Hello lovely friend, 

Thank you so much for your support for my music and for your continued friendship. I just wanted to share with you some of the highlights from the past two months with regards my concerts and forthcoming events including Peterborough Polish Day on 1st July. Everyone is welcome and I will be performing at 12:15 – address is Cathedral Square, Peterborough PE1 1XH and the event is organised by Dan Guz and Polplan and funded via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in poland in conjunction with Peterborough City Council.

Here is a link to the event – All Welcome so see you there ! 🙂 

https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/news/residents/cathedral-square-to-host-first-ever-peterborough-polish-day/

THANK YOU TO TV POLONIA

Thank you so much to TV Polonia for inviting me – Katy Carr on Polish TV during my last visit to Poland and on 18th May 2018 to commemorate the day of the  Polish Victory at the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944. I sang  the song Red Poppies on Monte Cassino – Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino 
Here is the link you can watch on the TV portal site :  http://halopolonia.tvp.pl/katy-carr
 
W tym wydaniu: Na muzycznej scenie “Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino” w wykonaniu Katy Carr. Polecamy i zapraszamy!
 
Here is the link to watch the full Tv program here http://halopolonia.tvp.pl/katycarr-sings-czerwone-maki-na-montecassino
 

THANK YOU POLISH DAY LEICESTER 🙂 

I would like to express my gratitude to the organisers and people who created lovely concerts for me in Poland and Great Britain over the past few months.

Thank you to Barbara Czyznikowska and her team who organised the Polish Heritage Day Celebration on 6th May in Leicester. It was an amazing event and I loved performing with the delightful Hannah Lovell my creative partner and director of my films. The New Walk Museum, Art Gallery was a delightful venue and I am so excited to announce that we were joined by RAF personnel and the Director of the Polish Cultural Institute Robert Szaniawski. A lovely day. Below are some of the photos from the day taken with kind permission by Gosia Skibinska

Post concert at Polish Day in Leicester with the wonderful Balbir S Flora MBE – Warrant Officer – Royal Air Force (RAF) – a delightful new friend 🙂 

LHS With the wonderful Zuza Zak and her incredible cookery book ‘Polska – New Polish Cooking’ – watch this space – we are currently in project planning mode and we will be bringing you incredible projects in the next year to celebrate our Polish heritage – I can’t wait Zuza 😉  RHS with my wonderful Hannah Lovell a best friend and collaboration partner xx

Performing ‘Kommander’s Car’ ‘for an old best friend our beloved Kazik Piechowski 1919-2017 RIP – “Kommander’s Car” Katy Carr (official music video) – YouTube WATCH HERE ! : ) https://www.youtube.com/kommanderscar

With friends and family 🙂 and my beloved Auntie Geraldine – great to be in the Midlands and Leicestershire again – my home county ! X

lots to love to Carol Corliss our famous female racing driver friend – she’s so cool ! Thanks also to Tadeusz Stenzel the president of the Federation of Poles in Great Britain for joining us 🙂  Prezes Zjednoczenie Polskie w Wielkiej Brytanii

and we take selfies together post concert 🙂 )))) 

With our Polish and British friends 🙂 

THANK YOU POLAND – the Mayor of Michalowice Krzysztof Grabka and the Urząd Gminy in Michałowice 

A BIG thank you to the Mayor and Urząd Gminy in Michałowice near Warsaw for a great concert. I want to also thank my wonderful Polish musicians – Lukasz Matuszyk akordeon – Roland Grzegorz Abreu – Double Bass – kontrabas and Marlena Grodzicka Myslak on violin for playing so beautifully at the concert on 12th May 2018 to commemorate Marszałek Józef Piłsudski’s death.

Below shows Katy Carr receiving a beautiful bunch of roses from the Mayor of Michalowice Krzysztof Grabka. foto – Mariusz Marcysiak

(PL Podziękowania artystom złożył wójt gminy Michałowice, Krzysztof Grabka. fot. Mariusz Marcysiak)

READ CONCERT REVIEW IN POLISH HERE 🙂 gpr24.pl/artykul/katy-carr–po-koncercie

Podziękowania artystom złożył wójt gminy Michałowice, Krzysztof Grabka. fot. Mariusz Marcysiak
 
