Moonrise Press & Paderewski Music Society Present Aga Zaryan in a Unique Jazz Concert, 9 August 2025

 

AGA ZARYAN – PICKING UP THE PIECES 2

Aga Zaryan will visit Los Angeles to work with Darek Oleszkiewicz, Larry Koonse, and Munyngo Jackson on a new album entitled “Picking Up the Pieces 2” Featuring the same lineup as 20 years ago, the album will be recorded between August 11 and 13 and first presented to the public in a pre-premiere concert on August 9, 2025, during a concert at the Kulak’s Woodshed, jointly organized by the Paderewski Society and Moonrise Press. Held on Saturday, 9 August 2025, at 7 pm. At 5230 1/2 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Valley Village, CA 91607. This tiny venue seats up to 49 visitors and features state of the art multi-camera and multi-mic recording and broadcasting setup, posting live or recorded concerts on Facebook and in other places. Tickets ($55) may be ordered on The Paderewski Society website: PaderewskiMusicSociety.org. 

The first joint album of this group of expert musicians, Picking Up the Pieces (2006/2011), is a deeply expressive, critically and commercially successful album that marked Aga Zaryan’s transition from national to international acclaim. Featuring a potent mix of jazz standards and a few original pieces, it explores emotional and spiritual narratives centered on women’s experiences. The album was a major breakthrough: it achieved double platinum in Poland and became a European adult contemporary bestseller. Critics praised its intimate feel and fresh interpretations. Newsweek highlighted Zaryan’s “charm and talent.”

AGA ZARYAN‘s creativity is the quintessence of that which is finest in the history of jazz, a continuation of the tradition of legendary accomplishments by female jazz vocalists. The artist owes her worldwide recognition to a unique style, with a characteristic lightness of phrasing and a warm, matte tone of voice. She was the first Polish artist to release records under New York’s legendary Blue Note Records label. With this, the Artist joined names such as: Norah Jones, Nina Simone, Miles Davis and Bobby McFerrin. Aga Zaryan is a recipient of the most important awards in the music world, recognized as one of Poland’s finest jazz vocalists (a many-time winner of Jazz Forum magazine’s  Jazz Top poll – in the Jazz Vocalist of The Year category). 

The record-breaking sales of her albums show that ambition, and a sublime style, allow her to reach a wide-ranging community of listeners. The Artist wins the hearts of audiences, performing all over the world. Zaryan is also actively involved in a number of social causes, being a PAH Ambassador and an associate of KPH, and having been awarded the Star of Charity in 2017. This year, she was recognized as the best jazz vocalist in the Jazz Top 2024 survey by the Jazz Forum magazine. 

DAREK OLESZKIEWICZ, known professionally as DAREK OLES, is a Grammy-nominated jazz bassist and educator.  Born in Wrocław, Poland, Darek began his musical education early and played various instruments before focusing on the acoustic bass. He gained recognition in Poland through numerous awards and performances with leading jazz groups. In 1988, he moved to Los Angeles, where he studied with Charlie Haden at the California Institute of the Arts on a full scholarship. Oles has since become a faculty member at both CalArts and the University of Southern California. Oles has performed and recorded with jazz luminaries such as Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny, Joe Lovano, and many others. His extensive discography includes about 100 albums, several of which have been nominated for Grammy Awards.

LARRY KOONSE – Born in San Diego Larry Koonse grew up in a musical family and began studying guitar at age seven, deeply influenced by his father, jazz guitarist Dave Koonse. At fifteen, he recorded his first album with his dad (Dave and Larry Koonse; Father and Son Jazz Guitars). In 1984, he became the first to earn a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from USC. Career highlights include 

◦ International Touring & Collaborations: Spent six years touring with the John Dankworth quartet and vocalist Cleo Laine 

◦ Session & Ensemble Work: Featured on over 300 albums, including sessions for Mel Tormé, Luciana Souza, Natalie Cole, Rod Stewart, Lee Konitz, Bob Brookmeyer, and others. ◦ Grammy Recognition: Multiple Grammy nominations with Billy Childs’s chamber sextet (Lyric and Autumn: In Moving Pictures) and Luciana Souza’s projects (Tide, Book of Chet). 

