06/11/2025
“Art is the cry of the soul pleading for the light.”
—Ignacy Jan Paderewski
November 6, 2025 marks the 165th anniversary of the birth of Ignacy Jan Paderewski—pianist, composer, statesman, and symbol of Polish resilience.
Born in 1860, Paderewski was not only a virtuoso pianist and composer but also a passionate advocate for Polish independence. He served as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Poland in 1919, helping secure international recognition for the newly reborn Polish state after World War I. His music and diplomacy made him a beloved figure across Europe and America.
From concert halls in Paris and New York to the peace tables of Versailles, Paderewski carried Poland in his heart and under his fingers. His music stirred souls; his diplomacy moved borders. As Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the newly reborn Polish Republic in 1919, he helped secure international recognition for a nation that had vanished from maps but never from memory.
In Paso Robles, California—where he once found rest among vineyards—his legacy lives on in music festivals and community tributes. In Poland and across the diaspora, his name still evokes the harmony of art and patriotism, the belief that beauty and justice are not separate pursuits.
For his work on behalf of Poland and Polish culture, he was honored with, among others, the Order of the White Eagle, the French Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, the Spanish Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, the Commander's Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy, and the Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire. He died on June 29, 1941, in the United States – far from the country he loved so much.
Let us honor Paderewski by continuing his work: to unite, to inspire, and to believe in the power of culture to shape history.
Alicja
