestants will be notified in early March 2014. They will then be required to submit a program for the preliminaries to be held on Saturday, March 29, 2014:

Preliminary:

1 18th century aria (Bach/Handel to Mozart) 1 operatic aria of your choice
1 song by Stanislaw Moniuszko*
1 19th century romantic selection

The required repertoire for the Finals to be held Sunday, March 30, 2014 are:

1 19th century operatic aria
1 20th century operatic aria
1 20th century Polish song*
1 one additional song from any 20th century repertoire

You can find suggested repertoire and sources for the Polish songs and Moniuszko arias in foreign languages at the Marcella Sembrich Voice Competition website.

If an unusual or rare work is selected, copies should be provided to the Foundation competition for the pianist and the judges.

Polish works can be sung in any language (with a minimum of two verses). All works should be sung from memory, in whichever order the contestant chooses.

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Art, Events, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , ,

Applications available for the Kosciuszko Foundation’s Chopin Piano Competition

The Kosciuszko Foundation’s Chopin Piano Competition was established in 1949, in honor of the hundredth anniversary of the death of Frederic Chopin. Over the years, many outstanding musicians have been associated with the competition including Van Cliburn, Ian Hobson, and Murray Perahia. Today, the Kosciuszko Foundation’s Chopin Competition continues to encourage gifted young pianists to further their studies and to perform the works of Polish composers.

Required Repertoire

1. Chopin:

a) One Mazurka of the contestant’s choice

b) Two works chosen from Etudes, Nocturnes, Waltzes, Impromptus, Preludes, and miscellaneous works

c) One major work chosen from the following: Ballades, Scherzi, Sonatas; F-sharp minor Polonaise; A-flat major Polonaise-Fantasy; Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise; Barcarolle; F-minor Fantasy; Introduction and Rondo, Op.16; Allegro de Concert, Op. 46

2. Szymanowski: Two works of the contestant’s choice, including at LEAST one Mazurka

3. A major work by J.S. Bach or two Preludes and Fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier

4. A complete sonata by Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, or Schubert

5. A major 19th or early 20th century work (before 1950 including Debussy, Ravel, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, etc., but excluding those in 4. Above)

6. A contemporary work (after 1950) by an American or Polish composer

*All works are to be complete and played from memory

Eligibility

The Competition is open to citizens and permanent residents of the United States, Polish citizens, and to international full-time students with valid U.S. student visas. Applicants must be between the ages of 16 and 26 as of October 24, 2014.

Application Process

Complete the application [pdf] and submit it along with all required materials noted below by October 3, 2014 to:

Chopin Piano Competition
Kosciuszko Foundation
15 East 65th Street
New York, NY 10065
Fax: (212) 628-4552

1. Biography or curriculum vitae. Include education, experience, honors or competitions won, public recitals or performances with orchestra. Include official event name or competition title, sponsoring organization, and date.

2. Two letters of recommendation emphasizing artistic ability and achievement, one from a current teacher and one from another source, sent directly to The Kosciuszko Foundation.

3. A typewritten copy of your program from the required repertoire (see p. 3) Please give complete information, (including key & opus number, etc.) and movement titles. Retain a copy.

4. A copy of an official document with proof of age.

5. One black and white photo of yourself suitable for reproduction, no smaller than 3″ x 5.”

6. A non-refundable application fee of $50 (payable by check or money order to The Kosciuszko Foundation).

Competition Schedule

Preliminaries: Friday, October 24, 2014 at 10 AM, KF House
Finals: Saturday, October 25, 2014 at 10 AM, KF House

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Art, Christian Witness, PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , , ,

Polish Christmas Carol Sing Along in Northampton, Massachussetts

A Polskie Kolędy (Polish Christmas Carol) Sing Along will be held on Sunday, January 5th at 2 p.m. at St. Valentine’s Church, 127 King Street, Northampton, MA. This annual concert and sing-along is sponsored by the Polish Heritage Committee. This community event includes choir members and participants from the many of the closed Polish Roman Catholic parishes in central Massachusetts (Holy Rosary, Hadley; St. Stanislaus, South Deerfield; St. John’s Cantius, Northampton; and Sacred Heart, Easthampton).

For more information please call Fr. Adam 413-584-0133.