• Solo Projects & Ensembles: Led and co-led groups such as the L.A. Jazz Quartet (e.g., Conversation Piece, Astarte, Family Song) and released critically acclaimed solo albums (Jazz Compass label): Americana, Dialogues of the Heart (with Dave Koonse), Storybook, and What’s in the Box.

 • Noteworthy Performances: Soloist at Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Sydney Opera House, performances with the L.A. Philharmonic and other major orchestras. Played at high-profile events, such as Nelson Mandela’s inaugural SAMIX festival in South Africa. Larry Koonse has built a remarkable career as a versatile and deeply respected jazz guitarist, seamlessly balancing rich recording and performance credentials with decades of teaching and mentorship.

Percussionist, composer, arranger, producer, author, and four-time Grammy winner MUNYUNGO JACKSON brings an ever-growing collection of instruments to his craft. This warm and unassuming West Coast artist is a sought-after presence in virtually any musical setting, from funk, pop, and jazz to Latin, reggae, and the traditional dance music of Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Haiti, Brazil, and Cuba. Munyungo was born in Los Angeles, California, into a creative family. His parents, Arthur Jackson Jr. and Genie Jackson, were both deeply involved in music, dance, and writing, and Munyungo is the nephew of the legendary jazz, pop, and blues singer-pianist Nellie Lutcher, who recorded for Capitol Records. Munyungo is an accomplished musician with more than 30 years of experience. His exceptional versatility has earned him widespread respect and made him a highly sought-after performer for studio sessions, concerts, and tours. Throughout his career, he has shared the stage with iconic artists such as Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Kenny Loggins, Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, the Zawinul Syndicate, George Howard, Ronnie Laws, The Temptations, Four Tops, The Supremes, Bennie Maupin, Bill Summers, Marcus Miller, and many others. He has also worked with numerous ethnic music and dance ensembles, further showcasing his talents.

KULAK’S WOODSHED is a Live Music Video Recording Venue that seats 49, with 24 Track Pro Tools audio and Webcast created for the promotion of singer songwriters. Artists here range from beginners to Grammy winners.Created by Paul Kulak in 1999, Kulak’s Woodshed evolved into a community labor of love, operated by skilled volunteers and supported by audience donations. All are welcome, any age, and music styles. Self serve snacks, soft drinks, tea, and coffee. Pet friendly. Their last Polish event was a concert by Ewa Zmijewska and Shandy Caspar in 2019. NO DRUGS OR ALCOHOL PERMITTED. 

Established in 2008, the PADEREWSKI MUSIC SOCIETY is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that honors the legacy of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the celebrated concert pianist, composer, philanthropist and Prime Minister who guided Poland to independence after WWI. Paderewski edited Chopin's scores for publication and is known as THE person who brought Chopin's works to light with his rousing worldwide performances in the early 1900s. Since its inception, in addition to having organized three international piano competitions, the Society has sponsored concerts, piano recitals, masterclasses, fundraising events and film screenings. The roster of world-class artists presented included well-established names as well as the most promising members of the younger generation and included Lee Kum Sing, John Perry, Piotr Kosinski, Hubert Rutkowski, Xiayin Wang, Andrew Yang, Zheeyoung Moon, Adam Wibrowski, Edward Wolanin, Peter Toth, Gloria Campaner, Dmitry Rachmanov, Gloria Cheng, Kamil Pacholec and Wojciech Kocyan. Most recently, the Society established a scholarship fund to aid in the education of most deserving young pianists.

Since 2008, MOONRISE PRESS (President Maja Trochimczyk), published over  20 books of poetry and studies of Polish culture. Past publications include Gorecki in Context: Essays on Music (2017), two histories of the Modjeska Club in Polish and English, and 15 volumes of poetry by California poets.  Current projects include Four-volume Collected Plays by Kazimierz Braun (vol. 4 is in preparation), 168 sonnets by Konrad Tademark Wilk, and more. The press also contributed to USC Polish  Music Center’s Paderewski Lectures and Modjeska Club events. 

