The Rathaus Festival is a continuation of the initiative launched by the Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association in 2021, dedicated to spotlighting extraordinary works of émigré composers who, like Karol Rathaus, forged new artistic paths in the face of displacement. These composers, uprooted by the upheavals and totalitarian regimes of the 20th century, carried with them diverse cultural traditions and artistic visions. Uprooted from their homelands, they were never fully integrated into their new environments. The project seeks to bring them out of this “limbo,” reclaim their legacy, and introduce audiences to their music, which holds immense artistic value.
Karol Rathaus (1895–1954) was a distinguished Polish composer of Jewish origin whose life embodies the émigré experience. Born in Tarnopol (now Ternopil, Ukraine), he studied in Vienna and Berlin under Franz Schreker and achieved early success as a composer in Weimar Germany. When his works were condemned by the Nazis as “degenerate art,” Rathaus left Europe and eventually settled in Flushing, Queens, in 1938. He became the first professor of composition at Queens College (now the Aaron Copland School of Music) of the newly-created Queens College of the City University of New York.
The 2025 edition of the festival presents concerts in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, San Diego, Sarasota, and Charleston. By pairing rediscovered émigré voices with contemporary artists who trace their lineage to Rathaus’s educational and cultural heritage, the festival invites audiences on a journey through diverse musical styles, and performances by some of today’s finest musicians.
Admission is free to all concerts.
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM JCC Staten Island 1466 Manor Rd, Staten Island, NY 10314 Admission is free upon registration
Performers: Hanna Hipp – mezzo-soprano Grzegorz Mania – piano Program: works by S. Laks, M. Weinberg, R. Ryterband, Z. Noskowski, F. Chopin, M. Karłowicz
Performers: Hanna Hipp – mezzo-soprano Grzegorz Mania – piano Jarosław Nadrzycki – violin Marcin Sikorski – piano Alan R. Kay – clarinet Program: works by S. Laks, M. Weinberg, R. Ryterband
Thursday, September 11, 2025at 7:00 PM Cullen Hall, University of St. Thomas 3800 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006
Performers: Jarosław Nadrzycki – violin Marcin Sikorski – piano Program: works by M. Weinberg, R. Ryterband, H. Wieniawski, F. Chopin, K. Szymanowski
Wednesday, October 15, 2025at 7:00 PM Southwestern College 900 Otay Lakes Rd, Chula Vista, CA 91910
Performers: Bartosz Koziak – cello Grzegorz Mania – piano Program: works by M. Weinberg, S. Laks, R. Ryterband, F. Chopin, I. J. Paderewski
Performers: Bartosz Koziak – cello USC Thornton School of Music String Quartet Grzegorz Mania – piano Program: works by S. Laks
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 Dom Polski – Polish Home Association, Seattle 1714 18th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Performers: Bartosz Koziak – cello Grzegorz Mania – piano Program: works by S. Laks, R. Ryterband, F. Chopin, I. J. Paderewski
Thursday, October 23, 2025 Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University Seattle, WA 98195
Performers: Bartosz Koziak – cello Grzegorz Mania – piano Program: works by M. Weinberg, S. Laks, R. Ryterband, K. Rathaus
Wednesday, November 5, 2025at 12:15 PM LeFrak Concert Hall, Queens College 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367
Performers: Marta Gidaszewska – violin Robert Łaguniak – violin Monika Gardoń-Preinl – piano Program: works by K. Rathaus, M. Weinberg, H. Wieniawski, A. Tansman, I. Waghalter, E. Sielicki
Friday, November 7, 2025 at 7:30 PM Elebash Hall, CUNY Graduate Center 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Performers: Marta Gidaszewska – violin Robert Łaguniak – violin Monika Gardoń-Preinl – piano Herbert Piano Trio: Bartłomiej Wezner – piano Joanna Kreft – violin Dominik Płociński – cello Christopher Gross – cello Steven Beck – piano Lydia Saylor – soprano Joseph Martin – piano Program: works by K. Rathaus, K. Krzewinska (premiere), J. Nichols, B. Saylor, E.Smaldone
Sunday, November 9, 2025at 2:00 PM Manhasset Public Library 30 Onderdonk Ave, Manhasset, NY 11030
Performers: Herbert Piano Trio: Bartłomiej Wezner – piano Joanna Kreft – violin Dominik Płociński – cello Program: works by E. Smaldone, A. Panufnik
Monday, November 10 at 12:15 PM LeFrak Concert Hall, Queens College 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367
Performers: Herbert Piano Trio: Bartłomiej Wezner – piano Joanna Kreft – violin Dominik Płociński – cello Monika Gardoń-Preinl – piano Program: Works by P. Kochański, J. Koffler, E. Smaldone, M. Weinberg
Tuesday, November 11, 2025at 7:00 PM Cullen Hall, University of St. Thomass Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center 3800 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006
