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K-State Today

August 22, 2012

Piano professor teaches in Paraguay

Submitted by Slawomir Dobrzanski

Dr. Dobrzanski and piano students at the National Conservatory of Music in Asuncion

Slawomir P. Dobrzanski, associate professor of music and chair of keyboard studies in the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, offered piano master classes to faculty and students at the National Conservatory of Music and the "Clave de Sol" Conservatory, both in Asunciòn, Paraguay.

In addition, Dobrzanski met with piano students at the Universidad Nacional de Asunciòn, the oldest public university in the country. He also lectured about the North American music education system to students at the Universidad Del Norte, one of the newest private universities in Asunciòn.

At the conclusion of his visit, Dobrzanski performed a solo piano recital at the Centro Cultural Paraguayo-Americano in Asunciòn. Founded in 1942 by local Paraguayans with the help of the United States Embassy, the Centro Cultural Paraguayo-Americano is a cultural icon of Asunciòn. During the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner — from 1954 to 1989 — the center served as a safe space for political and cultural self-expression.

Dobrzanski's visit was made possible by the Kansas-Paraguay Partners and the Comitè Paraguay-Kansas, member organizations of the Partners of the Americas, the Western Hemisphere's largest private, completely apolitical volunter organizationThis year, both the Kansas-Paraguay and the Paraguay-Kansas Committees celebrate their 60th year of existence.