Interview with Dr. Charles H. Borowsky (President of Intermuse) in preparation for Dagilelis' visit
1) Our readers would certainly appreciate learning about your background. Please tell us about yourself and your family. Where were you born and how did you end up in America?
It is interesting that virtually all interviews I have had hitherto began with a similar question. After all, one must know the roots to define the tree! Briefly, I was born and raised in Silesia; the part of Germany which was assigned to Poland after World War II. I witnessed and experienced painful and oppressive ethnic cleansing. My father was imprisoned because we spoke German at home. After the change, speaking the German language was prohibited in the private and public realms.
However, these and other hardships also contributed to my commitment in pursuing real family values and socially-constructive venues throughout my life. I have taken my education and professional career very seriously, both in the horizontal as well as vertical dimensions.
Following the underground publication of my research on youth movements in the West, and their equivalent in Eastern Europe, I was ordered to leave the country. I went to Vienna. While based there I traveled around Europe giving lectures related to my publication. I was invited to attend a conference on “Youth and Future” at the United Nations. The topic was hot – my presentation drew attention from representatives of Yale University and I was invited to Yale as Visiting Scholar. I spent eight years at Yale, and while there, Yale’s President Kingman Brewster Jr. asked me to explore feasible venues for academic and cultural relations with Eastern Europe. Thus, the Yale Committee on Cultural Relations with Eastern Europe was born at a time when the world was divided by the “Iron Curtain.”
In spite of many obstacles on both sides, we were successful in bridging the USA with Eastern Europe. The base for the exchange was culture. Participants in this extraordinary undertaking included leading scholars and artists, Nobel Prize winners, famous authors, renowned artists, representatives of the hard and soft sciences, humanities, and theology. Interestingly, many of the participants later continued to promote academic exchange and cooperation, as well as also substantially contributed to a new awareness of freedom and Democracy. This work encouraged me to continue building bridges among people in all possible ways, especially through the arts.
Besides my academic work, I have co-organized international workshops, conferences, and congresses both in the USA and abroad together with UNESCO, International Sociological Association, International Friends of Music, universities, and other organizations.
2. How did it happen that you and your family (your wife and three children) tied your lives with the music world?
As I mentioned, participants in the Yale project included renowned scholars and artists. My wife, Professor Cecylia Barczyk – an internationally acclaimed cellist – was among them. My work, as well as my personal relationship with Cecylia and friendships with other renowned musicians, has solidified my belief that “music is the best bridge for all people and a catalyst for excellence in education.” I have passed on this experience message to our children.
Our children – Elizabeth, Emmanuel, and Frances-Grace – have excelled not only in music but also in their studies. They were successfully home-schooled and all graduated from universities with distinction; Frances-Grace just received her Bachelor’s of Music degree at the age of 18, and this Fall she will be pursuing her graduate education on scholarship at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore.
I am proud that our family has made a commitment to share our talents and time with others. Cecylia and I founded the International Music Institute and Festival USA (http://www.imif.us), a summer program for gifted young musicians from around the world. The entire family works together and is involved in all aspects of planning and implementing the program each year.
3) People name you German, Polish, Jewish...even Lithuanian! What nationality would you consider yourself? Or, as I once heard it: musicians don't have a nationality - to be a musician IS a nationality by itself...
I have also been called a Renaissance Man! As you may know, I am not a professional musician. However I love music and have been actively involved for many years now. I embrace the German adage: “Wo man singt, da laß' dich nieder, böse Menschen haben keine Lieder” (Where people sing, join them! Bad people have no songs). It well reflects the essence of my “nationality.” In 2008, our family was invited to China to perform at the Olympic Games. The topic of our tour was: “Great Harmony: One World, One Dream, One Family.” We all are one Family.
3) How did you discover the Baltics? After having performed in nearly 100 countries...why did you end up in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia this year?
As the popular children song proclaims, “It’s a small world after all.” I have been familiar with the Baltics through studies, academic contacts, students, and friends.
I have long been interested in the Baltic states and their history. I have admired their culture and the people. In 1987, I organized a symposium: “The End of Communism and What Next?” Representatives of these countries (even though they could not officially represent these due to the political situation) were amongst the participants. Among them was also Ambassador Stasys Lozoraitis, whom I had earlier befriended through a student of mine. In 1992, I organized a conference on Nation Building in Bulgaria and representatives of these nations were present.