Polskie Koledy

Art, Christian Witness, PNCC, , ,

Praise the Lord with timbrel and harp

Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with timbrel and lyre!
For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their couches. — Psalm 150

The following interviews feature National United Choirs Scholarship winner Adam Sniezek who is Eastern Michigan University’s senior drum majorand is from Our Savior PNCC in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. If you listen, between the lines, you see the impression faith makes on the lives of our youth – placing others first, living as part of community.

Art, Christian Witness, PNCC, , , , ,

Praise the Lord in song

We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. — Romans 8:28

I’d been following the progress of Fernando Varela and the group Forte on America’s Got Talent. They were eventually eliminated. What struck me most is the fact that popularity and fame were secondary to faith for Fernando. The stories in his local newspaper highlighted his work for the Lord. The Polish National Catholic Church supports and rewards those who endeavor to praise the Lord through music. Through Fernando’s work may many come to know and praise the Lord in music.

From the Ocala Star Banner: ‘America’s Got Talent’ star back at Belleview church

The man with the big voice was back at his little Belleview church on Sunday, wowing the faithful who packed the pews at St. Paul National Catholic Church to hear the talent they knew well before a contest introduced him to the world.

Fernando Varela returned to St. Paul, where he’s served as music director for the past four years, for the first time since last month’s near miss in the finals of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”

At numerous points during a Mass that stretched for almost two hours, Varela was applauded by St. Paul’s appreciative parishioners, who clearly reveled in the outcome of the classic local-boy-makes-good tale.

“Fernando raises the roof,” said Barbara Field, a resident of The Villages who was a parishioner at St. Paul’s when Varela started there.

Field said she regularly attends another church because it better accommodated her schedule, but periodically comes back to St. Paul. On Sunday, she went there — for the second of two services she went to — with her neighbor, Karen Castle, specifically so they could listen to Varela.

“I just don’t see how he came in fourth,” Field said.

Varela, as part of an operatic trio of tenors called Forte, was one of six acts that made the show’s finale in September.

Forte was the third one eliminated that night by the audience vote.

Still, the finish was strong enough to land Varela and his partners in Forte — Josh Page and Sean Panikkar — a recording deal with Columbia Records and shows at Carnegie Hall and the Tropicana casino resort in Las Vegas.

The Tropicana’s website is already billing the group’s appearance there at the end of December.

Art, Events, Poetry, Poland - Polish - Polonia, Political, , , , , , , , , ,

Cosmopolitan Review Fall 2013 Issue Posted

From the Cosmopolitan Review: A Transatlantic Review of Things Polish, in English

Photo of Górecko Kościelne, Poland by Sławomir Nowosad
Photo of Górecko Kościelne, Poland by Sławomir Nowosad

As we admired our favorite photographer’s beautiful Polish sunset, it occurred to us that – to paraphrase a well-known imperial boast – the sun never sets on the Polish diaspora. They are everywhere, in their infinite variety, and what luck we have to stay in touch, even if only virtually.

This issue of CR is largely about Polonia – to use the term that defines all Poles outside Poland – plus a couple of guests, in keeping with the longstanding tradition of Polish hospitality. So, guests first.

Roy Eaton, a New Yorker who came to Montreal and captured the hearts and imaginations of students at the Quo Vadis conference, won the first Kościuszko Foundation Chopin Competition in 1950, but that is but one of many firsts for this gracious and talented man. His music is a must for fans of Chopin and Joplin.

Staying with music, Justine Jablonska catches up with Katy Carr, not an easy thing to do given the international demand for Katy’s performances. And check out Katy’s work with British school kids. For her part, Kinia Adamczyk introduces us to a Montrealer who is a musician, a poet, a writer and a chef, and all of that in Polish, Hebrew, Arabic, German, French and English. If only he would invite us to dinner!

And speaking of poets, we like to think that Linda Nemec Foster wrote her poem just for us. She didn’t, except in the sense that it is for all of us. “I am from America and Poland…” Yes.

We introduce Agnieszka Tworek who introduces us to the marvelous work of Boston architect and artist, Monika Zofia Pauli. It’s a feast for the eyes.

Three immigrant stories, each one so different from the next: one looks back at the very different Canada that welcomed him – sort of – in 1946; another looks at Poland because she knows she didn’t just come out of thin air; and one tells us about his grand world tour – just the thing to broaden one’s education – with great wit and style.

