April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
POLISH PRIDE
Diocesan employee also in polka band
Mrs. Solimini described the group as "the ultimate backyard band." They play for free several times a year at fundraisers -- including one for the Brown School in Schenectady, where the band rehearses -- and other events. The Polish Night Players were created six years ago when some friends wanted live entertainment for a "Polish Night" party. The friends started learning accordion, then asked Mrs. Solimini if she'd be interested in singing.
Today, the band has two accordion players, two guitarists, a drummer and three singers, including Mrs. Solimini. The singers like to call themselves the Polka Dots, she said.
"I love to sing," Mrs. Solimini told The Evangelist. "This kind of just fell into my lap. In a way, it's about bringing joy."
She has the same goal for her work at the diocesan Prayer and Worship Office. Mrs. Solimini has worked for the Albany Diocese for 25 years, including many years at the Office of Evangelization, Catechesis and Family Life. A restructuring process last year distributed that office's services among several other diocesan departments.
At the Prayer and Worship Office, Mrs. Solimini helps parishes develop their faith formation programs. This, at its core, is about bringing joy to people, she told The Evangelist.
The Polish Night Players also "want to bring the joy of life, to help people have fun and laugh," she said.
"I think performing is fun," she added, and seeing the results of long rehearsals can be very rewarding, although "my children have seen us [play], and they just kind of laugh and shake their heads."
The band uses several props to accompany their songs, including green stuffed parrots for "The Green Parrot Polka."
Polish herself, Mrs. Solimini has been dancing the polka for years; she learned how at family weddings. She loves to sing "Zosia" and "Helena," two polka tunes that are often dedicated to the loved ones of audience members.
"Every polish family has a Zosia or Helena in it," Mrs. Solimini remarked.
The band arranges their songs mostly by ear. Mrs. Solimini doesn't even read music. When the group tries a new song, all she gets is a piece of paper with the lyrics; the group listens to others perform the song on YouTube several times to learn it.
"It always seems to work," Mrs. Solimini laughed.
Although many of the band's songs are in English, the ones that are in Polish pose a bit of a problem for some band members. Mrs. Solimini writes them out phonetically.
One of her favorite aspects of being in The Polish Night Players is watching the audience dance and clap. "No matter who the audience is, music touches everybody," she said. "Even the most serious person starts moving."[[In-content Ad]]
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