Ella Czajkowska presents Alchemy of Words at Monthly Reading of Village Poets in Tujunga

On June 22, 2025, Ella Czajkowska presented "Alchemy of Words" at Monthly Reading of Village Poets at the Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga. In her introduction of the featured poet, Maja Trochimczyk cited the following about the poet and the book. 

"Her love of creative writing was born in high school, where she started writing poetry and short stories. In 2015, Ella started to write poetry in both Polish and English, and from 2017 she writes only in English. Her book of Polish language poetry, entitled “Tam, gdzie umierają marzenia”, was published in Rzeszów by Sowello in 2019. Her English-language poems appeared in the California Quarterly and the Crystal Fire anthology (Moonrise Press, 2022). She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2022 by the California State Poetry Society for her poem The Calling.”

  

"Ella worked for many years as Public Relations (PR) Manager for the EWELINEB brand. She has produced music and PR materials for fashion shows at the Fashion Week in New York, London, and Amsterdam, among others. Ella’s other great passion and inspiration in life is music. Surrounded by it her whole life, with both her father and mother having graduated from prestigious music schools, there was always a great respect for art and culture in her family home. All throughout her childhood she would be taken to theaters and opera houses, where her love for opera, ballet, and classical music ever grew. A graduate of two music schools, Ella learned to play piano, clarinet, and percussion—piano remains her favorite instrument to this day. A true Renaissance person with a wide range of interests, talents, and knowledge, she was born in Warsaw, Poland and lives in Los Angeles, California."

Roza Yoder, Beata Czajkowska, E. Czajkowska, Maja Trochimczyk, June 22, 2025

The Alchemy of Words is the first English-language poetry book of Ella Czajkowska who previously published a book of poems in Polish. These 70 poems deal with themes of nature, divinity, human emotions, existential contemplation and the complexities of life. The poems explore the beauty and terror of natural world, the fleeting nature of joy, the struggles of existence, and the interplay of love and hate. Through vivid imagery and entrancing verse, the poems evoke a sense of wonder and introspection. They invite readers to an adventure of  exploring human experience, reflecting upon the intricacies of life and the power of language and art. 

"Elzbieta's poems electrify, like touching a spark to gunpowder, seeing a starless sky explode in a blaze of colors. Exciting. Original. Thought provoking. Inspiring." ~ Marek Probosz, actor, director, and writer. "Ella Czajkowska ushers a voice of sublime sincerity into our increasingly outlandish human realm." ~ Piotr D. Siemion, Ph.D., Author and Essayist.

The Sublime Senses 

               Until the heart stops it desires.

               Until the mind stills it aspires;

 

                Until the senses take 

                their leave they deceive—

                such dreams they weave...

The Calling

 

Take my hand, we shall drink golden starlight 

from the brass chalice of curiosity,

adorn our hair with stars’ glittering light. 

We shall clothe ourselves in silver moonlight 

and blush our faces with sunlight’s kiss,

and dance through the dust of time unmeasured, 

whirl till we are dizzy with awe 

and drunk on the songs of the universe.

 I have not truly known freedom until 

I have shaken off the chains of attachments

to this world, this low-land

—of biological, mechanical, electric—

of static, of moving, till I felt the seductive

beckoning of the ephemeral,

the limitless melody of cosmos.

 

I measure myself in dawns and twilights, 

in inhales and exhales, breathless moments, 

in dreams and daydreams and nightmares

as I unravel into blooming.

I am a flower floating eternally,

a soundless drifting in space on waves

of the darkly enchanting oceans, 

nebulae of purples and pinks.

 

And I dare you to not heed my calling, 

and I dare you to resist the pulling, 

the fire, the resonance in the bones

which leaves the traitorous flesh a-trembling.