Last March, my family and I gave concerts and lectures in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Although the weather was cold and it snowed through the end of March, we were deeply impressed by the heart-warming reception given to us and our performances and lectures.
4) Would you think the highest achievement of your career was to play in the Beijing 2008 Olympics, i.e. being part of "One World, One Dream, One Family"? Or something else?
A career, especially in music, is a life-long process. While climbing Mount Tai Shan in China, on the top I saw a sign: “Remember, there are more holy and higher mountains in the world…” Indeed, to perform for welcoming the Olympic Games to China was a great honor. Our family has considered these concerts as highlights, however, we are continuously working on further sharing our God-given talents with many people as possible. Music is a powerful bridge, and we need good music to nurture attitudes and values fostering the entire human family.
5) What prompted you to take on the "Dagilelis "project? How did you get to know them?
As an occasional reader of the British press, I was surprised by several negative articles on Lithuanians abroad. In 2008, while on a concert and lecture tour in Europe, we visited the Maria Laach monastery in Germany and met a boychoir. It turned out to be Dagilelis from Lithuania. I attended their rehearsal and was impressed by their musicality as well as their general behavior, courtesy, and friendliness.
I thought it would be nice to bring the positive image they project to the United States, and so I left my business card with one of the choristers – asking him to give it to the director. After our return home, I found an email from Maestro Remigijus Adomaitis expressing interest in working together. And this is how it started! For the last three years my associates at Intermuse and I have been working together in arranging their forthcoming tour. I strongly believe that Dagilelis, as the best cultural ambassadors of Lithuania, will succeed in fostering mutually beneficial relations between the people of Lithuania and the USA. I hope that the Lithuanian-American community will not only welcome their countrymen, but also support our efforts in all possible ways.
6) Who has been helping you with the organizing of the tour?
Arrangements of the special U.S. concert tour for Dagilelis have been made and the tour will be directed by Intermuse Performing Artists Bureau under my personal guidance. We do everything pro bono… Free… At no cost. This is our service to the American and Lithuanian people and contribution towards promoting good relations between the USA and Lithuania. We arranged twenty performances, several meetings with public officials and community groups, sightseeing of significant places, accommodations with host families, and land transportation.
Several universities, churches, community groups, and individual volunteers have assisted us in arranging this tour. Particularly, Mr. Larry Misevicius of the Lithuanian-American Community has been a great asset to us. His commitment to promoting the good image of his country of origin is astonishing. I also wish to acknowledge the valuable help we received hitherto from my wife, Prof. Cecylia Barczyk (Towson University), and Prof. Andrew Rosenfeld (Mount Saint Mary’s University), as well as the many host families who declared their readiness to provide accommodations for the young musicians.
I am very grateful that my associates at Intermuse and the above-mentioned individuals and institutions have so generously offered their time and resources. We are still left with many expenses to be covered. Any contributions will be gratefully acknowledged. Individual donors or organizations may contact Intermuse (410-426-6062 / [email protected]). Businesses may consider placing an ad in the tour book or sponsoring a concert.
7) What is the itinerary of the concert tour?
Dagilelis will be in the USA from October 20 through November 6, 2011. Concerts will take place in Maryland (Baltimore, Towson, Annapolis, Westminster, Emmitsburg), Washington D.C., Pennsylvania (Gettysburg, Philadelphia, Doylestown/American Czestochowa), New Jersey (Elizabeth), and New York (New York City). For a complete tour schedule, please visit http://www.intermusearts.org
8) Are there going to be additional projects similar to the "Dagilelis" visit later on with Lithuania?
During our recent visit to Lithuania I met with several public officials, prominent artists and scholars, as well as community representatives. We also met with the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania, the President of the Jewish Community in Vilnius, the Cardinal of Lithuania, the Music Directors of great orchestras, and media. All welcomed our initiative of building bridges through cultural exchange and cooperation; expressing enthusiasm for bringing the best of Lithuania to the USA and vice versa. We already made some feasible plans, but first we must focus on the visit of Dagilelis.
