On July 25th, 2016 I had a rare occasion and a great pleasure to perform Chopin's Concerto No. 1 in E minor Op. 11 with Quartet Amabile and Nobuhisa Hasegawa at the Kagoshima Citizens' Culture Hall (Second Hall) in addition to my solo portion of the evening.

It was a treat to have you all on stage! You played wonderfully! Big Bravo and thank you very much! 

The concert was part of The 37th Kirishima International Music Festival 2016/Kagoshima. We had full house and I was very happy about it!

Thank you JESC Music Foundation for such a brilliant idea! 

From left: Tatsuki Sasanuma (Cello), Meguna Naka (Viola), Chihiro Kitada (2nd Violin), Yuna Shinohara (1st Violin) , Kris Jablonski (Piano), Nobuhisa Hasegawa (Double Bass)

Concert flyer

Concert flyer

To Whom It May Concern

It becomes a reality: long-needed change of my name.

I admit I lost the battle... For more than 30 years I have used my name in its original Polish form and have no intention to do this anymore.

Among most bizarre, misspelled versions of my name are Knyn Jabtouslu, Yvlonisky Kashistov, Kushishutofu Yabuwonsuki, K. Jebfinsh, Krzyszfot Jablonski, K. Zabtonsky, Christoph Yablonsky and more.

It also happened so, that my name was written differently several times during the same event - Kshishtof Jablonski, Kjistof Yablonski and Kryzystof Jablonski. I have a large collection of photos of many of those "creative" versions of my names. The result being, the audience completely confused, unable to "google" me, unable to find me, and even worse - unable to memorize my name, saying "oh, that guy with strange name, can't remember...".

From now on I will use the name: KRIS JABLONSKI. Please spread the news. Thank you!

For my short recital program I am about to perform tonight during Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra's Fundraising Event, I selected piano works by two great composers - Sergei Rachmaninoff and Fryderyk Chopin (Frederic Chopin). Not many Calgarians know that Rachmaninoff was performing here back in 1925 (just three months after Jasha Heifetz's performance) at the Grand Theatre, and that he stayed at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel, where tonight's event is taking place. The Grand was the biggest theatre in the Pacific Northwest at the time and attracted well-known performers such as Sarah Bernhardt, Fred Astaire, Ethel Barrymore, the Marx Brothers, George Burns, Jasha Heifetz, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Arthur Rubinstein, and Paul Robeson, among others.

F. Chopin belongs to my beloved composers too, and there will be two iconic compositions on the program: Etude C minor Op. 10/12, so called "Revolutionary", and Polonaise A flat Major Op. 53, so called "Heroic" - both belonging to the most recognizable piano repertoire pieces around the globe.

I just purchased a book, "Calgary's Grand Story" by Donald B. Smith, as I wanted to educate myself and get to know more about the history of the city that I made my home for the past 18 years. I am finding it extremely interesting! I also highly recommend this book to everyone willing to explore Calgary's history, as well as to all those individuals who keep asking me why I am living in Calgary since so many years, and not in New York, London or Paris etc. Calgary is the City on Prairies, yes, quite far from the largest cultural hubs, but it has its own rich history, and it is up to people who live and work here to keep it great and prevent it from being just a remote place in the Prairies, in the middle of nowhere...

I am glad to be part of the tonight's event and I hope to see music lovers enjoy this evening's performances and orchestra supporters help CPO to continue performing for Calgary audiences and bringing the best of the best into town.

---

About the Book: 

Calgary was a boomtown of 50,000 people in 1912, the year the Lougheed Building and the adjacent Grand Theatre were built. The fanfare and anticipation surrounding their opening marked the beginning of a golden era in the city's history. The Lougheed quickly became Calgary's premier corporate address, and the state-of-the-art Grand Theatre the hub of a thriving cultural community. Through the great days of Vaudeville and classic cinema, through the Depression, two world wars, and the oil and gas boom, the Lougheed and the Grand were cornerstones of downtown Calgary. As the city grew up around them, questions about their future arose. Did they still have a place in this new metropolis of shiny glass and steel? After they were nearly destroyed by fire in 2004, the push to restore and revitalize the buildings gained new momentum. From the viewpoint of these two prominent heritage buildings, Donald Smith introduces the reader to the personalities and events that helped shape Calgary in the twentieth century. Complemented by over 140 historical images, Calgary's Grand Story is a fascinating tribute to the Lougheed and the Grand and celebrates their unrivalled position in the city's political, economic, and cultural history.

About the Author(s): 

Donald B. Smith is professor emeritus of history at the University of Calgary. He has written extensively on Native history, as well as the history of Alberta and Calgary.

Life is full of surprises. Up until 5:30 PM today I had no idea I will be heading to Wrocław, Poland, to perform Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto at the "Closing of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Season" concert tomorrow, June 3rd, 2016, replacing Richard Goode who could not perform. Maestro Benjamin Shwartz will be conducting.

 http://www.nfm.wroclaw.pl/component/nfmcalendar/event/2798

This is roughly on 26 hrs notice, and I made quick decision to come here from Katowice, where I wanted to attend Andrey Boreyko's performance with the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra and Ilya Gringolts as a soloist tonight, June 2nd. For the fifth time we will not see each other despite of many attempts made (twice in US, twice in Germany), including the latest one, where I decided to come to Katowice from Warsaw today, after Maestro told me that he will be so close. It didn't work again. I hope Maestro Boreyko will forgive me that disappearance... Interestingly, we both, Maestro Boreyko and I, did save another evening in Wrocław years ago, when both - conductor and soloist - could not perform. This in fact was how we met for the first time on stage. That one however was on slightly more than 48 hrs notice with Grieg's Piano Concerto on the program.