Performers: Polish Violin Duo: Marta Gidaszewska – violin Robert Łaguniak – violin Grzegorz Mania – piano Program: works by M. Weinberg, H. Wieniawski, G. Fitelberg, F. Chopin, S. Laks, K. Szymanowski
Thursday, November 20, 2025 Charleston, South Carolina
Performers: Polish Violin Duo: Marta Gidaszewska – violin Robert Łaguniak – violin Grzegorz Mania – piano Program: works by M. Weinberg, S. Laks, R. Ryterband, G. Fitelberg
Hanna Hipp–mezzo-soprano
Thanks to her impassioned and passionate singing, Hanna Hipp has become a favorite in the leading lyric mezzo-soprano repertoire worldwide. Among her recent roles are the critically acclaimed portrayal of Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale at the Royal Danish Theatre (conductor: Jessica Cottis), Der Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Glyndebourne Festival (Cornelius Meister) and at Opera North (Antony Hermus), Dorabella in Così fan tutte at Seattle Opera (Paul Daniel), English National Opera (Kerem Hasan) and in New Zealand (Natalie Murray Beale), as well as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (Antonio Pappano). Hanna Hipp first took on the role of Varvara (Káťa Kabanová) at Scottish Opera, sang the title role in Offenbach’s Fantasio and, for the first time, Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier), both for Garsington Opera. Her international debuts include Teatro Real in Madrid as Frances, Countess of Essex (Gloriana) in a new staging by David McVicar under Ivor Bolton, Dutch National Opera as Ein Page in a new production by Ivo van Hove conducted by Daniele Gatti, as well as Isolier (Le Comte Ory) and Beatrice (Béatrice et Bénédict) at Seattle Opera – the former of which Hipp reprised last season for New Zealand Opera. Other recent significant operatic appearances include Federico García Lorca in two productions of Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar at Welsh National Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria, as well as a return to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in Hänsel und Gretel conducted by Mark Wigglesworth. In this season, Hanna Hipp will appear at English National Opera in her highly praised portrayal of Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, and at Scottish Opera in The Strauss Collection, featuring excerpts from the roles of Der Komponist (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier).
Monika Gardoń-Preinl – piano
Pianist, outstanding specialist in the field of chamber music, long-term academic teacher and accompanist. In 1991, she graduated from the Academy of Music in Kraków in the class of prof. Stefan Wojtas. In 2013, she obtained a Habilitated Doctor Degree in Musical Arts. She has taken part in many competitions, initially for pupils and then students, winning them (including the prize at the Stendhall Foundation Competition, Chopin Competitions in Darmstadt and Göttingen) and in master classes for pianists (Rudolf Kehrer in Weimar and Rudolf Buchbinder in Zurich). She has given concerts in the country performing piano concertos with an orchestra and abroad (Germany, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Estonia, Finland). As a chamber musician, she has performed with many outstanding artists from around the world in significant concert halls, also during the most important music festivals (maestro Peter Lukas Graf, Wolfgang Pfistermuller, Magnus Nilsson, Carlsten Svanberg, Robert Kozanek, Nicola Mazzanti, Carlo Colombo, Janos Balint, Wally Hasse, Foroug Karimi Diafar Zadar, Barbara Świątek-Żelazna, Tomasz Sosnowski, Marek Mleczko, Zdzisław Stolarczyk, Zdzisław Piernik, Maciej Łakomy, Grzegorz Mania, Piotr Różański, Maria Sławek, Jakub Jakowicz, Bartosz Koziak and others). After graduation, she joined her home university – the Academy of Music in Kraków. Currently, she is employed at the Department of Chamber Music as a university professor. She was the head of the Department of Accompaniment, head of the Department of Early Music, Vice Dean of the Instrumental Department, and currently she is a Vice Rector for Art and Science. She is a certified teacher at the W. Żeleński State Secondary Music School in Kraków. She is both a performer and a teacher. She is the co-author of an innovative, three-part sight-reading textbook for secondary music school students (PWM 2017-2022). She has participated in many concerts, master classes, auditions and competitions, and has been a lecturer during scientific sessions (devoted to both performance and educational problems). She has been repeatedly awarded with numerous diplomas and distinctions for outstanding accompaniment. Also, she is a laureate of state awards for her contribution to the development of art, including the Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis.
