Among the untold stories in Merseyside’s cultural history, one of the most remarkable is that of Felix Yaniewicz (1762-1848), a Polish-Lithuanian violin virtuoso and composer who arrived in Liverpool in 1799. Born in Vilnius, Yaniewicz had played in the Polish royal chapel from the age of fifteen. In 1799 Yaniewicz moved to Liverpool (by then a fashionable metropolis) where he married, raised his family, and founded a musical instruments business. He later moved to Scotland, where he is best known for his role in founding the first Edinburgh music festival in 1815.

Five years ago, the chance discovery of a historic piano over 200 years old, bearing Yaniewicz’s name and the address of his Liverpool business, prompted new research into his story, and led to an exhibition in Edinburgh in 2022 celebrating his musical legacy. The exhibition received over 10,000 visitors and was featured on BBC Radio 3 and Poland’s TVP Kultura. The Chopin Institute in Warsaw is now embarking on a landmark series of recordings of Yaniewicz’s violin concertos, to restore his place in musical history.

An Illustrated talk by Yaniewicz's descendant Josie Dixon, curator of the exhibition Music and Migration in Georgian Edinburgh: The Story of Felix Yaniewicz at the Georgian House in Edinburgh in 2022.

This event is supported by the Polish Consulate and Merseyside Polonia. Drinks will be served beforehand, and the event will be introduced with brief talks on Liverpool in Yaniewicz's time, and his connection to the Liverpool Athenaeum.