Anna Dymna's Krakow Poetry Salon — Jerzy Zelnik, Przemysław Witek (piano)

The 119th edition of the Poetry Salon will take place as part of the 5th edition of the Paderewski Festival. This time we will be visited by Jerzy Zelnik, a theater, film and television actor. He will be accompanied by pianist Przemysław Witek. The program will include excerpts from speeches and letters by Ignacy Jan Paderewski, an outstanding virtuoso of the word, as well as fragments of great romantic poetry that co-shaped his worldview and sensitivity. In the case of Maestro, one can speak of an exceptionally happy synthesis of music, literature, artistic career and state work.

Jerzy Zelnik is a graduate of the Faculty of Acting at PWST in Warsaw. He made his stage debut in the play Puzuk, or Václav Havel's persistent inability to concentrate, directed by Bogdan Hussakowski at the Helena Modrzejewska Old Theatre in Krakow. Later he performed at the Drama Theater in Warsaw, the Aleksander Fredra Theater in Gniezno, the Powszechny Theater in Warsaw, the Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz Studio Theater in Warsaw, the Aleksander Węgierka Drama Theater in Bialystok and the Kazimierz Dejmek New Theater in Łódź. He has played in such performances as: Three Sisters (directed by J. Jarocki), A Midsummer Night's Dream (directed by K. Swinarski), Macbett (directed by M. Englert), Dziady — Improvisacje (directed by J. Grzegorzewski), Medea (directed by Z. Hübner), Ferdydurke (directed by W. Śmigasiewski) Zmowa świętoszków (directed by J. Englert), Only this flea (directed by A. Augustynowicz) and Historie behind-the-scenes (directed by Z. Zapasiewicz). On the big screen, he made his debut in 1963 in Smarkula, directed by Leonard Buczkowski. Later he could be seen in such films as: Faraon (directed by J. Kawalerowicz), Landscape after the Battle, Pilate and Others and the Promised Land (all directed by A. Wajda), The History of Sin (directed by W. Borowczyk), Epitaphim for Barbara Radziwiłłówna (directed by J. Majewski), Dogs II: The Last Blood (dir. W. Pasikowski), Chopin. Desire for Love (directed by J. Antczak) or Smolensk (directed by A. Krauze). He has also appeared in TV series, among others: Doctor Murku, Królowa Bona, Fitness Club, Avantura o Basia, Klan, Now or Never! The Forester and the Righteous. Tri-City. Jerzy Zelnik is the winner of the Grand Prize of the Festival of Polish Radio Theatre and Polish Television Theatre “Two Theatres” in Zamość for outstanding acting performances at the Polish Radio Theatre and Polish Television Theatre (2021). In 2017, he was awarded the Gold Medal “Merited to Culture - Gloria Artis”.

The Poetry Salon with the participation of Jerzy Zelnik will be held on November 11 at 11:11am in the Hall of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

The Krakow Poetry Salons at the Poznan Music Theatre are organized in cooperation with the Adam Mickiewicz Literary Society in Poznań. The substantive supervision of the Salon is provided by the Vice President of the Department, Prof. Wiesław Ratajczak from the University of Warsaw University of Applied Sciences in Poznań.

The Adam Mickiewicz Literary Society was founded in 1886 in Lviv. Its task was to collect, document and disseminate materials concerning the life and work of Adam Mickiewicz. Today it is one of the oldest scientific societies in Poland. It brings together literary researchers, Polish teachers, librarians, writers and lovers of literature, ensuring the integration of the Polish language environment. It organizes scientific readings and historical-literary conferences, publishes the “Yearbook of the Adam Mickiewicz Literary Society”.

Tickets for PLN 25 are available at the box office and online. Reservations at phone number 511 433 616 and at bilety@teatr-muzyczny.pl.

Fig. Adam Burakowski/DDTVN/East News

The Poetry Salons are co-financed by the Zakłady Kórnickie Foundation.