The Paderewski Festival is a four-day music festival celebrating Paso Robles' rich heritage and its most famous resident Ignacy Jan Paderewski – virtuoso pianist, composer, international politician, local landowner, grower, and winemaker. This year's edition will be held between 31 October and 3 November 2019.
The festival will be inaugurated with a Halloween-themed film music programme entitled "Dracula Rising: Ghosts of Hollywood Past", presented by the San Francisco-based Ensemble 4 These Times with music by Bronislaw Kaper, Erich Korngold, Miklos Rozsa, and Henry Vars. Programme selections will be accompanied by projected visuals, featuring stills from various iconic films. The next day, the USC Thornton Baroque Sinfonia will present "Polish Baroque Treasures" programme of instrumental and vocal-instrumental works from 14th-17th centuries.
The winners of the 2019 Paderewski Festival Youth Piano Competition representing top talent from the Central Coast counties will be heard at the Historic Paso Robles Inn Grand Ballroom on 2 November. Later that day, Takeshi Nagayasu, a brilliant young pianist and the 2019 First Prize winner of the Kosciuszko Foundation's Chopin Competition in New York City will present music by Chopin, Paderewski, Szymanowski, and Scrabin. The Festival will and with a lecture by Marek Żebrowski, devoted to Poland's Independence Day (11 November), 100 years of Paderewski's year in office as Poland's president, as well as the centenary of Polish-American diplomatic relations that are observed throughout this year.
Concerts featuring world renown talent, exhibits, and masterclasses are accompanied by special events at historical vineyards. A youth piano competition, recital and student cultural exchange with Poland additionally honor Paderewski's legacy.
Full programme available at: http://www.paderewskifest.com/