I strongly believe that Dagilelis will make a lasting impact on all who will attend the concerts and meet the young cultural ambassadors. Good music has an important function in the age of globalization. Indeed, music is the best bridge for all people!
It is interesting that virtually all interviews I have had hitherto began with a similar question. After all, one must know the roots to define the tree! Briefly, I was born and raised in Silesia; the part of Germany which was assigned to Poland after World War II. I witnessed and experienced painful and oppressive ethnic cleansing. My father was imprisoned because we spoke German at home. After the change, speaking the German language was prohibited in the private and public realms.
However, these and other hardships also contributed to my commitment in pursuing real family values and socially-constructive venues throughout my life. I have taken my education and professional career very seriously, both in the horizontal as well as vertical dimensions.
Following the underground publication of my research on youth movements in the West, and their equivalent in Eastern Europe, I was ordered to leave the country. I went to Vienna. While based there I traveled around Europe giving lectures related to my publication. I was invited to attend a conference on “Youth and Future” at the United Nations. The topic was hot – my presentation drew attention from representatives of Yale University and I was invited to Yale as Visiting Scholar. I spent eight years at Yale, and while there, Yale’s President Kingman Brewster Jr. asked me to explore feasible venues for academic and cultural relations with Eastern Europe. Thus, the Yale Committee on Cultural Relations with Eastern Europe was born at a time when the world was divided by the “Iron Curtain.”
In spite of many obstacles on both sides, we were successful in bridging the USA with Eastern Europe. The base for the exchange was culture. Participants in this extraordinary undertaking included leading scholars and artists, Nobel Prize winners, famous authors, renowned artists, representatives of the hard and soft sciences, humanities, and theology. Interestingly, many of the participants later continued to promote academic exchange and cooperation, as well as also substantially contributed to a new awareness of freedom and Democracy. This work encouraged me to continue building bridges among people in all possible ways, especially through the arts.
Besides my academic work, I have co-organized international workshops, conferences, and congresses both in the USA and abroad together with UNESCO, International Sociological Association, International Friends of Music, universities, and other organizations.
2. How did it happen that you and your family (your wife and three children) tied your lives with the music world?
As I mentioned, participants in the Yale project included renowned scholars and artists. My wife, Professor Cecylia Barczyk – an internationally acclaimed cellist – was among them. My work, as well as my personal relationship with Cecylia and friendships with other renowned musicians, has solidified my belief that “music is the best bridge for all people and a catalyst for excellence in education.” I have passed on this experience message to our children.
Our children – Elizabeth, Emmanuel, and Frances-Grace – have excelled not only in music but also in their studies. They were successfully home-schooled and all graduated from universities with distinction; Frances-Grace just received her Bachelor’s of Music degree at the age of 18, and this Fall she will be pursuing her graduate education on scholarship at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore.
I am proud that our family has made a commitment to share our talents and time with others. Cecylia and I founded the International Music Institute and Festival USA (http://www.imif.us), a summer program for gifted young musicians from around the world. The entire family works together and is involved in all aspects of planning and implementing the program each year.
3) People name you German, Polish, Jewish...even Lithuanian! What nationality would you consider yourself? Or, as I once heard it: musicians don't have a nationality - to be a musician IS a nationality by itself...
I have also been called a Renaissance Man! As you may know, I am not a professional musician. However I love music and have been actively involved for many years now. I embrace the German adage: “Wo man singt, da laß' dich nieder, böse Menschen haben keine Lieder” (Where people sing, join them! Bad people have no songs). It well reflects the essence of my “nationality.” In 2008, our family was invited to China to perform at the Olympic Games. The topic of our tour was: “Great Harmony: One World, One Dream, One Family.” We all are one Family.
3) How did you discover the Baltics? After having performed in nearly 100 countries...why did you end up in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia this year?
As the popular children song proclaims, “It’s a small world after all.” I have been familiar with the Baltics through studies, academic contacts, students, and friends.
I have long been interested in the Baltic states and their history. I have admired their culture and the people. In 1987, I organized a symposium: “The End of Communism and What Next?” Representatives of these countries (even though they could not officially represent these due to the political situation) were amongst the participants. Among them was also Ambassador Stasys Lozoraitis, whom I had earlier befriended through a student of mine. In 1992, I organized a conference on Nation Building in Bulgaria and representatives of these nations were present.