Jarosław Nadrzycki – violin
Jarosław Nadrzycki is widely considered as one of the most exciting violinists of his generation in the world today. At the age of twelve, he made his soloistic debut at the Great Hall of Tchaikovsky’s Conservatory in Moscow. Ever since then he presented his unique talent alongside some of the most prestigious orchestras and ensembles in Europe, Asia and both continents of America. Born in Żagań, where he began his musical education, further continued in Poznań’s Academy of Music with Prof. Jadwiga Kaliszewska. Additionally graduated from the Mozarteum University in Salzburg with Prof. Igor Ozim, and the Royal Academy of Music in London with Prof. Igor Petrushevski. Jaroslaw is a winner of numerous major international competitions, such as: Aram Khachaturian International Violin Competition in Yerevan (2010), Valsesia Musica Competition in Varallo (2010), G. Enescu International Competition in Bucharest (2009), Max Rostal Competition in Berlin (2002), Jascha Heifetz Competition in Vilnius (2000), and UK’s Haverhill Sinfonia Soloist Competition (2008), as well as a laureate of: Tibor Varga International Competition in Martigny (2004), Benjamin Britten Competition in London (2008), and Henryk Wieniawski Competition in Poznań (2001). The most significant solo appearances of his include Krzysztof Penderecki Violin Concerto No. 2 “Metamorphosen” with the Simón Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela led by the composer himself (2010). In 2013, Jarosław Nadrzycki performed thrice the same Penderecki’s concerto at the 17th Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival with MDR Sinfonieorchester under the buton of Kristjan Järvi. He appeared with many renowned orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Hamburg Philharmonic, Vilnius State Philharmonic, “Transylvania” State Philharmonic and George Enescu Philharmonic orchestras; the Simón Bolivar, The State of Mexico, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, Slovac Radio, Polish National Radio, Thessaloniki and Zurich symphony orchestras; the Youth State Orchestra of Armenia, Sinfonia Iuventus and the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of the Polish Radio. Furthermore, he has had the honour of performing alongside conductors and musical personalities including: Horia Andreescu, Enrique Batiz, Massimiliano Caldi, Agnieszka Duczmal, Paul Goodwin, Giancarlo Guerrero, Alexander Humala, Kristjan Järvi, Krzysztof Penderecki, Thomas Sanderling, Sergey Smbatyan and Maxim Vengerov. Between the years of 2013-2018, he collaborated as a leading violinist of Meccore String Quartet, further in 2018, he founded Boarte Piano Trio, with which he gained recognition from audiences in Europe and the United States. As a result of many years of collaboration with the pianist Joanna Zathey, an album with works for piano and violin by Brahms was released under the Orphée Classics label in 2018. In 2021, two albums with works by Bach and Mendelssohn-Bartholdy were released under the Hänssler Classic label, recorded together with the flautist Krzysztof Maciej Kaczka, the L’Appassionata Chamber Orchestra and the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra. He has repeatedly performed at the London’s Wigmore Hall, Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, the Romanian Atheneum in Bucharest, Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Center in Izmir, Bozar in Brussels, the Pollack Hall in Montreal and Musikverein in Vienna . The artist has made many radio and TV recordings for such broadcasters as the Bayerischer Rundfunk, BBC Radio 3, ZDF, TV ORF Austria, Mezzo TV, TVR Romania, TVP Kultura. He has recorded CDs for DUX, Warner Music Poland, MDG Classics, Orphée Classics. From 2016 Jarosław Nadrzycki is an assistant of the string department at the I.J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań.
