Graciella Kowalczyk

I thought that Chopin was sissy stuff. Graciella Kowalczyk obliterated that misconception with a physical piano recital Friday night. The Kansas City-based European employed a vast dynamic range to wring every possible nuance out of Fryderyk Chopin’s works.

Startlingly pretty, with endless brunette hair, Kowalcyk is an animated performer, fluttering her eyes and contorting her body in thrall to the beauty her fingers are generating. Attentive listeners were able to hear Kowalcyk reveal ancient truths and divine wisdom.

The performance, on the fifth floor of the Central Library downtown, was part of The Fringe Festival. The large building also hosted an organ jazz combo, storytellers, visual arts displays and a percussion ensemble Friday night. None of these offerings could truly be considered "fringe," but all were free. Even so, festival volunteers and library staff may have outnumbered arts enthusiasts.

(I failed to take an adequate photo of Kowalczyk, so this shot of the excellent exterior of the library’s parking garage will have to suffice.)