EVENT: 200th Anniversary of Chopin's Birth Celebrated in Music and Letters

DATE, TIME, AND PLACE: Sunday, March 7, at 3 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music, 26 Gibbs Street, Rochester, NY.

WHAT: For the 200th anniversary of Frederic (Fryderyk) Chopin\'s birth, cities around the world are paying tribute to one of the most famous composers and pianists of all time. In New York, Paris, London, Vienna, and of course his native Warsaw, the quintessential composer of the Romantic period is being honored with concerts, international piano competitions, and exhibits.

In Rochester, N.Y., the festivities include a special Chopin in Music and Letters concert on March 7. The evening features a selection of 17 of Chopin\'s most well-loved short pieces complimented by passages from Chopin\'s letters, arranged chronologically and thematically.

The pianists include: Brian Preston, Nazareth College; Janusz Skowron, Academy of Music, Krakow, Poland; Johnandrew Slominski, Eastman School of Music; Rosa Villar Cordova, Boston Conservatory. Matthew Ames, an assistant professor of acting and history at Nazareth College, will deliver Chopin\'s writings. The performance also includes Ignacy Grzelazka from Boston Conservatory on cello and Emily Tworek Helenbrook an Eastman School of Music student singing soprano.

ADMISSION: Free and open to the public.

SPONSORS: The University of Rochester\'s Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies, Nazareth College Music Department, and the Polish Heritage Society of Rochester