W ramach obchodów „100 lat Niepodległości” w sobotę, 12 maja, w sali multimedialnej urzędu gminy z koncertem wyjątkowych pieśni wystąpiła Katy Carr. 
Jak mówi o sobie jest brytyjską artystką o mocnych polskich korzeniach, tak mocnych, że gdzie tylko jest, tam sławi polską historię.
Silnego przywiązania artystki do Polski i polskiej historii nie zabrakło również podczas sobotniego koncertu, na który mieszkańców gminy zaprosił wójt, Krzysztof Grabka. “Dzisiejszy koncert jest przykładem na to, że Polacy żyjąc daleko w świecie pamiętają o Polsce i jej historii. Tak jak Katy Carr, która jest ambasadorką polskiej kultury i historii”– mówił wójt gminy Michałowice, Krzysztof Grabka.
Silny brytyjski akcent i stylizacja z czasów II wojny światowej, to chyba najbardziej rozpoznawalne elementy Katy Carr. Słuchając jej wykonań z łatwością można rozpoznać podobieństwo do innej znanej Kate, Kate Bush. Głos, który niemal n
atychmiast wprowadza słuchacza w stan muzycznej uczty.
W trakcie sobotniego koncertu Katy Carr zaprezentowała utwory z płyt Paszport i Polonia, które są swego rodzaju hołdem dla polskich żołnierzy walczących na tak wielu frontach II wojny światowej. Był „Wojtek”, czyli piosenka opowiadająca historię niezwykłego żołnierza, niedźwiedzia Wojtka, który wsławił się noszeniem skrzyń z amunicją w bitwie pod Monte Cassino. Były również: „Motylek”, „Alicja” i „Mała, Little Flower”. Oczywiście na koncercie nie mogło zabraknąć najbardziej znanych polskich pieśni patriotycznych i utworów z okresu II wojny światowej m.in.: „O mój rozmarynie”, „Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino”, „Dziś do Ciebie przyjść nie mogę”, „A ja sobie gram na gramofonie”.
Koncert Katy Carr nie był wyłącznie prezentacją pieśni i piosenki. Podczas występu artystka wielokrotnie prezentowała bardzo szczegółowe i obszerne informacje na temat Polaków walczących o niepodległość naszej ojczyzny. A przypomnijmy, że w dniu koncertu tj.12 maja, obchodziliśmy 83. rocznicę śmierci marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego. 
 
 
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
The artists of the Michałowice commune, Krzysztof Grabka, thanked the artists. photo: Mariusz Marcysiak
 
As part of the celebrations of “100 years of Independence” on Saturday, May 12, in the multimedia hall of the municipal office with a concert of exceptional songs, Katy Carr performed. 
As she says about herself, she is a British artist with strong Polish roots, so strong that wherever she is, she praises Polish history.
The artist’s strong attachment to Poland and Polish history was not lacking during the Saturday concert, on which the residents of the commune were invited by the mayor, Krzysztof Grabka. “Today’s concert is an example of how Poles living far away in the world remember Poland and its history, just like Katy Carr, who is an ambassador of Polish culture and history” – said the head of the Michałowice commune, Krzysztof Grabka.
A strong British accent and stylization from World War II is probably the most recognizable elements of Katy Carr. Listening to her performances, you can easily recognize the similarity to another well-known Kate, Kate Bush. A voice that almost immediately introduces the listener into a musical feast.
During the Saturday concert, Katy Carr presented songs from the albums Passport and Polonia, which are a kind of tribute to Polish soldiers fighting on so many fronts of World War II. There was Wojtek, a song telling the story of an extraordinary soldier, Wojtek’s bear, who became famous for carrying boxes of ammunition at the battle of Monte Cassino.There were also: “Butterfly”, “Alice” and “Mala, Little Flower”. Of course, the concert could not miss the most famous Polish patriotic songs and songs from World War II, including: “About my rosemary,” “Red poppies at Monte Cassino”, “Today I can not come to You”, I play on a turntable. “
Katy Carr’s concert was not just a song and song presentation. During the performance, the artist repeatedly presented very detailed and extensive information about Poles fighting for the independence of our homeland.And let us remind you that on the day of the concert, ie on the 12th of May, we celebrated the 83rd anniversary of the death of Marshal Józef Piłsudski. 

