Exiles in Paris

Works by Frédéric Chopin, Grażyna Bacewicz, and Bud Powell

Vieve Gore Concert Hall at Westminster College
September 27, 2022 7:30pm

For centuries, Paris has been a haven for artists fleeing political, personal and economic oppression. This concert is a snapshot of music by a handful of exiles who escaped turmoil and were celebrated for their formidable artistry, beyond their nationality, race or gender. Chopin was a mere 20 years old when he fled his native Warsaw before the November 1830 Uprising against the Russian Invasion. Grażyna Bacewicz studied in Paris in the 1930s with famed composition pedagogue Nadia Boulanger, becoming the first Polish woman to achieve national and international recognition. Finding some semblance of dignity, freedom and respect, many American Jazz musicians such as the extraordinary pianist Bud Powell toured and lived in Paris.