And I hail to you: Come! We shall walk down, 

down to the center, down to the core,

down to the end of all, down till it’s up, 

until it becomes the beginning.

Joe DeCenzo, Ella Czajkowska, Susan Dobay, Maja Trochimczyk, Bory Thach at reading from "Crystal Fire" anthology at Scenic Drive Gallery, Monrovia, 2022.

All You

 Breathe in, breathe out. Let it go, let it flow.

Let it seep out like water through fingers,

Like sand—drop after drop, grain after grain. 

Empty out all the filth, discard the trash—

There is no use for useless and no worth to worthless,

No sense in senseless, no purpose to purposeless.

There is a song to be found in silence,

Peace—in motionlessness wrapped in chaos. 

Seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, tasting

The moment—a breathless wealth of endlessness 

Hidden in a second, an age of blissful now.

Freedom is found in a mind unburdened from want,

From expectations, desires and needs, and thus from fear— 

Of losing, of needing more, and not receiving enough.

 

You are the grain of sand in a desert dune— 

A drop of water in infinite ocean—

You are the breath, the design, the universe.

 

Not everything is about you— Everything is about you—

 

‘I create myself’

Moonrise Press Presents Piotr Kajetan Matczuk - European Love Songs, 17 May 2025

  

European Love Songs

Piotr Kajetan Matczuk

Polish Guitarist & Songwriter

 

Concert 1: Saturday, 17 May 2025, 3:15 pm

1207 E. Fruit St. Santa Ana CA 92701

 Concert 2: Saturday, 17 May 2025, 6:15 pm

503 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA 90291

European Love Songs

Since the time of the Troubadours in medieval France, in the 12^th century, singing love songs for solo voice with accompaniment of a hand-held string instrument is a time-honored European tradition. In all popular music, “love” is the most frequently appearing theme!  In this concert, Polish guitarist and songwriter Piotr Kajetan Matczuk, during his fourth American tour, will present some of the most beautiful poetic ballads of the1960s and 1970s, performed to the accompaniment of the guitar. The program will feature songs by Polish poets and songwriters, such as Adam Mickiewicz, Wojciech Młynarski, Agnieszka Osiecka, as well as famous masters of the genre: the legendary Bułat Okudzhava and Włodzimierz Wysock representing Russia, or Georges Brassens and Jacques Brel representing France. The program will also feature Matczuk's own compositions. “Love” in these songs is not limited to lyrical imagery, or romantic affection, but also extends to care all humanity –  respected, accepted, and admired.

Piotr Kajetan Matczuk

A Polish pianist, guitarist, arranger, songwriter. The leader and founder of the PIRAMIDY band. Author of theatre and film music. Artistic director of the International Song Festival "Szlakiem Bardów" in Poland. Matczuk has given concerts in many countries, including Poland, Great Britain, the United States, Ukraine, Russia, Lithuania, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic. He appeared in many prestigious concert halls around the world, such as Columbiahalle in Berlin or the Pyotr Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in the Moscow Philharmonic. He has recorded several albums, recorded not only with the Piramidy band, but also with Polish actors. He composed the album "Dopokąd" for Krzysztof Tyniec and was the musical director of his band at the Ateneum Theatre in Warsaw. The album "Rok wojny" with his own lyrics premiered at the NATO Allied Joint Force Command military base in Brunssum for Polish soldiers commanding the mission in Afghanistan. He performed at the official celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in the Fontanehaus in Berlin with his own piece "Charlie Checkpoint" and also at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the UN in Geneva. Matczuk composed music for several dozen documentaries and several theater performances. He is also a valued producer and audiobook maker. During his previous tours of the West Coast, he appeared in solo concerts in Los Angeles, Yorba Linda, San Diego, and Las Vegas. He also played his own music in a theatre play “Życiorys” (A Biography) about the life of poet Zbigniew Herbert written and staged by actor Wojciech Wysocki.