And then there were those clever Poles who by-passed the cold, cold north and headed straight for sunny California. It’s the 150th birthday of the Polish Society they started. They couldn’t attend the party but you really must meet them.

Check out the review of the new book about Krystyna Skarbek/Christine Granville. British author Clare Mulley’s extensive research and obvious admiration for the enigmatic spy is a great read.

Vince Chesney and Stephen Drapaka weigh in with their reviews of some fascinating if misguided, even malevolent, ideas once promoted by people who should have known better.

Finally, all roads lead to Poland. Another paraphrase of an imperial boast but yes, this road leads to Warsaw, the premiere of Andrzej Wajda’s film, Wałęsa, and Małgorzata Dzieduszycka’s thoughtful review.

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New York State Alliance for Arts Education Professional Development Opportunities

Four Regional Symposium Exploring Arts Learning and Common Core State Standards

From January through March, 2014 teachers and artists of all grade levels will explore vital information and effective strategies to meet Common Core State Standards through the ARTS@theCORE Symposia. Lead by nationally-recognized experts in arts curriculum development, each symposium will provide participants with opportunities to develop curricula in and through the arts and to network with local arts educators. Hosted in four different locations– Purchase, Dix Hills, Albany and Rochester—and providing 5.5 hours of PD credit, ARTS@theCORE meets arts educators where they are and guides them to techniques they can directly apply to their teaching. Freelance teaching artists may apply for scholarships (waived registration fee).

For more information on ARTS@theCORE, our accomplished faculty, and how to register, please click here.

Arts Connect All New York: A Mentorship Program for Arts Educators Teaching Students with Special Needs

Arts Connect All New York provides arts educators with a mentor for the Spring 2014 semester, with the goal to improve the quality of instruction provided to students with special needs. This is an unique opportunity to receive specialized, focused, one-on-one professional development from ACANY mentors, who are highly accomplished arts educators in their own right and represent four regions across the state. Additional notable features of this program include: three phone consultations, three on-site visits, self-reflective writing assignments, and a $125 stipend. For more information on the program, our exceptional mentors, and how to apply (deadline Dec 15), please click here.

Events, Media, Poland - Polish - Polonia, Political, , , , , , , , , ,

Man of Hope screening

The Embassy of Poland in Washington, DC is showing “Wałęsa. Man of Hope” by Andrzej Wajda at the AFI/EU Film Showcase at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland on Saturday, December 7th at 1pm.

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Oscar-winning Polish director Andrzej Wajda brings the story of Lech Wałęsa and the Solidarity movement to the big screen. Robert Więckiewicz (In Darkness) stars at Lech Wałęsa, while Agnieszka Grochowska shines as his loyal wife, Danuta. The sharp screenplay by Janusz Głowacki hinges on Wałęsa’s landmark 1981 interview, just months before Poland declared martial law, with Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, recounting in flashback the previous decade-and-a-half of activism; Wałęsa would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983.

On Wednesday, December 4th Lech Wałęsa returned to Capitol Hill and the U.S. Congress after 24 years and was greated by a full house of nearly 500 dignitaries. Wałęsa’s appearance coincided with the screening of the film “Wałęsa. Man of Hope” for members of Congress. The evening highlighted Solidarity’s contribution in bringing down Communism and ushering in freedom and Democracy to Central and Eastern Europe which lead to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

“This history happened in Poland first” emphasized Ambassador Ryszard Schnepf, adding that Poland and the Polish people, will never forget the word ‘Solidarity’ and the support we received, particularly from the United States in our greatest hour of need.

“I spoke at every public high school in Connecticut over the years … and I’d be asked by people, ‘Can one person change the world?’ and I used to constantly cite Lech Wałęsa, Eunice Shriver, Nelson Mandela as people who clearly changed the world,” former Senator from Connecticut and current MPAA President Christopher Dodd said during the course of the on-stage interview held before the movie screening.

“When Lech Wałęsa jumped over the wall at the Gdansk Shipyard, he took the whole world with him. The Solidarity movement brought hope and democracy to Poland, and inspired so many more around the globe, including Polish Americans in my hometown of Baltimore. The United States and Poland are united by our beliefs – in freedom, in people, and in speaking truth to power. Today, we are strong democracies, true allies, and steadfast friends.” said Senator Barbara Mikulski.

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