Thank you for supporting #BPOinPoland!
On March 15, 2018, the musicians of the BPO stepped on a bus and made history. For the first time in 30 years, and for only the second time in the orchestra’s existence, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra mounted an international tour. Our destination was Poland. The impetus for the tour was our friendship with composer/conductor Krzysztof Penderecki and Beethoven Easter Festival founder and artistic director Elzbieta Penderecka. BPO Music Director JoAnn Falletta met them when guest-conducting in Krakow, and invited them to Buffalo. In December 2016, Penderecki led the BPO in concert. Soon after that, the BPO accepted Penderecka’s invitation to perform at the Beethoven Easter Festival in Warsaw, a prestigious 11-day affair that attracts the creme de la creme of Europe’s classical music world.
This year’s Festival celebrated Leonard Bernstein’s centennial. The centerpiece of our program was Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Pianist Conrad Tao was our guest soloist for Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F. Barber’s Symphony No. 1 was also on the program, as was the Adagio from Krzysztof Penderecki’s Symphony No. 3.
The full orchestra performed in Wroclaw, Lublin, and Katowice in addition to the Warsaw concert. All performances sold out and met with glowing critical reception. The US Ambassador to Poland was in attendance for the Warsaw concert, and also attended our post-concert celebration. A group of 30 devoted BPO patrons took part in the VIP Patron Tour and attended the Warsaw concert, then visited Krakow and Prague. A brass and wind octet expanded the BPO’s educational mission by giving a masterclass and performance at the Penderecki Center in Lusalwice, and strengthened our ties with Buffalo’s Sister City, Rzeszow, by performing there.
Scores of people worked behind the scenes to coordinate the safe shipment of our cargo, make travel and hotel arrangements, and ensure that the tour ran smoothly. Our thanks go out to all of them!
We are deeply appreciative of everyone who helped to make this tour a success. To re-live the full trip, we invite you to view our blog.
Our full tour itinerary:
 |
On March 15 and 16, a wind and brass octet from the BPO performed and gave masterclasses at the Krzysztof Penderecki Centre for European Music in Luslawice. Read more. |
 |
On March 17, the octet performed in Buffalo’s sister city, Rzeszow. Read more. |
 |
On March 18, the full BPO performed at The National Forum of Music in Wrocław, the city’s institution of culture and a state-of-the-art multifunctional concert venue. Home to a number of instrumental and vocal ensembles, and the site of several international festivals, it was completed in 2015 and has 1800 seats. Read more. |
 |
On March 20, the BPO made its appearance at Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw, the centerpiece of the tour as one of 12 concerts taking place during the Beethoven Easter Festival. Read more here , here and here. |
 |
On March 21, the BPO traveled to Katowice to perform in the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) Concert Hall. Completed in 2014, it is the home of one of Poland’s leading symphonic orchestras. Read more. |
 |
On March 22, the tour concluded in Lublin at the Centre for the Meeting of Cultures. The Centre opened in 2016, replacing an older building that was never completed. It boasts a large concert hall, a recital space, and smaller rooms for lectures and workshops. Read more. |
Thank you to our Poland Tour Sponsors!*
Special thanks to New Era Cap for their donation of tour hats and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for lending us instrument tour cases. Thank you also to Polish Villa II, Premier Wine, and Buffalo Distilling.
Poland Tour Lead Sponsor (50,000+)
John and Carolyn Yurtchuk
Poland Tour Challenge Sponsor and Tour Leader ($30,000+)
Cindy Abbott Letro and Francis Letro
Poland Tour Leaders ($25,000+)
ABC-Amega, Inc.
Aleron
Mark Chason and Mariana Botero-Chason
Robert and Carol Morris
Victor and Corinne Rice
Jim and Michal Wadsworth
Poland Tour Champions ($5,000+)
The Baird Foundation
IBM
Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation
Rich Products
Christine Standish and Christopher Wilk
Poland Tour Community Partners ($1,000+)
Anonymous
Anonymous (inspired by concert at St. Stanislaus)
George Abraham
Mrs. Vanda Albera
Michael Andriaccio and Joanne Castellani
Anthony Baldi and Associates
Brian and Barbara Baird
Mrs. Dennis A. Beagle
James M. Beardsley and Ellen M. Gibson
Thomas R. Beecher, Jr.