Moonrise Press of Dr. Maja Trochimczyk

Established in 2008 in Los Angeles, Moonrise Press is a small press dedicated to publishing books of poetry and music with a focus on California and Poland. So far, the press issued 􀏐ive anthologies of poetry (including We Are Here: Village Poets Anthology and Crystal Fire. Poems of Joy and Wisdom), fourteen volumes of poems by a single author, nine non-􀏐iction books on Polish culture and history, and three of four volumes of Collected Plays by Polish playwright Kazimierz Braun. In 2023, the publication of a 440-page, English-language book by dr. Maja Trochimczyk, Celebrating Modjeska in California: A History of Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club was supported by a grant from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland. Books are distributed by lulu.com, and are available on Amazon, etc.

A Brief Biography of Leonidas Dudarew-Ossetynski (1910-1989) in "Celebrating Modjeska in California"

 

Lost portrait by Lucy Dzierzkowska, photo from Valerie Dudarew-Ossetynska Hunken

The 2023 history of Modjeska Art & Culture Club, Celebrating Modjeska in California: History of Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club (2023), featured a chapter dedicated to the biography of Leonidas Dudarew-Ossetynski (1910-1989). Founder and Honorary President of the Modjeska Art & Culture Club. fragments of paper, "Polish Émigrés in California: Leonidas Dudarew-Ossetyński's Modjeska Players and the Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club," presented at the 6th World Congress of Polish Studies organized by PIASA in Warsaw, Poland June 2024.  

Presentation at PIASA Conference, June 2024.

Born on 22 October 1910, in the Niebajki family estate in the Grodno district near Wilno (now Vilnius in Lithuania, then part of Russian Empire), Leonidas Dudarew-Ossetyński was raised in Poland; he was, among others, a graduate of the Drama Academy of Wilno and student at the Stefan Batory University in Wilno. Not all information about Ossetyński’s early years is confirmed. Some biographers claim that he was a graduate of the National Academy of Theater in Warsaw. His typed-in “Vitae” from about 1980, mentions studies in literature at the Sorbonne and at the Dullin Experimental School of Drama, both of which are located in Paris. According to his biography published in the Almanac 1988-1989, in the years 1936-1937 Dudarew was an actor at the Municipal Theater in Toruń. As “Leonid Dudarew”, he appeared in a variety of roles, as romantic lead, ruler, or villain. 

Ossetynski as Kosciuszko in Valley Forge film.

The outbreak of WWII found him in Paris so he joined the Polish Army in France, but was soon arrested and placed in POW camp in Morocco. In 1943 thanks to efforts of friends, he was able to leave for America. Upon arriving in the U.S. he changed his name from Leonid Dudarew to Leonidas Dudarew-Ossetynski. After arriving in New York, Ossetyński joined a group of Polish actors in exile, cinema, and theater stars of the Second Polish Republic, who established the Polish Theater of Artists on 22 November 1942. He was a managing director there, appeared in several plays and directed as well. Soon he joined the American Army, working as a translator. He also wrote various short stories, and newspaper features for Polish American press. 

Ossetynski's portrait by Szukalski, ca. 1955.

In 1946, the actor-journalist married Elizabeth Huguley (1920-2002) who was his witness at the U.S. citizenship ceremony; they had one daughter together, Valerie Dudarew-Ossetyńska Hunken.  To support his family, Ossetyński established a restaurant called Wilno in Agoura, Los Angeles County, t hat served as a meeting point for actors and Polish émigrés, and had a small performance stage. The Wilno Restaurant was frequented by the creative elite of Polonia, including artist Stanisław Szukalski (1893-1987), Maria Werten (1888-1949), actor-director Romuald Gantkowski, actress Pola Negri (1897-1987), and dancer Loda Halama (1911-1996).

Opening of Wilno Restaurant, with wife Elizabeth Hughley and Mikhail Chekhov, 1947.

 In 1947, Ossetyński started working for the Actors Studio of the famous acting teacher, Michael Chekhov (Mikhail Aleksandrovich; 1891–1955), a nephew of the Russian playwright, Anton Chekhov. This creative relationship continued until Chekhov’s death in 1955 and provided the Polish émigré with experience and relationships to open his own Ossetynski Actors Laboratory.

