Live Stage Performances 2023

Polonez San Diego was established in 1989 by founder & director Ewa Chrzanowska. Polonez is dedicated to promoting and preserving Polish heritage inSan Diego and beyond through traditional Polish Folk Dancing. The group’s choreographer is Natalie Barnas, who oversees the artistic program. Polonez has seen tremendous growth in recent years, having more active dancers than ever before, more performances per year, and some truly unforgettable opportunities.Polonez is honored to represent Polish Folklore but also the Polonia of San Diego, a community they take proud in. Polonez invites you to visit their website PolonezDanceGroup.com for consistent updates relating to the group and Polish heritage. After almost 35 years, Polonez has been seen performing across Southern California, Connecticut, Nevada, Arizona, and on the Emmy nominated television show “Shameless”. 

Band was formed in Portland, Oregon in 2020 with the specific goal to support and entertain the Polish Community in the Northwest.

The Polish choir “Vivat Musica!” was established in March of 2004 at the Polish Cultural Center in Seattle. Since then, they have performed in more than 150 concerts across the United States, Canada and Poland. They have been performing at Polish Festival Seattle since 2012! This year, they will present a medley of traditional Polish songs. Typically, their repertoire includes patriotic and folk songs, sacral church compositions, classical choir arrangements and Christmas concerts. Justin Birchell is Vivat Musica music director, Maria Grabowska serves as music consultant/ piano accompanist, and Mira Pawluskiewicz serves as the choir manager. Currently, they have 20 members and are always looking for new members to join their group. “Vivat Musica!” invites everyone who likes to sing to join their group at the Polish Cultural Center in Seattle every Wednesday at 7:30 (September to the first week of July). 

French-born pianist Laure Struber has been playing the piano since the age of 3 years old. She came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar in 2010 to study at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She moved to Seattle in 2014, and was the lead Teaching Assistant for the University of Washington School of Music Secondary Piano Program for three years. Most recently, she earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from UW. Her thesis focused on a modern examination of the works of Marie Jaëll, a 19th Century scientist-musician who spent decades studying neurology, hand physiology, and how these studies interacted with musical and artistic development. Since the age of 15, Dr. Laure Struber has performed widely throughout Europe and in the United States as a soloist and chamber musician, and performed for prestigious ensembles such as the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Inverted Space Ensemble, the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra and String Orchestra, and the Harry Partch Ensemble. She has received numerous awards, including a France-Fulbright Alumni Distinction, a Marina Grin Award, and a Soroptimist Prize. She also won the UW Concerto Competition in 2015, performing the Chopin e minor Concerto. Dr. Laure Struber is also very involved as a music educator, and has taught students of all skill levels for more than a decade in France and in the United States. Determined to bring music to everyone, she created workshops for children with learning difficulties and disadvantaged social backgrounds. She currently teaches a studio of 20 students in the Seattle area.Dr. Laure Struber is delighted to perform Chopin at the Polish Festival for the third year in a row, as Chopin’s music perfectly captures the soul of Poland. 

Olivia Glod is a 16-year-old classical soprano from Chicago. Born in the US to Polish parents, she grew up surrounded by Polish culture, speaking the language and participating in many Polish traditions. From a young age, Olivia cultivated her interest in the arts, studying piano, attending dance lessons, and performing with a Polish folk song and dance ensemble. Olivia truly discovered her passion for singing in 2019, when she joined the Spirito! Singers, an elite Chicago area treble choir. With Spirito!, Olivia has performed on many stages, including Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, and New York’s Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Olivia studies voice with Lisa Griffith. This summer she will attend the Colorado Vocal Institute where she will continue to work on her vocal skills. Olivia is very excited for the opportunity to perform at the Polish Festival Seattle. She will perform a selection of songs by Fryderyk Chopin as well as a selection of folk songs by Tadeusz Sygietyński. For her Chopin performance, Olivia will be accompanied by Laure Struber.

PARNO DROM is a group formed by Bob Kozak, a talented accordionist and vocalist. The group performs Eastern European Romani (Gypsy) style music and their repertoire includes music from Russia; Poland; Hungary; and beyond. They sing in the original language of each song including the Romany language of the Gypsies. As musicians they have performed internationally: Japan, England, Russia, Poland, Germany, and USA, to name a few. PARNO DROM provides wonderful entertainment for any occasion from casual events, festivals and weddings to formal business functions.