The Canonization of Blessed Popes John XXIII and John Paul II - special celebrations in Manhattan, NY

For the Polish Consulate General, this will be the 9th edition of the annual event commemorating the life, work and mission of the Polish Pope John Paul II. This year, the ceremony will be even more special. On the same day, April 27, in the Vatican City, Pope Francis will canonize two of his distinguished predecessors – John XXIII and John Paul II. For this reason, to celebrate this extraordinary day, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland co-organizes the concert with the Consulate General of the Republic of Italy. 

Reading of selected excerpts of both Popes’ encyclicals will be traditionally held in the Polish language, by a popular Polish jazz singer Urszula Dudziak; in English by Ed Pawlowski, Mayor of Allentown (the third largest city in the State of Pennsylvania) and – for the first time – in Italian by Antonio Monde, an Italian writer, director, journalist and NYU professor. The artistic program will be comprised of musical performances by Edyta Kulczak (Mezzo Soprano), Francesco Pavesi (tenor) and organist Eugeniusz Wawrzyniak. 

Readings by: 

URSZULA DUDZIAK

Popular Polish jazz singer also widely known in the U.S.  Her song Papaya (first recorded in 1976) became a hit in 2007 in Asia and Latin America, with an added characteristic motif of Papaya Dance. Since 1964 till the end of the 1980s, she collaborated with the Michał Urbaniak Band. Together they performed many times at the Jazz Jamboree Festival in 1969-1972. For her solo performances utilizing electronic devices, One Woman Show, she was named Singer of the Year by Los Angeles Times in 1997. She performed in duo with Bobby McFerrin at Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw. She published a number of albums and played with Ron Carter, Gil Evans, Lionel Hampton, Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby McFerrin, Wynton and Branford Marsalis and Sting. Urszula Dudziak was bestowed with the Knight\'s Cross Order of Polonia Restituta and the Medal for Merit to Culture Gloria Artis. 

www.urszuladudziak.pl 

ANTONIO MONDA

Italian writer, film director, journalist and professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. In 1994, he moved to New York City where, in exchange for an apartment on the Upper East Side, he worked as a superintendent, and began writing  for La Republicca as well as teaching at NYU. His first book on American cinema, the Magnificent Illusion, won the Efebo d’Oro as the best film book of 2003, another one, Do You Believe?, was translated into several languages. Antonio Monda is the US cultural correspondent for La Republicca and he has a video column on RaiNews 24 called Central Park West. He collaborates also with Vanity Fair, Uomo Vogue and the Italian TV channel La7.  He is the founder and co-host with Mario Sesti of Viaggio nel Cinema Americano  (A Journey into American Cinema) a series of public interviews at the Rome Auditorium with major film personalities such as Tim Burton, Joel and Ethan Coen, David Lynch, Francis Ford Coppola, Sean Connery, Jane Fonda and Susan Sarandon. 

ED PAWLOWSKI

Mayor of Allentown, the third largest city in Pennsylvania. Ed received his master’s degree in Urban Planning and Public Policy from the University of Illinois and his bachelor’s degree from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where he met his wife Lisa. They have two children, Mercy and Alex, who both attend Allentown public schools. In 2005, Ed was encouraged to run for mayor by business and community leaders. Over the past few years, Ed has worked tirelessly to improve Allentown and as a result, no less than a half billion dollars in new development projects have sprung up in every section of the city. The tenure of the Pawlowski administration has been characterized by action, purpose, a strong sense of urgency, and endless energy. 

www.allentownmayor.com

Music program by: 

EDYTA KULCZAK (MEZZO SOPRANO)

Resident performer of the Metropolitan Opera since her debut as Flora in La Traviata in 2003. She commands a distinguished position among the world’s foremost classical singers. Edyta has sung numerous performances under the baton of Sir Colin Davis, Placido Domingo, Lorin Maazel and James Levine, to name a few. She performs many leading roles, Carmen and Dalila at the top of the list, with opera theaters throughout the U.S. and Europe, including Cincinnati Opera, Boston Lyric, Tulsa Opera, Savonilla Opera and New Orleans Opera. In addition, Edyta Kulczak has performed recitals and symphonic concerts in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in a recital of Janacek songs accompanied by pianist Leif Ove Andsnes in Zankel Hall and was a soloist in the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall in Vivaldi’s Gloria. 

http://www.edytakulczak.com/ 

FRANCESCO PAVESI (TENOR)

Tenor, debuted in 2011 at Carnegie Hall in a concert organized by "Italian Academy Foundation", he has collaborated with many great conductors including Alberto Veronesi, he was featured on international Radio and TV program such as BBC, RAI, Radio svizzera Italiana, Radio 24 and ICN radio. His version of "Ah Mes amis" from "La figlia del reggimento" by Gaetano Donizetti was selected as the theme song for a weekly broadcast dedicated to the tenor voice on RSI (Radio Svizzera Italiana). He was given in Parma with the "Nadia Andreani" Award for the best young artist of the year 2010, in addition he was also awerded with "Claudio Barbieri  international competition in 2012". Currently he is preaparing to direct two  musical Festival  in Parma encompassing multilple musical genre (opera, jazz, sacred music). 

www.facebook.com/gullistringquartetpavesizarba 

EUGENIUSZ WAWRZYNIAK

Member of the Concert Artist cooperative – an American organization of soloists and ensembles from around the world. He studied in prof. Romuald Sroczynski’s organ class in Poznan, Poland. He has been living in Belgium since 1989 and he continued his career at the Royal Conservatory in Liège and in Brussels. Eugeniusz has performed in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Luxembourg, USA and Poland. He recorded music for the Belgian radio station Radio 3 and Polish Radio. He also cooperates with the Philharmonic Society in Poznan, Poland. Since 1990 he has been working as an organist at Notre Dame de Miséricorde Church in Charleroi, Belgium. He also teaches piano and organ at Atélier Musical de Manage. As the President of Musical Association “CONCERTO” in Charleroi, he is involved in cultural life in Wallonia, organizing organ, choral and chamber music concerts as part of Automne Musical de Marchienne festival (Musical Autumn in Marchienne). 

http://www.ammconcerto.org/en/founder

All are welcome.

Admission is free.

Registration not required.