WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. Sept. 6, 2022 — West Liberty University’s Department of Music and Theater welcomes a visiting performer, jazz guitarist Wojciech Lipinski, this week.
Lipinski, who is from the city of Kielce in Poland, will be visiting Wheeling and West Liberty University from Sept. 6-15.
“We are fortunate to have an artist of this caliber on campus and sharing his talents with our students,” said Dr. Matthew Harder, professor of music and interim chair of the Department of Music and Theater. Harder is also the director of Music Technology program at WLU.
During his stay, Lipinski will perform two free jazz concerts, lead workshops with WLU and Wheeling Park High School students, and spend time touring the city of Wheeling, West Liberty University, Pittsburgh, and the surrounding area. The two shows are free and open to the public.
An Evening of Jazz with Wojciech Lipinski
- 7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 12, College Hall, West Liberty University
- 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 13, Clientele Art Studio, 43 15th St., Wheeling
Lipinski’s visit is made possible by a special partnership between WLU and Jan Kochanowski University (UJK) in Kielce. UJK participates in the ERASMUS+ program, which awards funding to students and faculty for travel to and from schools in the European Union.
Sponsors include the WLU Foundation, CA House Music, the National Endowment for the Arts, the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History and the Wheeling Arts Commission.
Dr. Harder arranged the partnership with UJK in 2019. Due to COVID-19, the first travel didn’t happen until Harder visited Poland in late April of this year. Dr. Martyna Matusiak, professor of Art and a native of Poland, also travelled via the ERASMUS+ partnership this past summer and provided the initial contact between WLU and the ERASMUS+ coordinator at UJK.
The Division of Music at West Liberty University offers undergraduate degrees in Music Education, Music Performance, and Music Technology. Among its many ensembles are the WLU Singers, the Wind Symphony, University Band, the Marching Hilltoppers, WLU Community Choir, Hilltop Opera, Choral Scholars, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, African Drum and Dance Ensemble, Steel Band and Electronic Music Ensemble.