On November 12, 2019, the Consulate of Poland in Houston invited representatives of Texas Polonia to celebrate Poland’s Independence Day and the 30th anniversary of the fall of communism in Poland.

During the ceremony, the Consul General, Robert Rusiecki, presented the Cross of the Order of Merit to Mariusz Smolij, an outstanding Polish conductor, who has been working with the best orchestras in nearly 30 countries.

The audience enjoyed the piano and violin recital of Krzysztof Zimowski (violin) and Pamela Pyle (piano). The program included the works of Jan Ignacy Paderewski, Henryk Wieniawski, Fryderyk Chopin, Feliks Borowski and Pablo Sarasate. An additional attraction of the concert was the great-sounding instrument: the original Stradivarius, previously belonging to Niccolo Paganini).

Photos by Michal Szpak

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