Modjeska Players logo by Szukalski on the cover of 1955 

Modjeska Memorial Program. Modejska Club Archives.

Ossetyński’s theatrical passion and reverence for the great star of Polish and American stages was apparent already when he chose Modjeska as the patron of his first Californian theater troupe. The actor founded his own theater group the Modjeska Players / Teatr im. Heleny Modrzejewskiej in 1954, with a Polish actress Lidia Próchnicka (1920-1994), whom he recruited from South America; she came to California from Chile upon his invitation and with his support. They staged plays in English and Polish and toured the U.S. and Canada for more than three years, giving several hundreds of performances with a program entitled From Fredro to the Uprising. It was a theatrical evening consisting of poems and three one-act plays – Fraszkopis, Visits at Dusk, The Candle Went Out – and Zbigniew Jasiński’s poem “Song of the Uprising.”  

Cover of "White Eagle with drawing of OSsetynski and Prochnicka on a Pegasus, 1957.

The logo for the Modjeska Players was designed by Stanisław Szukalski  who also made plans for the monument to Helena Modjeska, which Ossetyński proposed to erect in Hollywood; the actor was an active member of the Helena Modjeska Commemoration Committee of 1949, later becoming the initiator and Executive Secretary of its successor, the Helena Modjeska Memorial Committee  established in 1954. This project did not come to fruition.

Pola Negri after the premiere of first play by Modjeska Players 1955.

A collage of news items about Ossetynski and Prochnicka's tours with Modjeska Players.

Aleksander Janta-Polczynski, Lidia Prochnicka, Leonidas Dudarew-Ossetynski, 1958.

The departure of Próchnicka for New York in 1957 put an end to the Modjeska Players’ tours but not to their collaboration, and certainly not to Lidia’s stage and film career. In New York, Próchnicka became the Polish announcer for the Voice of America where she worked for 18 years; she also played many comic roles on off-Broadway stages and appeared in numerous films and TV series.  Ossetyński traveled between California and the East Coast to direct several Polish plays in English translations on the off-Broadway scene. Throughout this period, he conducted extensive correspondence with the luminaries of Polish culture, such as playwright Sławomir Mrożek (1930-2013), whose play Policjanci (The Police) Ossetyński translated in 1960 and directed in 1961. 

Jerzy Grotowski and Leonidas Dudarew-Ossetynski, 1973.

About 10 years after his marriage to Elizabeth Hughley, Ossetynski divorced.  He later married again in late 1960s to Teresa Domanska who followed him to California from Poland. After returning from New York to Los Angeles in 1964, Ossetyński developed a unique teaching method in his own acting studio, Ossetynski Actors Laboratory, inspired in its name and a syncretic approach to acting by the experimental work of legendary theater director Jerzy Grotowski. He also drew from the method of Michael Chekhov, based on Stanislavsky’s approach.  In 1966, the émigré actor traveled to Poland for the first time after WWII; during this visit he attended many theatrical performances, met with directors and actors, and performed for the Polish Radio Theater.  In all, he Visited the Polish People’s Republic three times: in 1966, 1977, and 1986 – the latter two times with the Ossetynski Actors Lab and his students. During these travels, with great enthusiasm he attended theater plays, met with actors and directors, the students gave workshops for host theaters such as Gardzienice, or Teatr Kto, and the director gave interviews for the press and television programs while gathering information about fascinating avant-garde experiments in Polish theater. 

1973 invitation to an event about Maciejewski's Requiem.

Ossetynski, Roman Meciejewski and Stefanie Powers, 1973.

