The event opened with a concert by the Meccore String Quartet at Poznań's Bazar Hotel on Thursday.
It was from the balcony of that hotel that, on December 26, 1918, Paderewski made an address in support of Poland’s newly regained independence.
His speech at the time sparked pro-Polish demonstrations, leading to the Wielkopolska Uprising against German rule.
The programme of the four-day festival includes recitals, chamber concerts, theatre performances and panel discussions.
A musicological conference under the motto "Paderewski in Switzerland" will look at the pianist’s bonds with that country.
Antonin Scherrer, a curator at the Paderewski Museum in Switzerland's Morges, where Paderewski had his residence, is among the panellists.
A meeting is also planned with Agnieszka Kamińska, author of the book Switzerland: A Journey Through an Imaginary Paradise.
A new CD featuring Paderewski’s complete songs, performed by soprano Marzena Michałowska and pianist Małgorzata Sajny-Mataczyńska will have its launch during the event.
The festival will round off on Sunday with a Chopin recital by Chinese pianist Hyuk Lee, the winner of the 2022 Marguerite Long and Jacques Thibaud International Piano Competition in Paris.
Held at the historic hall of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, the recital will mark the centenary of an honorary doctorate that Paderewski received from that university.
Paderewski was one of the most outstanding figures in modern Polish history. A legendary pianist whose unique interpretative style won him audience applause in all corners of the globe, he was also a prominent statesman.
During World War I, he supported Poland’s attempts to regain independence.
In 1919, in his role as prime minister and foreign affairs minister, he co-chaired (with politician Roman Dmowski) the Polish delegation to the Peace Conference in Paris and signed the Treaty of Versailles.
Paderewski died in the United States in 1941 and was buried at Arlington Military Cemetery in Washington following a decision by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In 1992, his remains were brought to Poland and buried at St John’s Cathedral in Warsaw.
(mk/gs)