October; 2009
Issue
64
In This
Issue:
*Consul General's message
*Microphotography
*Neal Larrabee
*American West Exhibit
*Film Festival
*U.S. Air Force Band Concert
*Gospel Festival
*Democracy Video Challenge
*Campus Connection
I am delighted to write to you as the new Consul General in Krakow. My wife Haruko and I arrived at the end of August. In my first weeks I have been able to meet many of you, as we bid farewell to Ambassador Ashe, and I have had the chance to travel some in the consular district – to the Krynica Economic Forum, the Oktoberfest in Wroclaw, to Opole, Zakopane, Rzeszow and Krosno, and at the AmCham Mixer here in Krakow. I look forward to meeting many more of you over the next months as I continue getting to know Krakow and southern Poland. Our busy summer has quickly turned into an equally busy fall and you’ll see many exciting events scheduled for the next months. We will also welcome very soon our new ambassador to Poland, Lee Feinstein.
I’ll close this first note with a reflection on the American Dream exhibit at the National Museum, one of the highlights for us of our first days in Krakow. This exhibit exceeded all expectations for attendance. At the closing event on Sunday, October 4, we had an open panel to discuss what the exhibit meant to the public. The frank comments showed that the kind of freedom of expression displayed in the exhibit is also alive and well in Poland today. American Dream was the result of a great deal of hard work and a lot of creative thinking. I would like to thank Director Gołubiew, Curator Czubińska and the Museum staff for their vision and perseverance in bringing these wonderful images of America to Poland. I look forward to many more such collaborations in the future!
Allen Greenberg
Consul General
Allen Greenberg
A photo exhibit "Microphotography" by Margaret Oechsli is on display at the American Corner in Wroclaw, Dolnoslaska Public Library, Rynek 58. Margaret Oechsli was born in Wroclaw. She lives in the United States and is employed at Heart & Lung Institute at Jewish Hospital. She is a scientist with a passionate artistic vision. Her work elicits the natural existence of art within science - at the microscopic level. The exhibit will be open until October 30, 2009.
Website of the American Corner http://www.amcorners.pl/wroclaw/
A concert celebrating 90 Years of U.S.–Polish Diplomatic Relations will take place at Pszczyna Castle on Sunday, October 11 at 6:00 p.m. The program of the piano recital by Neal Larrabee, a renowned American pianist, will include compositions of Chopin, Paderewski, Beethoven, Ravel and Gottschalk.
For tickets, please contact Pszczyna Castle Marketing Department at
marketing@zamek-pszczyna.pl
Neal Larrabee is a professor of music at the University of Connecticut.
He has performed in
major music centers including New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Berlin, Warsaw and Moscow.
His appearances as recitalist and as soloist
with orchestras have won critical acclaim. Nominated by the United States Information Service for performing under the auspices of the American
embassies, Larrabee has toured Germany, Russia, Poland, Romania and Yugoslavia.
In Poland, Larrabee has become a well-known favorite of the
concert-going public. Recently he played at Paderewski Center in Kąśna Dolna
near Tarnow.
On Tuesday, October 13 American West Photo Exhibit of American landscapes taken by the Polish-American photographer Wieslaw Pikul will be opened at the Regional Center for Borderland Culture in Krosno. The exhibit features breathtaking photographs taken in the western United States that show the diversity and beauty of the American western landscape.
The U.S. Consulate is a partner in an international film festival about sexual minorities entitled "About Love Between the Others". It is the second edition of the event promoting tolerance and open attitudes. The film showings will be held in Krakow on October 15-21 in the "Pod Baranami" cinema. The Consulate invites everyone for a Saturday night showing, on October 17 of the film "The prodigal son" by Kimberly Reed, who will be a special guest of the Festival and will meet with the audience afterwards.
U.S. Air Force in Europe Concert Band in Poland this October
October 2009 will sound with marches, overtures, the best of American popular classics, jazz and famous music from the stage and screen thanks to the United States Air Force in Europe Concert Band, which will be touring Poland October 19-25, 2009. The USAFE Band will tour Poland in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the establishment of U.S.-Polish diplomatic relations.
The Band will perform in Wrocław (October 20), Opole (October 21), Nowy Sącz (October 22), Radlin (October 23), Kutno (October 24) and Bydgoszcz (October 25). The United States Air Force in Europe Concert Band has been entertaining audiences of all ages and nationalities throughout Europe and Southwest Asia since 1944. Based at Sembach Air Base, Germany, the band brings the sounds of America to Europe's finest concert halls, outdoor theaters and international music festivals. In addition to performing live concerts, the USAFE Band is heard through recordings and media broadcasts bringing the music of America to millions across the continent.
The U.S. Consulate General is a co-sponsor of the “7 x Gospel Festival” that will be held in
Krakow October 18-25. This year the festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
A series of events will be held in the biggest shopping mall
in Krakow “ Galeria Krakowska”: the night concert on October 17 at 11:30 p.m. and three workshops for children on October 15-18.
The Gospel Workshop for soloists and choirs will be conducted by a prominent American composer
and instructor Gerald Smith, and other American and British musicians. It will finish with the final choir concert at Krakow Philharmonic on
October 25 at 6 p.m. The highlight of the festival will be a conference and workshop for Gospel
Choir Conductors from European Union countries.
The Second Annual Democracy Video Challenge
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale, launched the Second Annual Democracy Video Challenge. Through this Challenge, the State Deartment and its partners in youth and democracy organizations, academia, and the film/entertainment industry seek to enhance our global dialogue on democracy.
The Democracy Video Challenge asks filmmakers, democracy advocates, and the general public to create short videos that complete the phrase, "Democracy is..." The deadline is January 31, 2010.
The winners will be selected by the online voting public. Six regional winners receive an all-expense paid trip to the United States. Contestants who wish to compete anonymously may also submit videos. One anonymous video will be selected as a winner; however, that contestant will not be eligible to claim the travel prize. To learn more, please visit the Democracy Video Challenge web site at: www.videochallenge.america.gov.
A globalized economy makes business and employment spill across national boundaries, so an education abroad is likely to make a young person better prepared for the world’s future. Almost double the numbers of students travel abroad for an education today as compared with 20 years ago. Campus Connections examines the international study experience and its influence on individual growth.
Publication available at: http://www.america.gov/publications/ejournalusa/0809.html
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U.S. Consulate General, ul.
Stolarska 9, Krakow, tel.: 12 424-5100
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