In order to promote Polish theater and culture in California, Ossetynski needed a group of like-minded people who would share his passion for the arts.  The idea of creating the Modjeska Club emerged in 1971 and the actor gave credit in his farewell speech as the Club’s first president in 1978 to four people: himself, composers Stefan Pasternacki and Waclaw Gazinski as well as Eugenia Domachowska. For the first eight years of activity in the Modjeska Club, 1971-1978, Dudarew-Ossetyński was its President and the driving force behind its projects: he invited outstanding personalities to cooperate on the Board, while planning and implementing its programs. Artistic Advisory Board included Pasternacki, Szukalski, and Stefan Wenta. Notable ents featured Sławomir Mrożek’s play Emigranci (The Émigrés) that was given its unofficial world premiere in 1973 in the Reading Theater of the Modjeska Club. In a year, this play took worldwide theater stages by storm; but its humble beginnings are inseparably connected to the Modjeska Club. 

Similarly, the invitation of director Jerzy Grotowski to the U.S., his subsequent explorations of American theater, and experiments involving actors and the audience as equally significant participants in the theatrical ritual and psychological experiment, may also be credited to Ossetyński.  In 1973, Grotowski conducted an eight-hour workshop with Modjeska Club members and Ossetynski's students. In 1975, a massive group of nearly 240 musicians performed the monumental Requiem by Roman Maciejewski at the Los Angeles Music Center, to great critical acclaim; Dudarew-Ossetynski spent a decade, since 1965 as leader of a committee that organized this performance in collaboration with the Master Chorale, Roger Wagner, and the Modjeska Club. Artur Rubinstein was the honorary chairman of this organization. 

Rubinstein, Maciejewski, Ossetynski after the performance of Requiem.

Ossetynski presents Roman Maciejewski with a gold watch, with Maciejewski's brother.

In 1977, the OAL took its students with Stefanie Powers on a two-month tour of Poland, with a repertoire of acting etudes. He gave 15 lectures in various Polish cities, including: Warsaw, Łódź, Kraków, Poznań, Ełk, Łomża, Szczecin, Wrocław, and Zielona Góra. During this trip, Ossetyński and his students spent time with Grotowski at his Teatr Laboratorium reinforcing earlier connection of 1973. The group’s founder and leader was interviewed for Przekrój, Ekran, Kultura and Poland magazines; he also appeared in a Polish TV program, Pegaz (Pegasus). The actor-director was far more interested in promoting and teaching theater than in organizing small cultural events in the Modjeska Club.

On 17 November 1978 Ossetyński resigned from the Club’s presidency. On this occasion, he gave a speech, full of interesting remarks about the purpose and mission of the Club, as well as descriptions of its past projects and accomplishments. He did not hide his embittered feelings due to the lack of interest by the Club members in volunteer work for the promotion of Polish culture. After the first President’s resignation, Dr. Andrzej Mikulski took over the helm of the organization but died within a month. Then, a Board member Jerzy Gąssowski was elected President in December 1978; he served for four successive one-year terms until 1983. During that time, the Club’s programs were greatly diminished in scope and number; its membership plummeted; and a mood of crisis permeated its activities. 

The Board (or its reminder, after a spate of resignations), continued to work closely not with the Modjeska Club’s Founder and first President, but with his former wife, Teresa Domańska-Ossetyński; their divorce took place in 1981. Meanwhile, Ossetyński temporarily retained the title of Honorary President, but on 13 November 1981 by the decision of the Board, he was formally removed from the Club’s membership, including the withdrawal of his honorary title. Alas, upon a review of subsequent Modjeska Club publications, there is indication that the removing of its founder and first President from membership and any association with the Modjeska Club was not enough to satisfy his detractors. They continued to attack his reputation, diminish and distort his contributions, and pretend that none of what he did to promote Polish culture in California ever mattered.

Satirical image from 25th Anniversary of the Cub, 1996.

The Modjeska Club occupied Dudarew-Ossetynski's time in the 1970s, from 1971 to 1978.  His final, unfinished project was a book of recollections and tributes for Aleksander Janta-Połczyński that was meant to be edited by Prof. Tymon Terlecki of the University of Chicago and include entries by 44 authors. The book was conceived of in 1976 but abandoned after the Club’s founder abruptly departed from his post in November 1978. A well-regarded literary scholar, Jerzy Krzyżanowski took over the project and brought it to fruition: the anthology was published in 1982 in London, with most of the original essays included, among them Ossetyński’s fascinating text about Janta and theater.