The Bolton Family
Bond Schoeneck and King
Brian Parisi Copier Systems
Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus
Mr. and Mrs. John Burkholder
Joe Casey
Barbara Castiglia
Mark Cerrone, Inc.
Chopin Singing Society
Computer Task Group
Courier Capital LLC
Curbell Medical
Dash’s Market
Anthony and Kathy Diina
Peter and Maria Eliopoulos
JoAnn Falletta and Robert Alemany
Marie Flanigan & James McIver
The Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies
Robert and Julie Garra
David Gaydosh
Edward Giannino
Constance Greco
Gurney Becker and Bourne
Daniel and Barbara Hart
Hodgson Russ
John and Maureen Hurley
Iroquois Bar Corp.
Dr. Robert and Hana Jacobi
KeyBank
Katherine Kubala
Lawley Insurance
Jim Lawicki and Family
Bradford Lewis, Ph.D.
Ronald Luczak
M & T Bank
Margaret V. Manzella Trust
John C. Medwid
The Honorable Judge Ann T. Mikoll
Svetla and Doug Moreland
Kathy and John Nerger: In Honor of Joyce Ellis’ 85th Birthday
Douglas Oak
Walter and Jane Pawlowski
Mark Peszko
Polish American Congress: Western New York Division
Joseph and Linda Priselac
Ted and Mary Ann Pyrak
Dennis P. Quinn
The Reid Group
Adrienne and Joan Roy
Salvatore’s Italian Gardens
David Schopp
Betty J. Schultz
Jack Walsh
Robert and Judith Wetter
Michael Wurst
Woods Oviatt Gilman
Poland Tour Community Friend ($500+)
Chuck and Linda Boulangè: A holiday gift for Norbert Bukowski
Sharon Cramer
Kenneth and Gladys Hardcastle
Mr. and Mrs. David Harbeck
Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Joyce
Catherine Lincoln
Phillip Nones
The Honorable Michael and Mrs. Pat Pietruszka
Elaine Ragusa
George and Marcia Reifsnyder
Lillian Schroder
Paul and Sylvia Tokasz
George Wisniewski
Zausmer-Gutierrez Fund
Poland Tour Fan
Fred and Bonnie Albrecht
Erik and Eileen Anderson
Anonymous (inspired by BPO concert at St. Stanislaus Church)
Anonymous
Anonymous
Jennifer Barbee and Steve Earnhart
Richard Batt
Gordon and Linda Bayliss
Mary H. Benzel
Robert M. Blachowiak
Michael and Nancy Brady
Buffalo Rzeszow Sister Cities Inc.
Christina Burnett
Alex A. Cardoni
Rudolph and Ann Casarsa
Janz Castelo and Ellen Barnum
Naomi Cioppa
Barbara and William Collins
Charles and Sharon Comison
Anne Conable
Penelope V. Connors
Jane Diina
Wendy Diina
Kathleen Diina-Feldman
Joyce Ellis
Alvin and Kathleen Filonczuk
Gilbert French and Gary Doudna
Paul Gay
Adrienne Rothstein Grace and Paul D. Pearson
Regina Grol
Katka Hammond and Max Wickert
Sharon Hartlieb
Elyse B. Hayes
Eileen Hendrickson
Nancy Higgins
Jeffrey and Shelley Hirshberg
Camille Ilecki
Stephen and Mary Jakiel
Benoy and Suzanne Joseph
Karen Jurek
Patrick Kaler
Michael and Rosalind Kochmanski
Richard Kollins
Norma Jean Lamb
Susan and Harvey Lichtblau
Vincent J. Litwin
Colleen Lokken
Brian B. Loretz
John and Jayne Mack
David and Ginger Maiman
Mary Margerum
Robert and Elsie Martino
Carol Maulucci
Dennis and Sandra McCarthy
Michael and Andrea McClain
Susan Morganstern
Toby and Mary Muskat
Joseph Pastwick
Kathleen Piske
Polish Arts Club of Buffalo
Peter and Nancy Rabinowitz
Willian and Ramona Shickling
William and Rosemary Schultz
Catherine Schweitzer
Daniel and Mary Jane Shonn
Dr. JoAnn S. Smith
Richard and Eileen Stalmaier
Janet Popp Stout and David Stout
Joyce Thompson
Theresa Tucholski
Randy J. Tumlin
Linda K. Wadsworth
Neil Wieczkowski
Wayne and Janet Wisbaum
Susan and Peter Yeskoot
Tom Zawadzki
Julia Zizzi