On March 12, 2016 the Westfield Athenaeum hosted “ Embrace you Polish Heritage” as part of its “Connect with Culture” series. The public was welcomed by Very Reverend Joe Soltysiak of the Polish National Catholic Church at 1:00 pm. The celebration continued with a lecture about staying connected to Polish traditions by Stanislaw Radosz: Executive Director of the Polish Center of Discovery in Chicopee, MA. Following the lecture the crowd was treated to traditional accordion music and dancing. Refreshments were offered by Janik’s Pierogi Café.
February 5-6 2016 Westfield State University's Music Department offered an Artist in Residence weekend. The weekend featured Dr. Pearl Shangkuan; a nationally sought after conductor and clinician who conducted the Westfield State University Choral Ensemble in a public concert on Friday February 5. The weekend continued on Saturday February 6 with interest sessions provided to the University Choral Ensemble in the areas of Choral techniques and developing choral artistry.