Gala Benefit Concert - Polish Cultural Foundation

On Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 4:00 pm the Polish Cultural Foundation proudly presents brother and sister violinists, Ania and Piotr Filochowski, award-winning sibling violinists from Warsaw, Poland.  This concert is a thank you from the artists to Polish Cultural Foundation and the New Jersey, New York metropolitan community for all their support.

The brother and sister have performed at venues throughout Europe, and in the United States they have played at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Jordan Hall in Boston, Richardson Auditorium at Princeton University, among others.  The pair has received instruction from world-renowned violinists, including Itzhak Perlman, Midori, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Pinchas Zukerman and Ruggiero Ricci.  In 2005, they were both accepted at The Juilliard School on full scholarships. 

Ania Filochowska (18) studied under the legendary Itzhak Perlman at Juilliard for four years as his youngest student, and is currently a student of renowned Professor Aaron Rosand.  Piotr (20) is a student at the Yale School of Music in the "Certificate in Performance" program for exceptionally gifted musicians in class of Hyo Kang.  They were featured on the From the Top radio show, as well as the PBS TV series "From the Top: Live from Carnegie Hall."  They are top-prize winners of numerous violin competitions around Europe (Poland, Italy, Austria and Czech Republic) and in the US.  They are recipients of several prestigious awards and scholarships, including the President and First Lady of Poland and the Polish Minister of Culture.

This fall, Ania will begin her studies as an undergraduate student at the Vienna Conservatory of Music in Austria as a student of Professor Pavel Vernikov, and Piotr will study at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in class of Professor Aaron Rosand.

The 19-year-old Polish violinist Piotr Filochowski has already performed across Europe and North America to great critical acclaim.  Piotr began playing the violin at the age of six at a music school in Warsaw. In June 2009, he graduated from New York City’s Professional Children's School and the Juilliard School’s Pre-College, where he was a student since 2005.  In September 2009, he began his studies at the Yale University School of Music in class of Hyo Kang.

Piotr is a prize-winner of over 30 national and international violin competitions in Europe and the US. He made his debut with orchestra at the age of 11, performing Vivaldi's Four Seasons at the Poznan Philharmonic. In 2006, he played Bazzini's La Ronde des Lutins on Nation Public Radio’s From the Top.  He has performed in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, and in the United States.  He played at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Richardson Auditorium of the Princeton University, Mercersburg Performing Arts Center, Kosciuszko Foundation and the Polish Consulate in New York City, Ethical Society Building in Philadelphia, National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Wiener Saal in Salzburg (Austria), and Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall to name just a few. In 2007, he gave a recital in Washington DC on invitation from the Washington Performing Arts Society.

He has received instruction from world-renowned violinists and professors, including Anne-Sophie Mutter, Ida Haendel, Midori, Itzhak Perlman and Ruggiero Ricci.  Recently, he won the first prize at The Williams Bacardi Fallon Performing Arts Competition in Massachusetts and Livingston Symphony Orchestra's Young Artists Competition. In Spring 2009, Piotr auditioned for Maestro Zubin Mehta at the Avery Fisher Hall of the New York Philharmonic.

The concert on will feature the works of Chopin, Mozart, Paganini, Wieniawski, Tchkovski, among others work for two violins.  For tickets, reservations or more information please call The Foundation at (732) 382-7197. Admission is $35.00 per person, for children and students $20.00.  There will be a meet the artists reception at the Banquet Hall after the concert, with wine, hors d’oeuvre and desserts.  This concert is a thank you from the artists to the Polish Cultural Foundation and the New Jersey, New York metropolitan community for all their support.  The Polish Cultural Foundation is a non-profit organization located at 177 Broadway, Clark, New Jersey.

"It is my opinion that both Ania and Piotr Filochowski are extremely talented young musicians.

I hope they will have the recognition very soon for their talent and dedication to their art in music. Sincerely, Ida Haendel"

"It is difficult to discuss Ania's musical gift without using superlatives. Extraordinary is the word that comes to mind, she is nothing if not remarkable. She is already a wonderful violinist, but it is her comprehension of the music and the fact she already has a voice that is very much her own that impresses me and moves us all when she plays. She is wonderful..." --Itzhak Perlman

"Ania is a remarkable young violinist with strong musical sensitivities and a very cultivated sound. She's a very respectable young player with a bright future." --Aaron Rosand

"Piotr is a young, exceptionally talented violinist, endowed with a brilliant, effortless virtuosity, beautiful tone, performer's temperament and charming personality." --Wanda Wilkomirska