Last March, my family and I gave concerts and lectures in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Although the weather was cold and it snowed through the end of March, we were deeply impressed by the heart-warming reception given to us and our performances and lectures.
4) Would you think the highest achievement of your career was to play in the Beijing 2008 Olympics, i.e. being part of "One World, One Dream, One Family"? Or something else?
A career, especially in music, is a life-long process. While climbing Mount Tai Shan in China, on the top I saw a sign: “Remember, there are more holy and higher mountains in the world…” Indeed, to perform for welcoming the Olympic Games to China was a great honor. Our family has considered these concerts as highlights, however, we are continuously working on further sharing our God-given talents with many people as possible. Music is a powerful bridge, and we need good music to nurture attitudes and values fostering the entire human family.
5) What prompted you to take on the "Dagilelis "project? How did you get to know them?
As an occasional reader of the British press, I was surprised by several negative articles on Lithuanians abroad. In 2008, while on a concert and lecture tour in Europe, we visited the Maria Laach monastery in Germany and met a boychoir. It turned out to be Dagilelis from Lithuania. I attended their rehearsal and was impressed by their musicality as well as their general behavior, courtesy, and friendliness.
I thought it would be nice to bring the positive image they project to the United States, and so I left my business card with one of the choristers – asking him to give it to the director. After our return home, I found an email from Maestro Remigijus Adomaitis expressing interest in working together. And this is how it started! For the last three years my associates at Intermuse and I have been working together in arranging their forthcoming tour. I strongly believe that Dagilelis, as the best cultural ambassadors of Lithuania, will succeed in fostering mutually beneficial relations between the people of Lithuania and the USA. I hope that the Lithuanian-American community will not only welcome their countrymen, but also support our efforts in all possible ways.
6) Who has been helping you with the organizing of the tour?
Arrangements of the special U.S. concert tour for Dagilelis have been made and the tour will be directed by Intermuse Performing Artists Bureau under my personal guidance. We do everything pro bono… Free… At no cost. This is our service to the American and Lithuanian people and contribution towards promoting good relations between the USA and Lithuania. We arranged twenty performances, several meetings with public officials and community groups, sightseeing of significant places, accommodations with host families, and land transportation.
Several universities, churches, community groups, and individual volunteers have assisted us in arranging this tour. Particularly, Mr. Larry Misevicius of the Lithuanian-American Community has been a great asset to us. His commitment to promoting the good image of his country of origin is astonishing. I also wish to acknowledge the valuable help we received hitherto from my wife, Prof. Cecylia Barczyk (Towson University), and Prof. Andrew Rosenfeld (Mount Saint Mary’s University), as well as the many host families who declared their readiness to provide accommodations for the young musicians.
I am very grateful that my associates at Intermuse and the above-mentioned individuals and institutions have so generously offered their time and resources. We are still left with many expenses to be covered. Any contributions will be gratefully acknowledged. Individual donors or organizations may contact Intermuse (410-426-6062 / [email protected]). Businesses may consider placing an ad in the tour book or sponsoring a concert.
7) What is the itinerary of the concert tour?
Dagilelis will be in the USA from October 20 through November 6, 2011. Concerts will take place in Maryland (Baltimore, Towson, Annapolis, Westminster, Emmitsburg), Washington D.C., Pennsylvania (Gettysburg, Philadelphia, Doylestown/American Czestochowa), New Jersey (Elizabeth), and New York (New York City). For a complete tour schedule, please visit http://www.intermusearts.org
8) Are there going to be additional projects similar to the "Dagilelis" visit later on with Lithuania?
During our recent visit to Lithuania I met with several public officials, prominent artists and scholars, as well as community representatives. We also met with the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania, the President of the Jewish Community in Vilnius, the Cardinal of Lithuania, the Music Directors of great orchestras, and media. All welcomed our initiative of building bridges through cultural exchange and cooperation; expressing enthusiasm for bringing the best of Lithuania to the USA and vice versa. We already made some feasible plans, but first we must focus on the visit of Dagilelis.
I strongly believe that Dagilelis will make a lasting impact on all who will attend the concerts and meet the young cultural ambassadors. Good music has an important function in the age of globalization. Indeed, music is the best bridge for all people!