Dances of Freedom & Dreams: Kościuszko, Chopin & Schumann – A piano recital

Join internationally acclaimed pianist Elżbieta Bilicka for a captivating recital that bridges history, heroism, and imagination. The program begins with the polonaise—a symbol of Poland’s national spirit—featuring works by Michał Ogiński, Józef Władysław Krogulski, and the rarely heard Polonaise in B-flat major by Tadeusz Kościuszko (yes, Poland’s most famous general also composed music!). The journey continues through the brilliance and poetry of Chopin’s polonaises, culminating in the radiant Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise brillante. The evening concludes with Robert Schumann’s Kreisleriana, Op. 16, one of the great Romantic masterpieces—by turns tender, fiery, and dreamlike. A wine reception will follow the recital.

Pianist Elżbieta Bilicka is the first-prize winner of numerous international competitions, including G-clef (South Korea), Walled City (Ireland), and Putra (Malaysia) and is a laureate of the Olga Kern (New Mexico), Paderewski (Poland) and the NIFC Chopin (Poland) competitions. She was awarded the prestigious “Young Poland” Scholarship from the Polish Minister of Culture in 2018 and 2023. Ms. Bilicka has performed as concerto soloist and recitalist across Poland, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and the United States. Her performances have been broadcast on BBC Radio, Central New York’s Classic FM, Polish TV-Culture and Radio Koszalin. Her debut album, Lights and Shadows (Centaur) received critical plaudits from American Record Guide, Classical Sentinel, and Fanfare Magazine, which praised her “strong poetic streak.” Elżbieta Bilicka holds degrees from the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, Poland, the Haute École de Musique in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Manhattan School of Music in New York, NY, where she studied under the tutelage of Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń. Nelson Goerner, and Olga Kern. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the CUNY Graduate Center, where she studies with Nicolas Namoradze.

Host or Publisher The Kosciuszko Foundation