Well, here I am, accepting what life has just brought me...

There is something magical about the night time practicing in this extraordinary concert hall...

National Forum of Music, Main Hall, Wrocław, Poland

On October 8th, 2015, I had an honour of performing during the presentation of the title of an Honorary Doctor of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Poland, to Maestro Krystian Zimerman - the Artist, whom I so much admire and who greatly influenced my artistic path. In 1975, I was just 10-years old, when Maestro became the First Prize Winner of the 9th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland. Amazed with his playing, I decided already then, that one day, I will be willing to follow his footsteps. 10 long years, powered by that dream, I was preparing for the 11th Edition of the Chopin Competition in Warsaw, where I finally won Third Prize and Bronze Medal in 1985. Over 30 years later, I was one of the two Professors reviewing in the process of awarding Maestro the Honorary Doctor title, and having a pleasure to perform during the Award Ceremony which happened to be a part of the Inauguration of the Academic Year 2015/2016.

What has happened on October 8th, 2015 was both emotional and deeply touching. In all my dreams, I wouldn't be able to imagine such an event - performing for Krystian Zimerman, having him sitting on stage of the F. Chopin University of Music, just behind my back, having so many distinguished guests in the concert hall of our University, and having so many pianists among listeners - including some of the Jury Members of the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. My memories were incredibly alive again, bringing me back to all those years and moments. The feeling was a little similar to the one I remember from the competition back in 1985...

In April, 2016, a series of earthquakes, including a magnitude 7.0 mainshock, struck Kumamoto City of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu Region, Japan.
You can read more about the disaster here.
I was supposed to play my piano recital in Kumamoto on July 18th, 2016. Due to the circumstances and extensive damage to the concert hall, the recital has been cancelled.
However, I am very, very much looking forward to meet the people of Kumamoto, my friends and my audience, as a charity concert is being planned instead. I will be very happy to travel to Kumamoto, and play Chopin there, hoping to bring some moments of relief, hope, and creating a sense of getting back to normal everyday life.
My heart and thoughts are with those tragically affected by the disaster, and with all those who survived, but lost their family members, relatives, friends, properties...
I express my deep sympathy with all of you forced to cope with the unimaginable challenges.

It was a memorable moment to have the President of my homeland among listeners on Canadian ground. It did not come to my mind that after living in Canada for over 18 years, I would be honoured to play F. Chopin's music for more than 500 Guests during the Celebration on the occasion of the National Day of Poland and the visit to Canada of the President of the Republic of Poland, Mr. Andrzej Duda and First Lady, Mrs. Agata Kornhauser-Duda, on May 10th, 2016 in Ottawa, Ontario, at the Sir John A. Macdonald Heritage Building of the Government of Canada.

Read more here.

Photos: Sam Garcia

I feel privileged to perform for Poland tonight in Ottawa, at the Sir John A. Macdonald Buidling of the Government of Canada on the occasion of the National Day of Poland (Constitution of Poland, May 3rd, 1791 and 1050th Anniversary of Poland's Baptism) and the visit to Canada of the President of the Republic of Poland Mr. Andrzej Duda and Mrs. Agata Kornhauser-Duda.

Concert Program:

F. Chopin
- Nocturne C sharp minor "Lento con gran espressione"
- Fantasie-Impromptu C sharp minor Op. 66
- Ballade G minor Op. 23
- Andante Spianato & Grand Polonaise Brillante in E flat Major Op. 22
- Polonaise A flat Major Op. 53
- Etude C minor Op. 10 No. 12 "Revolutionary"

Thank you Maestro Jerzy Maksymiuk, thank you Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Polska Orkiestra Radiowa) for an amazing evening with Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, which I enjoyed immensely on April 24th, 2016. 

With Maestro Jerzy Maksymiuk and Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra right after performance on April 24th, 2016 at the Witold Lutoslawski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio

There will be radio broadcast on Sunday, May 8th, 2016 at 7:00 PM CEST (Central European Summer Time). For the convenience of my audience, it is 11:00 AM MDT on May 8th here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1:00 PM in New York, and 2:00 AM on May 9th in Japan for instance.

Here is a link to the Player of the Channel Two of the Polish Radio (Polskie Radio - Dwójka)

 http://player.polskieradio.pl/-2

Enjoy listening! 

It is such a beautiful composition, being performed quite often, recorded so many times. Yet, some people have the ability to understand the music differently, play it with great sensitivity, meaningfully, bringing joy to my heart. This morning I did listen to fragments of Golda Tatz's recording of the Humoreske Op. 20 by Schumann, which made me nostalgic. I did slow down, focused and found positive thoughts for the day. Thank you Golda!