One of my students, in particular, stood out with exceptional progress. Jola was doing so well that I advised her to take singing lessons and then asked her to marry me. I didn’t want her to surpass me in virtuosity. Fortunately, she became a great doctor. She died two years ago.

I am from Warsaw, the capital of Poland, and I worked at the Grand Theatre of Opera and Ballet. I played the violin. In 1966, I had no plans for a vacation, so I asked friends from Chicago if they would send an invitation. I had hosted them before, so I had the audacity. They succeeded. When I told my orchestra colleagues that I was leaving, they all laughed. They said that only peasants go to America to work in factories or clean other people’s apartments. I didn’t listen to them because I had my own plan. I wanted to see if I could play in America. I boarded a passenger ship to Halifax, and from there, I took a train to the United States.

I arrived in Chicago. I liked the city a lot, but I wanted more. I knew English, and I wanted to meet musicians like myself. But in Chicago, I couldn’t find any contacts. I called friends in New York. And here it turned out that there was a demand for violinists in the orchestra. I couldn’t resist the job. With Stokowski at Carnegie Hall – concerts every afternoon. I played at Radio City Music Hall. With Martha’s Grand Dance Company, I toured the entire country. I played everywhere, and no one asked if I had a work permit. I was a very good violinist, and Polish symphonic music had a good world reputation. I soaked in New York. Sometimes I think I’ve been on vacation for 60 years.

I played very well, and I was also able to teach instruments skillfully. One of my students, in particular, stood out with exceptional progress. She came from a Polish family. She was born in 1946 in Germany in a camp for displaced persons after the War War II. When she was 5 years old, she emigrated with her parents to America. Jola was doing so well that I advised her to take singing lessons and then asked her to marry me. I didn’t want her to surpass me in virtuosity. Fortunately, she became a great doctor. She died two years ago.

In 1977, I founded the Slavic Art Ensemble to promote Slavic music, especially Polish music. We played Chopin, Dvorak, and Tchaikovsky. We formed a trio or string quartet, and The New York Times praised us. I’m still playing—now as the second violin.

I feel that I live in the center of the world. In Greenpoint, I have a place that I rent and a Senior Center where I go for lunches. I live on the 42nd floor above the East River, looking down on Manhattan from above. I’m not complaining.

I am Polish and American. I vote in elections in Poland and America because in both countries, my vote is important. In America, I voted for Trump because I heard that he has Polish roots. His ancestors were called Trumpczynski, and when they went to Germany, where the name was shortened. So I support a Pole and a Republican.