9-14 May 2016
Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera
Plac Teatralny 1
00-950 Warszawa
Poland
Contest Access: Free
Awards Gala Tickets: 28PLN - 80PLN
The International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition, which takes place in Warsaw every three years is, first and foremost, a chance for young artists to showcase their talent before eminent representatives of the world of music: an international jury consisting of outstanding singers, but also authorities who shape today’s musical life: opera and festival directors, as well as teachers. The success achieved here becomes for many singers and important step towards an international career: among the prize-winners and finalists of the competition are Aleksandra Kurzak, Wioletta Chodowicz, Urszula Kryger, Małgorzata Walewska, Marcin Bronikowski i Mariusz Kwiecień – the elite of Polish contemporary vocal art, artists highly valued all over the world.
Initiated in 1992 by Maria Fołtyn – a great singer but also an excellent director and a tireless propagator of Stanisław Moniuszko’s music – the competition has been ever since also playing a great role in the preservation and promotion around the world not only of the Moniuszko legacy but also of all the Polish vocal music literature: the repertoire of the competition includes among others works by Fryderyk Chopin, Karol Szymanowski, Ignacy Jan Paderewski and also contemporary composers: Krzysztof Penderecki, Paweł Mykietyn…
Until now, there have been eight editions of the competition. Almost one and half thousand singers from several dozen countries have applied to take part. After the preliminary selections each time more than one hundred young artists came to Warsaw to compete in three difficult rounds. The jury have included such personalities as Gwendolyn Bradley, Regina Crespin, Mirella Freni, Leyla Gencer, Larisa Gergieva, Andrzej Hiolski, Jacek Kaspszyk, Kazimierz Kord, Tom Krause, Eva Marton, Elena Obraztsova, Wiesław Ochman, Ewa Podleś, and Teresa Żylis-Gara.
The first two editions of the International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition took place at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw. Since 1998 the event is held by the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera.
JURY:
Jerzy Artysz - baritone
Aren der Hacopian - Seatle Opera
Peter Mario Katona - Royal Opera House - Covent Garden
Izabella Kłosińska - soprano
Bernd Loebe - Oper Frankfurt
Gianluca Macheda - IMG Artists
Jerzy Marchwiński - pianist, pedagogue
Alain Perroux - Festival d'Aix-en-Provence
Eytan Pessen - pianist, pedagogue
Ewa Podleś - contralto
Christian Schirm - Academie de l'Opera National de Paris
Susanne Schmidt - Bregenzer Festspiele
Neil Shicoff - tenor
Elisabeth Sobotka - Bregenzer Festspiele
Sebastian F. Schwarz - Theater an der Wien
Dmitry Vdovin - Young Artists Programme - Bolshoi Theatre Moscow
PRIZES:
awarded separately in male and female vocal categories:
First Prize - EUR 10 000
Second Prize - EUR 8 000
Third Prize - EUR 6 000
The Maria Fołtyn Special Prize
for the best performance of a Stanislaw Moniuszko Piece - EUR 5 000
Prizes from the Kosciuszko Foundation (USA), founded by Ann Cox Zagoreos
The Carlo Maria Giulini Prize – to be awarded separately in male and female vocal categories. The Prize in memory of Carlo Maria Giulini for singing that is realized in its every aspect and detail through music truly lived and that springs from a deep humanity.* – USD 5,000
The Jan and Edward Reszke Prize – for the best performance of a Polish piece performed by a non-Polish singer – USD 3,000
*Il premio nella memoria di Carlo Maria Giulini per il canto che si attua, in ogni suo aspetto e ciascun particolare, dalla musica davvero vissuta, e che sorge d’una profonda umanità.