Benefit Concert - Smolensk Tragedy

Vancouver -- The anniversary of the tragic plane crash in Smolensk (Russia) with the Polish President was marked by a concert held in the Vancouver Masonic Center, 1495 W 8th Ave Vancouver, BC V6H 1C9, on April the 10th,2011 at 6:00 p.m. Exactly one year before, on the 10th of April 2010, the TU-154 plane crashed killing 7 crew members and 89 members of the Polish diplomatic core.

Half of the proceeds from the concert went to an orphanage (Dom Dziecka w Gdansku Oruni) in Poland to support their basic needs.

The concert consisted of music by Polish composers such as F. Chopin, I. J. Paderewski and K. Szymanowski and included the famous Funeral March from F. Chopin piano sonata.

Witold Wardziukiewicz obtained a Master’s degree from the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in his native Gdansk, Poland in Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron’s class. He has appeared in recitals throughout Poland, Sweden, Canada, Austria, Germany, Italy, Norway, Lithuania and Slovenia. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the University of British Columbia in the class of Jane Coop.

The concert was presented by the Piano Teacher’s Federation, the grand piano was provided by Pacey’s Pianos on Broadway and was made possible by the generosity of the Masonic Center which provided the hall, and supported by Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Vancouver.