Feature: JAN KIEPURA AWARDS for Wroclaw Opera

The Wroclaw Opera with 5 statuettes of the Jan Kiepura Theatrical Music Awards!

The Best Show, The Best Opera Male Singer and Female Singer, The Best Conductor, and The Best Theater and Music Poster - in these categories the Wroclaw Opera triumphed during the presentation of the 16th Theater Jan Kiepura Theatrical Music Awards on the 26th of September.

The statuettes are a great success of the Wrocław opera scene, proof of excellent use of the potential of all employees of the Wrocław Opera, and a statement: if to the opera, then only in Wroclaw!

Theater Music Awards Jana Kiepura is the only nationwide competition for music theaters and opera houses for 16 years. Awards are also awarded for lifetime artistic work; this year it was picked up by, among others Ewa Michnik, ex-director of the Wrocław Opera.

The Wroclaw Opera won a statuette in the Best Show category for the opera Tosca, directed by Michael Gielets. The competition jury appreciated the Wrocław Opera for proving that even classic stories familiar to viewers can be told anew by juggling the epochs and their respective styles. (...)

The performance resonated in the audience's reviews and comments as an exceptionally beautiful and intense musical experience, bringing the Wrocław Opera to a world artistic level. "

Halina Oldakowska, director of the Wroclaw Opera, when accepting the award on behalf of the artists, emphasized: This is an award for the creators of Toska and the entire team of the Wroclaw Opera. For all who stay with me they work every day. This is a special show for me, the first one that, together with Mariusz Kwiecień, artistic director, and Bassem Akiki, musical director, we prepared for the audience after taking command and after the pandemic. We put a lot of heart into it, wanting to show what level artistic viewers can expect on the stage. Everything we do, we do for the audience.

We want the viewers to come out of our shows feeling moved and want to come back. This award shows that what we do, we do well.

The success of the Wroclaw theater is confirmed by the award for Bassem Akika, the music director of the Wroclaw Opera, who also received the statuette in the Best Conductor category for Toska. This is already second Jan Kiepura statuette for him. Another great success is honoring Alexandra Kurzak for the role of Agata in Wolny Strzelc directed by Cezary Tomaszewski, a show which added splendor to the celebration of 180 years of the building of the Wroclaw Opera.

The selection of artists performing on the Wroclaw stage was also recognized with the award for the best an opera male singer, which was given to Ambrogio Maestri, one of the most acclaimed baritones on the world that created the role of Baron Scarpia avec in the award-winning Tosca.

In the category of the Best Theater and Music Poster, Katarzyna Zapart was awarded for the design of the poster for Cosi fan tutte. Laureate is an award-winning designer, graphic artist, and poster artist.

We are very happy, congratulations to the artists and invite you to the Wrocław Opera!

Photo: M. Heller