The House Party is a unique cultural project combining concerts, meetings, and educational activities with a place of memory – the tenement house where Mieczysław Wajnberg was born and grew up. Since 2021, the event has brought together Warsaw residents, music enthusiasts, and lovers of the city’s history, creating a space to celebrate Wajnberg’s legacy together.

1st House Party (2021)

The very first gathering took place right by the wall of the tenement house at 66 Żelazna Street. The program included the opening of a photography exhibition by Agnieszka Stępka – winner of the residency competition, a piano trio concert (Roksana Kwaśnikowska, Rafał Kwiatkowski, Marek Bracha), and a screening of the pre-war film Fredek Makes the World Happy (1936), featuring none other than Mieczysław Wajnberg himself.

2nd House Party (2022)

The second edition was dedicated to the composer’s father, Szmul Wajnberg – a renowned creator of theatre and revue music, well known in Jewish Warsaw of the 1930s. The Warsaw Dance Combo performed his songs, and thanks to cooperation with the POLIN Museum, guests could also taste ziemniaczki po warszawsku – a dish inspired by pre-war recipes.

3rd House Party (2023)

The third House Party stretched over two days. The program featured a cycling tour along the Wajnberg’s Warsaw Walkbook route, culinary workshops at the POLIN Museum around the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, a guided tour of the museum’s core exhibition, and a concert by cellist Marcin Zdunik and pianist Aleksander Dębicz. On the second day, there was a jam session at the Norblin Factory, complemented by an exhibition of photographs by Agnieszka Stępka.

4th House Party (2024)

The fourth edition, held under the theme “Friendship”, was inspired by Wajnberg’s ties with fellow students and colleagues from the Warsaw Conservatory and later years: Eta Tyrmand, Lew Abeliovich, Henryk Wagner, Ryszard Sielicki, Andrzej Panufnik, and Dmitri Shostakovich. In the courtyard of the Żelazna Street tenement, the Wajnberg Trio(Piotr Sałajczyk, Szymon Krzeszowiec, Arkadiusz Dobrowolski) performed, and Monika Iwanicka from the Jewish Historical Institute led a walking tour following the footsteps of the Conservatory’s alumni. In the evening, at Kino Czary, the Virtual Museum of the Tenement House – www.zelazna66.pl – was premiered.

5th House Party (2025)

The fifth House Party was devoted to the women closest to Wajnberg. The event began with a walking tour led by Masha Makarova from the Warsaw Ghetto Museum. Once again, the courtyard of the Żelazna Street tenement turned into a concert hall, featuring performances by Ewa and Maria Leszczyńska, Łukasz Chrzęszczyk, and – for the first time in the House Party’s history – the Institute’s presidents: Maria Sławek and Aleksandra Demowska-Madejska. The program was dedicated to Wajnberg’s daughters, wife, mother, and sister.

Later, an online meeting was held with the composer’s elder daughter, Victoria Bishops, and his granddaughter, Katia, moderated by Aleksander Laskowski. The evening concluded with a reception prepared by the Kręglicki family of restaurateurs and the celebration of the mini-jubilee of five editions of the House Party.

Organizers and Partners

The project is organized by the Mieczysław Wajnberg Institute under the honorary patronage of the Mayor of Warsaw, in cooperation with Mennica Polska, ZAiKS, the Jewish Art Institute, Kręgliccy Chłodna, and the Kamień i co? Association.

6th House Party (2026)

The sixth edition of the Mietek Wajnberg House Party takes place on the 30th anniversary of the composer’s death. Its centrepiece will be the Warsaw premiere of Garden of Memory by Wojciech Błażejczyk, with a libretto by Sylwia Chutnik. The work grew out of A Postcard to Mietek, a participatory project organised by the Institute in 2022. The personal stories and reflections collected at the time, addressing experiences of migration, loss and the search for safety, became the basis for the libretto. Garden of Memory will be performed by Hashtag Ensemble, with actor Waldemar Raźniak, conducted by Lilianna Krych.

The House Party will begin with a soundwalk exploring the soundscape of Warsaw at the turn of the 20th century, led by Marta Michalska. The event will also feature a presentation of The Mieczysław Wajnberg Universe, a multimedia portal dedicated to the composer’s life, music and legacy. Following the concert, we will meet the creators of Garden of Memory at Kręgliccy Chłodna, on Wajnberg Street.