Bartosz Koziak – cello
Described as a “visionary and poet of the cello”, Bartosz Koziak has gained the acclaim of music lovers and critics not only for his extraordinary interpretation of works by both classical and contemporary composers but also for his thoughtful and often daring program choices. As an established performer of contemporary music, Bartosz Koziak was a long time and regular guest participant in Krzysztof Penderecki’s concert projects. He participated in the first CD recording of the Concerto grosso conducted by the composer and has performed most of his cello works Bartosz Koziak has given first performances of a number of works including the “DoubleCello Concerto” by Hanna Kulenty, the Cello Concerto by Anna Zawadzka-Gołosz, “Sixth commandment” by Elżbieta Sikora, performed together with “Quando stanno morendo. Diario polacco no.2″ by Luigi Nono as part of the Sikora/Nono project with Les Métaboles ensemble and SWR Experimentalstudio. His discography includes recordings of Grażyna Bacewicz’s Second Cello Concerto, Krzysztof Meyer’s Cello Concerto “Canti Amadei”, Bohuslav Martinů’s Cello Concerto No.2 and the premiere recording of Feliks Nowowiejski’s Cello Concerto (DUX), two CDs with Justyna Danczowska of cello and piano works by Schubert, Schumann, Franck and Shostakovich, and an album of Martinů, Kodály and Ravel, recorded with Anna Maria Staśkiewicz (Sarton). He has performed at the Konzerthaus, Berlin, Rudolfinum, Prague, Cité de la Musique, Paris, Teatro Politeama, Palermo, the Khachaturian Concert Hall, Yerevan and the National Philharmonic in Warsaw. The orchestras he has played with as a soloist include the Polish National Philharmonic, NOSPR, Sinfonia Varsovia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Concerto Budapest, the Armenian State Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonic, the Radio Orchestras in Warsaw and Budapest, the National Orchestra of Ukraine, and has been conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki, Jan Krenz , Antoni Wit, Gabriel Chmura, Jacek Kaspszyk, András Keller, Volodymyr Sirenko and Sergey Smbatayan. He has been invited to leading festivals including Warsaw Autumn, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, Yerevan Music Perspectives, Young Euro Classic in Berlin, Musica Polonica Nova, Chopin i Jego Europa, Warsaw and East Meets West, Korea. Bartosz Koziak won the 3rd Witold Lutosławski International Cello Competition in 2001 in Warsaw, the 2nd prize at the Isang Yun Competition in Tongyeong (Korea) and is a laureate of the Mikola Lysenko International Competition in Kiev. He was awarded a Special Prize at the Prague Spring Competition and was winner of the 1st prize at the 11th International Competition of Contemporary Chamber Music in Kraków. He has also received prizes at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and ARD in Munich. In 2003, he received a special award from the Polish Culture Foundation presented by Ewa Podleś. He graduated with distinction “Magna cum Laude” from the classes of Professor Kazimierz Michalik and Andrzej Bauer at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Warsaw, and from Philippe Muller’s class at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris . Thanks to Kaja Danczowska, he plays a 19th-century copy of a J. Guadagnini instrument which the eminent Polish cellist Dezyderiusz Danczowski used for concerts.
Marta Gidaszewska and Robert Łaguniak– violin
Polish Violin Duo is formed by violinists Marta Gidaszewska and Robert Łaguniak. Founded in 2014 at the M. Karłowicz Secondary Music School in Poznań, the duo has since gained international recognition for their dynamic performances and extensive competition success. Marta studies at the I. J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań under Prof. Bartosz Bryła and Dr. Hab. Karina Gidaszewska, while Robert graduated from the G. and K. Bacewicz Academy of Music in Łódź in the violin class of Dr. Hab. Karina Gidaszewska. The duo has won over 180 awards in international and national competitions across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, including top prizes at the Stanisław Moniuszko International Competition of Polish Music (2019), the A. Rubinstein International Chamber Music Competition (2019), and numerous Grand Prix awards in Japan, Germany, Austria, France, Canada, and Russia. They have also been nominated for the “Koryfeusz of Polish Music” award in the category “Discovery of the Year” (2020). Polish Violin Duo performs widely, presenting concerts at major venues including the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, Lublin and Poznań Philharmonics, the Podkarpacka Philharmonic in Rzeszów, and the International Gala in Beijing, where they inaugurated the new air connection from Warsaw to China. Their festival appearances include Rzeszów Music Autumn, the Czarnolas Arts Festival, “With Classics Through Poland,” and “Masterpieces of Chamber Music.” They have collaborated with orchestras including the Witold Lutosławski Chamber Philharmonic in Łomża and the Poznańskie Smyczki Orchestra, and their recordings feature world premieres by forgotten Polish composers such as Joachim Kaczkowski. The duo has also appeared on Polish TV and radio, including TVP Kultura programs “Scena Klasyczna” and “Sunday with the National Institute of Music and Dance,” as well as Polish Radio Two and Merkury Klasyka. In 2021, they recorded their first album for DUX, presenting the world phonographic premiere of two duets for violins by Joachim Kaczkowski, and toured China with a program of rediscovered Polish music. In 2020, Michał Janocha dedicated his piece Attra for two violins to them, reflecting their commitment to promoting contemporary Polish music alongside classical repertoire.
