In recognition of its evocative, artistic, and powerful message, the pioneering Letter from Warsaw musical on the Holocaust and Polish-Jewish relations was nominated for Poland’s prestigious Koryfeusz Muzyki Polskiej 2020 award for “Event of the Year.” Since 2011, the leaders of Poland’s music community have annually conferred Koryfeusz Muzyki Polskiej honors on the most outstanding individuals, groups of artists, and institutions operating in the diverse genres of Polish music. One of 187 nominees for the Koryfeusz Muzyki Polskiej 2020 awards, the Letter from Warsaw, which the U.S. Embassy and Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage both supported, was nominated for its “creative reworking of the Broadway stage model, musical unconventionality, and artistic refuting of cultural stereotypes.” The winners of the Koryfeusz Muzyki Polskiej 2020 awards will be announced on November 7.
The premiere of Letter from Warsaw took place in November 2019 at Warsaw’s Chamber Opera and gained wide acclaim. Letter from Warsaw tells the emotional story of a family of American Jews that rediscovers their Polish-Jewish roots in Poland. The central theme of the musical is Polish-Jewish relations and the biases, stereotypes and difficult experiences from the past that continue to influence perspectives and relations to this day. The musical’s message — understanding, respect, and acceptance of others — is universal and as relevant today as during the darkness of the Holocaust. Letter from Warsaw also alludes to the Poland of courageous and welcoming people, and Poland’s rich historical and cultural legacy that for 500 years was called the Paradiso Judeorum (Jewish Paradise) and where Jews were able to enjoy relative freedom and their own unique culture. The U.S. Embassy has been a proud supporter of the musical, as part of the U.S. Department of State’s worldwide mission to promote mutual understanding, inclusion, and diversity – and to foster constructive dialogue among those with divergent perspectives regarding the Holocaust and Polish-Jewish relations today.
Profiles of the nominees for the Koryfeusz Muzyki Polskiej 2020 awards can be viewed on the website.
The U.S. Embassy would like to wish great success to the Letter from Warsaw musical and all nominees up for this year’s Koryfeusz Muzyki Polskiej awards!
