MEMPHIS IN POLAND FESTIVAL 2017

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Memphis rocked Sopot and Warsaw for an entire week! Six concerts took place over a span of seven days, attracting an audience of 6,000 fans of blues, soul, and rock & roll. The final concert that took place at the Forest Opera (or Opera Leśna) marked an important moment in the history of this legendary venue, delivering an unforgettable experience to an audience of several thousand, which they, in turn thanked for with three standing ovations!

From the outset, the leadership and planning committee of the Memphis in Poland Festival decided that education will be the focal point of the project. Several valuable events have taken place thanks to our key partners, including: the National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM), the European Solidarity Center (ECS), the City of Sopot Museum, and Wisłostrada Sztuki. The main piece, NCRM's exhibition at ECS was viewed by over 12,000 and was accompanied by a series of lectures from Dr. Noelle Trent, Director of Interpretation, Collections and Education at NCRM. 

The Memphis Mix band also contributed by conducting musical master classes with up-and-coming musicians, which were comprised of: voice coaching sessions from Rebecca Arendt, violin lessons from Heather Trussell and Marcin Arendt, as well as lessons on the bass guitar and the art of composing by Sam Shoup. Afterwards the musicians and their students preformed together in front of a large audience on the shore of the Vistula River in Warsaw.

As with any Memphis-themed event, a barbecue is a "must"! Chef Edward Nowakowski, former Director of the American Culinary Federation Memphis Chapter, led the two-day cook-out, providing Polish taste buds with flavors unique to Memphis. The BBQ, which took place at Hipodrom, Sopot's famous horse racing track, allowed everyone to kick back and enjoy great food and even better company.

In recognition of their effort, the leadership of Memphis in Poland Festival has been presented with a Proclamation from Jim Strickland, Mayor of the City of Memphis. We invite you to read the proclamation by clicking on the image below to enlarge.