Established in autumn 2013, the Herbert Piano Trio took as its patron the figure of the great Polish poet Zbigniew Herbert. The Trio made its debut at the Polish Radio Concert Studio in Katowice in 2014. The Trio consists of Bartłomiej Wezner – piano, Joanna Kreft – violin and Dominik Płociński – cello. The musicians are graduates of eminent professors and artists: Ewa Pobłocka, Marcin Baranowski and Andrzej Bauer. The Herbert Piano Trio’s activity is lively and vibrant, performing at, among others: Opole and Gorzów Wielkopolski Philharmonics (L. van Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, Op. 56), the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Philharmonic in Bydgoszcz, Chopin Centres in Szafarnia and Żelazowa Wola, the Władysław Szpilman Studio of the Polish Radio in Warsaw, the Aula Nova in Poznań, the Artus Court in Toruń, and the Polish Embassy in New York. The ensemble’s repertoire ranges from classicism to contemporary music. The ensemble has drawn inspiration from participating in the courses of eminent artists such as Gregor Sigl (Artemis Quartett), Trio Jean Paul, Niklas Schmidt (Trio Fontenay), Clive Brown and Marcin Sikorski. They have performed at many festivals, including the International Krystyna Jamroz Music Festival in Busko-Zdrój, the Kraków Music Salon, the Rzeszów Music Autumn and the Silesian Beethoven Festival in Głogówek. The Herbert Trio has also given concerts at the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, Teatro Verdi in Trieste, Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar, the transVOCALE and PianOdra Festivals in Frankfurt, and the 16th Schwandorfer Klavierfrühling in Schwandorf. The ensemble has recorded for Radio Suisse, Dwójka Polish Radio and Polish Radio PiK, among others. An important mission of the ensemble is also the promotion of Polish chamber music. Since 2020, the trio has released recordings of piano trios by Józef Wieniawski (in the form of a documentary film, under the patronage of Dwójka Polish Radio and the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society), Henryk Melcer and Franciszek Lessel. The ensemble also inspires composers to create new chamber works. It premiered compositions written for it by Szymon Godziemba-Trytek (Elegy for the Departure of Pen Ink and Lamp to a poem by Zbigniew Herbert for vocal ensemble and piano trio, 2018), Rafał Janiak (Sounds of Robots to a text by Stanisław Lem for act, piano trio and percussion, 2021 and Copernicana for actor, piano trio and percussion, 2023) and Paweł Kwapiński (Game of Reflections for piano trio, 2024), as well as new versions of works by Michał Dobrzyński, Hanna Kulenty and Paweł Mykietyn. A special place in Herbert Piano Trio’s activity is occupied by an interdisciplinary project combining music with the recitation of Zbigniew Herbert’s poems.
