26-27 Season Opening

A part of the 2026 Polish Heritage Festival

Variation on “Góralu, czy ci nie żal?”……………………Adrian Sylveen
(text M. Bałucki)

Pacierz Staropolski (“Old Polish Lord’s Prayer”)…..Jakub Polaczyk
for Baritone and Orchestra (world premiere)

Ballade no. 1 in G minor, op. 23………………………..Fryderyk Chopin

Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante…..Fryderyk Chopin

Soloists:
Laurentiu Rotaru – bass
Ina Jun – piano

Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra
Adrian Sylveen, conductor

Romanian-born bass-baritone Laurentiu Rotaru is an acclaimed performer whose career spans opera, concert, and oratorio repertoire. Trained at the Conservatory of Bucharest, he performed with the National Opera of Bucharest before establishing himself in the United States. A resident of Connecticut, he holds degrees in music performance from Central Connecticut State University and the University of Connecticut. Mr. Rotaru has appeared with numerous opera companies and orchestras throughout North America and Europe, including Connecticut Lyric Opera, Connecticut Virtuosi, Virtuosi OPERA, Mississippi Opera, Shreveport Opera, Opera Theater of Connecticut, and Cleveland Opera Circle. His repertoire includes such distinguished bass roles as Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Don Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Sparafucile (Rigoletto), and Méphistophélès (Faust). A prizewinner in several vocal competitions, including the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition and the Connecticut Guild Opera Competition, Rotaru made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2004. Equally at home in sacred and symphonic repertoire, he is a sought-after interpreter of major works such as Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, and Dvořák’s Requiem.

Ina Jun, a dynamic South Korean pianist now rooted in New York City, brings a vivid blend of artistry to the stage—equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative partner. Her performances have illuminated series such as Puerto Piano & Strings, the Festival of New American Music, Music at Noon, and the Renaissance Society Concert Series. A winner of the Moshe Paranov Concerto Competition for her commanding interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s Second Concerto, she continues to shape her musical voice through wide‑ranging collaborations with ensembles including the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera and Sacramento Contemporary Dance Theatre. Her chamber music work has earned her top prizes in the Watson and Hartt Chamber Music Competitions, alongside numerous honors from organizations such as the Fresno Musical Club and Sekwang Piano Competition. Originally trained in South Korea before pursuing advanced studies in the United States, Ina holds degrees from the Hartt School and California State University, Sacramento, culminating in a Doctor of Musical Arts. She is currently refining her collaborative artistry at The Juilliard School under Jonathan Feldman, building on guidance from distinguished mentors who have shaped her distinctive musical sensibility.

About the COMPOSERS:

Fryderyk Chopin stands among the most beloved and influential composers of the Romantic era. Born in Żelazowa Wola near Warsaw, he displayed extraordinary musical gifts from an early age, earning recognition as a child prodigy before completing his studies in Warsaw and establishing himself as one of the most remarkable pianists and composers of his generation. Although he spent much of his adult life in Paris, Chopin remained deeply connected to his Polish heritage. His music transformed national dance forms such as the mazurka and polonaise into sophisticated concert works, preserving the spirit of Poland while expanding the expressive possibilities of the piano. Chopin composed almost exclusively for the piano, creating masterpieces that remain central to the instrument’s repertoire, including nocturnes, ballades, études, waltzes, scherzos, preludes, sonatas, and concertos. His works combine lyrical beauty, poetic imagination, harmonic innovation, and profound emotional depth. Through his refined artistry, he elevated the piano to new heights of expressive power and influenced generations of composers and performers. Despite a life cut short by illness at the age of thirty-nine, Chopin’s legacy endures as a universal symbol of Romantic expression. His music continues to captivate audiences worldwide with its elegance, intimacy, and unmistakably human voice.

Jakub Polaczyk is a Polish-born, New York-based composer, pianist, educator, and cultural advocate whose music is celebrated for its imaginative synthesis of contemporary techniques, classical traditions, and diverse cultural influences. Drawing inspiration from spirituality, ritual, history, and intercultural dialogue, his works create distinctive sonic landscapes that balance expressive lyricism with innovative musical language. He has been recognized internationally for a body of work that reflects both his Polish heritage and a global artistic perspective. Polaczyk studied at the Jagiellonian University and the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków before continuing his education at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States. His teachers included notable figures such as Krzysztof Penderecki and Reza Vali. His compositions have been presented at major festivals and conferences across Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Australia, and performed by leading ensembles and orchestras at venues including Carnegie Hall and other prominent concert halls worldwide. Polaczyk has received numerous distinctions, among them the American Prize in Composition and multiple international awards recognizing both his creative achievements and artistic leadership. In addition to his career as a composer and pianist, Polaczyk serves on the faculty of The New York Conservatory of Music, contributing actively to musical education and cultural life in New York and beyond.

Adrian Sylveen is an award-winning conductor, artistic director, and educator active throughout the United States and Europe. He serves as Artistic Director of the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and Connecticut Lyric Opera, and has conducted more than thirty operatic productions in addition to a broad symphonic and chamber repertoire. Mr. Sylveen has appeared with orchestras and ensembles in the United States, Poland, Italy, Israel, Cuba, Switzerland, Germany, and elsewhere, collaborating with organizations including the Israel Chamber Orchestra, Olsztyn Philharmonic, Elbląg Chamber Orchestra, and Orchestra da Camera di Greve-in-Chianti. He is the founder of the Classical Orchestra of Piła in Poland, the Moniuszko Choir in Hartford, and the Greve Opera Academy and Chamber Music Festival in Tuscany, where he continues to serve as Artistic Director. A recipient of numerous awards in Europe and the United States, Mr. Sylveen was honored with the Primus Inter Pares Award by the American Council for Polish Culture. He holds Master of Music and Artist Diploma degrees from the Yale School of Music and graduated with distinction from the Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, Poland.