Ms. Kolby’s parents were born and spent their entire lives in Poland. Their early years were shaped by the devastation of WWII and then again by the Communist regime of the Cold War period. After the collapse of Communism in 1989, like most of the older population in Poland at that time, they eagerly looked forward to the new political, cultural and economic systems, though the pace of transformation was not without difficulty and adapting proved to be a lifelong challenge. Throughout it all, Zofia and Henryk maintained a joy for life and instilled that in their children. Whether through personal practice, taking in professional performances, or simply as the backdrop of their daily lives, music was always integral.

Ms. Kolby was born in Warsaw, Poland and in her formative years, attended The Liceum of Theatre Techniques where she developed a fascination for performing arts and realized the dedication and hard work artists put into their craft.

After graduating from the Poznan University with a Major in English, Ms. Kolby moved to Norway where she subsequently met and married a Norwegian diplomat. The couple traveled extensively, living in numerous countries including several years in New York. Here, Ms. Kolby's interest in the performing arts continued and she studied music comprehension at The Juilliard School.

The lifelong journey of Ms. Kolby has taken her far and wide, both geographically and intellectually, not unlike a cultural tradition of Indigenous Australians known as "dreaming tracks" or "songlines" which combine geo-spatial navigational cues with music, poetry, memory and the honoring of ancestors and place.

The Zofia and Henryk Szymanski Scholarship is in a way a personal "songline" for Ms. Kolby, paying homage to and connecting the influential people and places of her life. At the same time, it is also a gift for student-musicians on their musical life journey. Lastly, it is a through-line for musical study and joy through the ages.