A BIG THANK YOU WARSAW : and the Night of the Museums 🙂 

It was amazing to perform at the Night of the Museum at the Warsaw Court House : Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny, ul. Gabriela Piotra Boduena, Warszawa and to perform with the Polish Military choir – if any of you have photos from this event please forward them to me and i will publish them – and it was inspiring to meet musicians including Maria Dubik who played excellent piano pieces from Paderewski and Chopin. I was inspired by the stories and history she was telling me about the Polish community in her region of the Ukraine who had been abandoned post WWII who had to lose their Polish passports due to Stalin’s Iron Curtain and Communist regime. It was heart breaking to see the pictures of the Polish victims who had experienced gross human cruelty during this era and the bones of them that have still not been buried and blessed RIP. I wish that we can cooperate on a project in the future. 

THANK YOU : to the artists @dulcimerdraws for inviting me to a drawing sessions and to archivist Claire Norman for making this possible. Here are some of the images that came out of Katy in the session ! 

CONGRATULATIONS
I just wanted to express huge congratulations to Alexander Smaga Architects as they announce that their proposal for a contemporary architectural sculpture at the site of a former airstrip in Normandy was shortlisted among the three finalists of a prestigious competition to pay honour to the  Polish squadrons of the Polish Air Force who flew alongside the RAF in the Battle of Normandy between June and August 1944 – 302 City of Poznan, Poland, 308 City of Kraków PL and 318 City of Wilno.  Read more here : https://www.ouest-france.fr/d-day/74e-d-day-pres-de-caen-un-memorial-pour-aviateurs-polonais
__________________________________________

REST IN PEACE

RIP MUM 
As you know, I am also with regret having to share with you info about the passing of my mother earlier this year. It has been a devastating time for our family and I thank you again for all the letters of support and kindnesses that we have received in the past few months. I will leave details of my mother’s Polish funeral on 28th June in Bielsko-Biała this month at the end of the newsletter for those of you who knew her and would like to know details.

RIP MAMUSIA – Krystyna ‘Kasia’ Zofia Poprawska-Carr (née Goryl) R.I.P

Thank you so much for all your letters and gestures of support with regards the very sad loss of my beloved Polish mother and mamusia RIP . I am, as you can imagine completely devastated and the passing of my mother from physical into spirit world has been a very deep and emotional time for me and all of my family. My mother’s funeral in the UK was blessed by Father ks. Kanonik Krzysztof Tyliszczak and took place at the Polish Catholic Church at Devonia in Islington, London – Kościół pw. Matki Boskiej Częstochowskiej 2 Devonia Rd, London on 6th April by Father ks. Kanonik Krzysztof Tyliszczak who was wonderful and I thank him from the bottom of my heart for conducting such a wonderful service of remembrance for my mamusia RIP.

Details of the Polish Burial : My mother’s ashes will be buried on 28th June 2018 at the Cemetery on Grunwalska Street in Bielsko Biala at 11:00 RIP.

Polish address : Cmentarz rzymskokatolicki parafii pw. św. Mikołaja w Bielsku-Białej
ul Grunwaldzka 28, 43-300 Bielsko-Biała, P
oland.
 
There will be a mass for my mother at the Chapel (Kaplica) at the cemetery at 11:00
Then the burial around 11:30
All welcome
afterwards we will be heading for a post funeral gathering and meal at the 
Karczma Pod Lotniskiem ul. Zwardońska 38   — 43-300 Bielsko-Biała
Invite only – please email me for further details with regards joining us at the post funeral meal.

You can read more about my mother by visiting this link very kindly posted by : 

Prochy Krystyny Zofii Poprawskiej-Carr spoczną nad Białą

My mother’s ashes will be laid to rest in Bielsko-Biała in her beloved country Poland this week on 28th June 2018 RIP Thank you to Beskidzka24.pl for publishing this article 

http://www.beskidzka24.pl/bielsko-biala/artykul,prochy_krystyny_zofii_poprawskiej-carr_spoczna_nad_biala

Urna z prochami Krystyny „Kasi” Zofii Poprawskiej-Carr (z domu Goryl) spocznie na cmentarzu przy ulicy Grunwaldzkiej w Bielsku-Białej 28 czerwca o 11.00.
Krystyna Zofia Poprawska-Carr urodziła się 12 grudnia 1947 roku w Bielsku-Białej. Odeszła 12 marca tego roku w Royal Free Hospital w Londynie, po walce z chorobą nowotworową. 
Ceremonia pożegnalna miała miejsce 6 kwietnia w kościele pod wezwaniem Matki Boskiej Częstochowskiej i świętego Kazimierza w Londynie. Uroczystość poprowadził ksiądz Krzysztof Tyliszczak. Tego samego dnia ciało zostało skremowane.
Krystyna Zofia Poprawska-Carr była matką Katy Carr, brytyjskiej wokalistki i multiinstrumentalistki zafascynowanej Polską i jej historią. Katy występuje z grupą „Katy Carr and The Aviators”, dając w swojej twórczości wyraz tej właśnie fascynacji.

