February Polish Happy Hour with Zbigniew Bujak, Durham, NC

This time the monthly Polish Happy Hour took place at Tyler's in Durham.  We had over 20 Polish-American guests joining us for this event.   We had a special visitor, which was unexpected for some of us.  Zbigniew Bujak (in Polish), one of the former leaders of the Solidarity movement made our event extra special. Photos from the February Happy Hour. Mr. Bujak will be staying in Chapel Hill for the next couple of months and he has agreed to join us for the March Happy Hour as well.  The format of our March event to be held in Raleigh, will be altered to allow Mr. Bujak to share his experiences in a more private atmosphere.  It will take place on Friday, March 22nd at 1500 Sunday Drive, Suite 102, Raleigh, NC  27607.  More details will follow and we hope you can join us.
Please RSVP by calling Piotr Kralka at 919-412-8302, or via e-mail to confirm participation at this event. Light refreshments will be served.

Happy Hour

Izabela Spiewak

Hello All,

Thank you for your notes on Izabela's death.  The attached obituary
appeared in last Sunday's News & Observer.  As you will note at the
end of that obituary, Yang Xi has planned a memorial service for
Saturday, February 23, at 4:00pm at the Raleigh Moravian Church. The
reason for this location is that she taught her violin students there
for many years and developed a close relationship with the minister
and the great musical tradition of the Moravian Brotherhood.

Izabela received last rites administered by the Roman Catholic
chaplain at Rex Hospital. She was an observant Catholic, although by
virtue of her profession, she was frequently in churches of other
denominations.

The following link goes to "sirdagamba"--Yang Xi's nom de plume--where
the listener will find 56 performances.  Izabela appears in most of
them:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sirdagamba&search_type=videos&search_sort=video_date_uploaded&page=1
   Izabela: numbers 12-14, 17, 19-23, 25-27, 33-37, 40, 44-56
   Her students: Bobby Lam: 25; Ashley Martin: 33; Groups: 55, 56

The listener will note that Izabela had been diagnosed with
leukemia--very late last year.  While in the hospital for
chemotherapy, she played her violin regularly, taking requests from
other patients on the floor.  The sterile environment restricted
flowers but was relieved by the musical warmth that filled the air.
Compassion and hope flowed from her beautiful and expressive playing.
Patients, visitors, and hospital personnel were encouraged, against
the odds,  by the joy spread by one of their own. She had
enthusiastically looked forward to playing on the fifth floor of Rex
Hospital on a regular basis. Through this illness, all too brief, she
discovered further purpose and, in the last hours and minutes of her
own life, Yang Xi sent for his violin and sent her onward in the style
to which she had become accustomed.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rmc_band/attachments/folder/346860740/item/1549679736/view
The date on this upload was November 25.

The cause of death was sepsis from a secondary infection to which she
had little defense, given the compromised state of her immune system
following chemotherapy for the leukemia. She had been responding quite
favorably to the treatment for leukemia when she was struck down by
the infection and its spread to the blood stream.

As you have noted from the obituary, Izabela left Poland in the
mid-1970s, as did so many musicians who have enriched the rest of the
world with their music. Some two years ago she asked me if I had a
copy of Pan Tadeusz, so I gave her one of my copies of the big folio
1950 edition with illustrations by Gronowski. You are all familiar
with it, since it was given by so many schools and associations as a
prize.

She was most grateful to have Mickiewicz again; it had been many
years.

Her son, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, will be in Raleigh through the
concert on February 23. His name is Dominik Bozek, born in Warsaw, and
he came to the United States in 1991: grom074@yahoo.com  Mowi po
polsku.

To another point. I noted in my first mailing last Wednesday that the
concert of the Chinese orchestra next Sunday is now to be something of
a tribute to her.  Izabela and Yang Xi were instrumental in planning
the visit to Raleigh of this Chinese musical ensemble and Yang Xi is
scheduled to solo with the group.

The concert will go on: February 17, 2013, at 7:00pm in Meymandi
Concert Hall.

As the third paragraph of the letter notes: "We are excited to
announce a unique opportunity to have a Chinese Music Fusion Concert
in our town."

As you will note on the attachments, Jenny Zhou is the contact person
for tickets, contributions, and other ways in which the Chinese
community can help in promoting this event.  I would urge you to
contact her yourself and get further information which may help you
and us to promote this event.
Jenny Zhou: (919) 760-3898
http://www.progressenergycenter.com/tickets



--
Best regards,
 Mark                          mailto:afountain@mindspring.com

Polish School

PAC would like to share most recent accomplishments of students from the Polish Saturday School of Triangle. A group of 9-13 yr. old students from Mrs. Pirog class finished a featured project "Moja Polska"-"My Poland". Students have learned about main voivodeships (provinces), major cities, rivers, mountains and its bordering countries. These photos are the result of their latest project.

click here to see the pictures

2013 Ostatki with PAC

Photos provided by Zosia Staroszczuk  https://picasaweb.google.com/109379300687827008578/2013Ostatki

1st Prize for Best Costumes – Zosia and Zbigniew Staroszczuk
2nd Prize for Best Costumes – Kinga Bednarz and her husband Ben
3rd Prize for Best Costume – Jowita Mikolajczyk

Recognized dancers on the floor:

• Jowita with Wieslaw
• Alexandra with Tony W.

Ostatki Party with PAC