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The second honor was a plaque from the Polish Arts Club honoring Górecki in recognition of 60 years of musical service to Buffalo, Erie County and Polonia. Present at the evening’s Biesiada were his lovely wife Helena, daughter, sister and family members. Present were members of the Central Administration of the Polish Singers Alliance of America and members of the many choral groups he directed.

After a delicious dinner a number of individuals spoke eulogizing the honoree, Piotr Górecki, among them were Hon. Ann T. Mikoll, his sister Maria Gorniak and several other friends and members of the singing societies. An enjoyable evening was had by all present. But, the evening would not have been complete if not for Mr. Górecki sitting down at the piano and playing some of his favorite renditions which the guests enjoyed.

Congratulations, Sto Lat from all choral groups and members of the Polish Singers Alliance of America. May God Bless our Honoree Kolega Piotr Górecki with good health and many more years of love for music and culture.

The Polish Arts of Buffalo honored Mr. Piotr Górecki at their Annual Biesiada which was held June 3, 2009 at Gregor’s Grove, West Seneca, New York.

In his 60 years of music career he was music director for the City of Buffalo, produced the Summer Concert Series and founded the Buffalo Community Orchestra. His devotion and love of music was accomplished by being an organist, choir and choral director for a number of singing groups. Kolega Górecki was the General Choral Director of the Polish Singers Alliance of America which has been in existence for one hundred twenty years and comprised of choral groups in the United States and Canada. He relinquished the position of General Choral Director of PSAA to Dr. Thomas Witakowski.

President of the Polish Arts Club Mr. Stanley Nowak presented Piotr Górecki with two proclamations. The first one was from the Buffalo Common Council naming June 3, 2009 ”Peter Górecki Day in the City of Buffalo”

The Proclamation read “The City of Buffalo, N.Y. Common Council recognizes Peter Górecki for his many years of dedicated service and numerous contributions to Buffalo’s fine arts community.

HENRYK MIKOLAJ

GORECKI OBITUARY

12/6/1933 - 11/12/2010|

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish composer Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki, famous for his "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs," including one about a woman who was held prisoner by the Gestapo, died Nov. 12, 2010 following a serious illness. The honorary member of the Polish Singers Alliance of America was 76.

Gorecki died in the cardiology ward of a hospital in his home city of Katowice in southern Poland, Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa, the director of Polish Radio orchestra in Katowice, told The Associated Press.

The composer was suffering from a number of ailments, chiefly a lung infection, she said.

Wnuk-Nazarowa said, "We tried to joke, make plans for the future. Penderecki promised he would direct (Gorecki's) 'Beatus vir' for the 80th birthday" that both would celebrate in 2013.

The work was commissioned by Archbishop Karol Wojtyla before he became Pope John Paul II to mark 900 years since the death of Roman Catholic martyr, Stanislaw, bishop of Krakow — whom Pope John Paul II later made a saint. The composition, completed in 1979, is a psalm for baritone, choir and orchestra.

Gorecki was best known internationally for his Symphony No. 3, Opus 36, for a soprano and orchestra, which was published in the United States in 1992. It later became a best-selling recording, with more than 1 million copies sold. Although his early works were more avant-garde, Gorecki was later influenced by traditional Polish music and themes of his nation's history.