The 27th Focus Festival kicks off in New York, with a spotlight on Poland.

Co-organised by the Julliard music school in New York and the city’s Polish Cultural  Institute, the event will feature works by several dozen Polish contemporary composers, including Krzysztof Penderecki, Boguslaw Schaeffer and Kazimierz Serocki.

Head of the Polish Cultural Institute in New York, Jerzy Onuch told Polish Radio that the festival will include a series of six concerts will present compositions written by Polish artists after 1945.

“It’s the first such presentation of Polish music in the United States,” Onuch said, adding that “from what I have heard from the Polish participants, I can see that it is a very important event for them, not only because the festival is held at New York’s Lincoln Center, but that the event will have an impact on festivals in Europe.”

Musicians of the New Julliard Ensemble will perform works by Grazyna Bacewicz, Wojciech Kilar, Elzbieta Sikora and Tadeusz Wielecki. The closing of the festival, to take place on 28 January, will feature a performance showcasing music by Witold Lutoslawski.

Sideline events will include a screening of a production devoted to Polish music and a panel discussion on Poland’s contemporary music. (aba/jb)