A special program integrating the music of Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin with his writings or letters about him will be performed at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1, in the lower level of Strong Auditorium at the University of Rochester. The concert is free and open to the public.
Elena Letnanova, an acclaimed pianist, educator, and writer from Bratislava, Slovakia, will play selections from Chopin’s music. Th. Emil Homerin, professor of religion in the Department of Religion and Classics at the University of Rochester, will read correspondence related to the 19th-century composer. The letters were received by Chopin or exchanged between his friends. The genesis of some of Chopin’s compositions, his character, and personality can be drawn from these writings.
The concert is sponsored by the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies and the Department of Music at the University of Rochester. The annual Skalny Lecture and Artist Series, film festival, and other activities offer opportunities for the Rochester community to learn about Poland and its people.
Letnanova, associate professor at the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava, is a frequent visiting artist in the United States. She has performed in the world’s major music capitals from Vienna to Rome and Prague, and in such U.S. cities as San Francisco, New York, and Dallas.
The Skalny Center, which was established with a generous grant from the Louis Skalny Foundation, supports research and teaching about the historical legacy and political and economic changes within Central Europe. For more information, contact the center at (585) 275-9898.