Krafftowna in "Matka" by Witkacy, 1983. Courtesy of Witkacologia website. 

Poster for "Matka" by Leonard Konopelski. Courtesy of Witkacologia website.

The most significant project that Ossetyński worked on after leaving the Club was undoubtedly the staging of Witkacy’s Matka (The Mother) in September-November 1983. His interest in the work of Witkacy (full name: Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, 1885-1939) was expressed earlier by using the play Wariat i Zakonnica (The Madman and the Nun) for workshops in his Actors Laboratory in 1980-83. In 1982, the visionary actor-director decided to introduce Witkacy’s surrealist theater to Los Angeles. He invited actress Barbara Krafftówna (1928-2022) to Los Angeles to appear in Matka’s title role the following year.  The play was staged in Safe Harbor Theater by a 20-person team led by Ossetyński,  between 23 September and 12 November 1983. The original one-month run was extended by two weeks due to high demand and sold-out performances. 

This surrealist play won ten prizes in a competition organized by a theatrical magazine Drama-Logue (“Seventh Annual Drama-Logue Critics’ Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Theater”): for production, direction, co-production, translation, three main roles (of Matka, Leon, and Zofia), costumes, make-up, and masks. Clearly, it was the best theatrical production of 1983. But the Modjeska Club had nothing to do with it. Its founder died in 1989.

With Barbara Krafftówna (1928-2022)  after the premiere of Matka’ 1983.  

Stanislaw Szukalski and Leonidas Dudarew-Ossetynski

In 2011, in the application to award the founder of our Club the Golden Cross of Merit, as the President of the Club at that time, I wrote: "Leonidas Dudarew-Ossetyński founded the Helena Modjeska Art and Culture Club to promote Polish culture and art in Los Angeles. He invited well-known actors and activists from the Polish community to cooperate and quickly transformed the new organization into the most important site for the promotion of Polish culture in California. He served as the President of the Club in the years 1971-1978 […] He directed and acted in many theatrical productions. Thanks to his efforts, the possibilities of promoting Polish culture in California have been expanded."

A higher-ranked medal, the Cavalier Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, was awarded to Ossetyński posthumously and presented to his daughter, Valerie Dudarew-Ossetyńska Hunken, after its unveiling during the award ceremony at the residence of the Consul General of the Republic of Poland, Joanna Kozińska-Frybes, held on 15 March 2013.

Imaginary portrait of Ossetynski by Stanislaw Szukalski.

My efforts to restore the good name of actor, director, journalist and promoter of culture did not end with the medal.  His titles as Honorary Member, Founder and Honorary President of the Modjeska Club was fully restored in 2024. The resolution was approved by the Board of Directors of Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club in Los Angeles on 24 August 2023 for vote of the General Meeting.  It was then approved by a majority vote at the Special General Meeting of the Modjeska Club on 24 FEbruary 2024 in Tujunga, CA, with 83 votes for and 22 votes against. With the total of 105 votes cast and active membership of 125 persons, this was an  expression of an overwhelming support in favor of honoring Ossetynski.

~ By Maja Trochimczyk, based on fragments of paper, "Polish Émigrés in California: Leonidas Dudarew-Ossetyński's Modjeska Players and the Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club," presented at the 6th World Congress of Polish Studies organized by PIASA in Warsaw, Poland June 2024.  The paper is an updated version of a biography of Dudarew-Ossetynski included in Celebrating Modjeska in California: History of Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club (2023), written after extensive archival research and with tremendous support and encouragement of his daughter, Valerie Dudarew-Ossetynska Hunken.  Photos are from her archives, some also preserved at the Polish Museum of America, where LDO Papers are now located.  

Henry Vars fixes Ossetynski's tie, 1970s.