Wokalistka nagrała do tej pory pięć albumów: „Screwing Lies”, „Passion Play”, „Coquette”, „Paszport” i „Polonię”.

Here is the Eulogy I read for my mother : 

My mother Krystyna – known to her close friends as ‘Kasia’ was born in the Polish mountains. Her home town is Bielsko Biala which is in the province of Śląsk in southern Poland and is surrounded by the Polish mountains that my mother loved so much – the Beskidy which form part of the Carpathian mountain range.  My mother always said that one day she would return to her beloved Poland and the mountains she loved so much. She was very proud of her roots and heritage and that she was a Goralka – a Polish highlander. 
 
My mother’s maiden name is Goryl which is a derivative of Gorale meaning Polish highlander. The Gorale – Polish highlanders have their own language and their own traditions and it is said represent the heart of the Polish nation. Music plays a huge part of their culture. My first memory of my mother was of her singing Polish Highlander songs with her mother Joanna my Polish grandmother. I can remember the flashes of the vibrant Gorale folk costumes my Grandmother owned, I can remember the vivid colours of the Ladies scarves and the way the Gorale spoke, their humour and their strong characters. I can remember that they made me feel really proud to be Polish.  I can remember the delicious food that I ate as a child and seeing my mother truly happy singing with her beloved friends and family.
 
My own personal love of Poland was born here in the company of my mother and my Grandmother.
 
As you can imagine my mother’s passing has left us all completely devastated. She fought a courageous battle against cancer and true to her very brave and strong Gorale – Polish highlander character she uttered not a word of her illness to a soul on this planet and kept her secret only with the doctors that treated her. 
 
My mother was a brave and courageous lady who loved her country Poland. She did everything possible to make sure that her Polish language and Polish traditions were respected. The passing of a mother for a daughter is an experience that is one of deep sadness and heartache. My mother made me the woman I am today. My mother was the reason I started composing music, writing songs and performing. My mother gave me my Polish blood and heritage. My mother gave me life. My mother’s soul will always be with me – a strong lady, an independent spirit who was a survivor and fought for what she believed was right and just. I am so proud of my mother and everything she fought to achieve. I am so proud to be her eldest daughter and her favourite artist and her soldier.
 
My mother’s family originated from Poland and we are so honoured that we can fulfil her wish by returning her back to her country. I would now like to sing a few bars of a song which meant so much to her and her Gorale Polish highlander heritage, a small sentiment from me to my mother and for those of you who are Polish , for those of you who know what I am trying to say – this is for my mother
 
I will be singing this song at her burial in Bielsko Biala
 
Góralu czy ci nie żal (Katy sings for mamusia)
 
Góralu czy ci nie żal
Odchodzić od stron ojczystych,
Świerkowych lasów i hal
I tych potoków srebrzystych?
 
Góralu, czy ci nie żal,
Góralu, wracaj do hal!
Góralu, czy ci nie żal,
Góralu, wracaj do hal!
 
A góral na góry spoziera
I łzy rękawem ociera,
Bo góry porzucić trzeba,
Dla chleba, panie dla chleba.
 
Góralu, czy ci nie żal,
Góralu, wracaj do hal!
Góralu, czy ci nie żal,
Góralu, wracaj do hal!
 
A góral jak dziecko płacze:
Może już ich nie zobaczę;
I starych porzucić trzeba,
Dla chleba, panie, dla chleba.
 
Highlander do you not regret
Leaving your homeland,
Spruce forests and chalets
And the silver streams?
 
Highlander, do you not regret,
Highlander, return to the chalet!
Highlander, do you not regret,
Highlander, return to the chalet!
 
So the highlander stares at the mountains
And with a sleeve wipes away his tears,
For the mountains must be sacrificed,
For bread, sir, for bread.
 
So the highlander cries like a child: 
Maybe I’ll never see them again 
For the mountains must be sacrificed, 
For bread, sir, for bread.
 
Highlander, do you not regret,
Highlander, return to the chalet!
Highlander, do you not regret,
Highlander, return to the chalet!

Thanks again for all your support of my music and keep in touch and take care – see you soon!

                    Much love to you all – Katy i Pozdrawiam serdecznie xxxx 🙂

 

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