The event, titled Bridges of Freedom: America250 Celebration, was held at the Kaufman Music Center on Thursday and was among the official events commemorating the anniversary, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The concert featured works by Chopin, Debussy, Schumann and Gershwin, alongside pieces from the American jazz and musical theatre traditions.
Performers included pianist Kate Liu, a prizewinner at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw.
Among those in attendance were Poland's ambassador to the United Nations, Krzysztof Szczerski, and Poland's consul general in New York, Mateusz Sakowicz.
Speaking to Poland's PAP news agency, Szczerski said Poles had been present in North America since the continent's earliest years of European settlement and had helped shape the development of the United States.
He said Poles and Americans share a commitment to freedom and the belief that individuals can shape their own destinies.
"We are one of the communities that contributed to America's success," Szczerski said.
Sakowicz said the event served both artistic and educational purposes by highlighting the role Poles have played in American history over the past 250 years as soldiers, inventors, architects, artists, entrepreneurs and innovators.
"We can say with full responsibility that there would be no United States without the Polish contribution," he said.
Liu said that music helps build bridges between nations because its beauty is universal and can be understood regardless of cultural background.
She added that Chopin's music has played a major role in her artistic development and continues to resonate with audiences of all ages.
A documentary film screened during the event traced the history of Polish immigration to the United States from the early 17th century onward.
The film, titled Famous Polish Americans, profiled prominent figures of Polish heritage, including military leaders Tadeusz Kościuszko and Kazimierz Pułaski, as well as businessman Max Factor, bridge engineer Ralph Modjeski, film producer Samuel Goldwyn, the Warner Brothers, cosmetics entrepreneur Helena Rubinstein, pianist and statesman Ignacy Paderewski, pianist Artur Rubinstein, political scientist Zbigniew Brzezinski, logician Alfred Tarski, virologist Hilary Koprowski and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
(gs)
Source: PAP