Duo Karolina Mikołajczyk & Iwo Jedynecki are one of the most vibrant and innovative chamber ensembles of the young generation. Recognized by artists such as Maxim Vengerov and Krzysztof Penderecki, they are multiple winners of Grand Prix and 1st prizes at international music competitions (France, Italy, Austria, Croatia, Poland), performing i.e. at the New York Carnegie Hall, Guangzhou Opera House and Warsaw Philarmonic, where they enjoyed their debut to a sold-out audience. They have played more than a hundred recitals in France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Georgia, United States, Cuba, Chile, China, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Brunei and Thailand. The Duo’s performances are described as perfect and mature, yet luminous and filled with youthful vitality. Hailed by Maxim Vengerov as „an ensemble that sounds like one instrument”, the Duo brings completely new qualities and original interpretations to classical masterpieces thanks to Iwo Jedynecki’s accordion transcriptions. Both artists boldly venture into renowned works of chamber music literature giving them new character and delightfully diverse colouring. The Duo also collaborates with leading Polish composers, such as Marcin Błażewicz (Double concerto for violin, accordion and symphonic orchestra dedicated to Karolina Mikołąjczyk and Iwo Jedynecki), Piotr Moss (performance of Opolian Concerto for violin, accordion and orchestra in 2021), and Krzysztof Penderecki (Violin Sonata in Duo’s arrangement receiving an offical approval from the Master in 2019). In 2016 the debut CD „Premiére” by Duo Karolina Mikołajczyk & Iwo Jedynecki was published, containing pieces for violin and accordion written between 1952 and 2015 by three generations of composers. Most of these pieces have never been recorded before, and it was the first ever album with new music by a duo violin-accordion. The Duo also shows an up-to-date approach in promoting their work through video recordings: the one with W. A. Mozart’s Violin Sonata gained more than a milion views on the internet, and was shared by the most popular classical music platform – Classic FM (followed up by Bach’s Goldberg Variations and excerpts from film music-inspired The Hollywood Fantasy projects). The latter was presented by the Duo in 2021 at the Cracow Film Music Festival – one of the industry’s most important events in the world. Karolina Mikołajczyk plays a Duke London violin from 1776. Iwo Jedynecki plays a Pigini Sirius Millennium accordion. The purchase of both instruments was financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Alan R. Kay–clarinet
Praised by the New York Times for his “spellbinding” performances and “infectious enthusiasm and panache,” Alan R. Kay is Principal Clarinetist and a former Artistic Director of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and serves as Principal Clarinet with New York’s Riverside Symphony and Little Orchestra Society. Mr. Kay is the recipient of the Classical Recording Foundation’s Samuel Sanders Award, the C.D. Jackson Award at Tanglewood, a Presidential Scholars Teacher Award, and the 1989 Young Concert Artists Award with the sextet Hexagon, featured in the prizewinning film, “Debut.” This year, anonymous donors established the Alan R. Kay Music Scholarship in perpetuity at The Juilliard School, where he has taught for over 40 years. A founding member of the Windscape Quintet, he is a regular guest in chamber music venues throughout the world including the Yellow Barn, Orlando (Holland), Bowdoin, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society Festivals, and the Cape May Music Festival, where he curated a concert series for 25 years. A frequent performer of the clarinet quintet canon, he has collaborated with the Orion, Calidore, Miró, Shanghai, Guarneri, Mendelssohn, Rus, Fine Arts, Chester and Colorado string quartets. Mr. Kay taught at the Summer Music Academy in Leipzig, Germany in 2004 and currently teaches at the Manhattan School of Music, The Juilliard Schooland Stony Brook University, where he also serves as Executive Director of the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra. A virtuoso of wind chamber music repertoire, Mr. Kay has recorded with Hexagon, Windscape and the Sylvan Winds; his transcriptions for wind quintet are published by Trevco Music and International Opus. Recent recording projects include the Brahms Clarinet Quintet with Rusquartet for Etcetera Records, full-length CDs of the works of Rudolf Escher and Hans Kox, both to be released in 2022, Michael Torke’s “Psalms and Canticles,” released in 2021, “TIME,” released in 2022 and “Unseen,” released this year. He has served on the juries of international chamber music competitions in Trapani, Italy and Rolduc, Holland, Young Concert Artists, Concert Artist Guild, and the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Also a conductor, Mr. Kay studied conducting at Juilliard with the late Otto-Werner Mueller and has led orchestras and chamber ensembles at Juilliard, Stony Brook and in the New York City area. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Stony Brook (University) Symphony Orchestra, which he conducts regularly.
The Rathaus Festival is presented by the Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association. The project is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland through the Culture Promotion Fund and is presented in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York. Partners and presenters include the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, Holocaust Music Lost & Found, the Polish Music Center at USC, JCC Staten Island, Center for Jewish History, University of St. Thomas, Southwestern College, University of Washington, Dom Polski in Seattle, and the Polish Consulates in Houston, New York, and Los Angeles.
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