The Chopin Society UK

Anniversaries

Chopin's bicentenary The Chopin Society is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth in 1810. See our programme for the bicentenary year. Chopin's death In 1999, one hundred and fifty years after Chopin's death, there was a Chopin 150 Festival on the South Bank in London and the Society sponsored talks given by Chopin experts from all over the world. In addition we mounted a Chopin exhibition with the Polish Philatelic Society at the Polish Institute, where we also launched our first International Celebrity Recital series - see the newly-launched Chopin Society archive. In a ceremony at the Polish Embassy, our President, Rose Cholmondeley, was awarded the Knights Cross of the Order of Merit for her work with the Chopin Society. Chopin's visit to Britain AT THE GUILDHALL GALA: HRH Princess Alexandra talks to Mrs Lucie Swiatek (92), founder of the Chopin Society (London). To commemorate Chopin's visit to Britain in 1848, the Society held 25 concerts at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh in 1998 as part of the Festival Fringe and two more at Hatchlands Park on the newly restored Broadwood piano. Rose Cholmondeley has written a detailed account of Chopin's visit to Britain. Chopin's last concert Chopin's last public performance was given at Guildhall in the City of London in November 1848, less than a year before he died. In 1978 the Chopin Society joined with the Byron Society and the Anglo-Polish Society to hold a concert at Guildhall to mark the 130th anniversary. A bust of Chopin by Jaroslaw Alfer was presented to Guildhall. In 1998 the Society, together with Marie Curie Cancer Care, marked the 150th anniversary of Chopin's last concert and the 50th anniversary of Marie Curie Cancer Care, with a royal gala at Guildhall. HRH Princess Alexandra was guest of honour and the recital was given by Nikolai Demidenko.