Concert under the Honorary Patronage of Elżbieta Penderecka
Glorifying God, forcing the devil to flee, uplifting down-to-earth minds, healing the sick, and giving relief in hardship – these words, repeated by Krzysztof Penderecki after the Flemish composer Johannes Tinctoris, became the message of the Polish Requiem, which will be performed during the concert on November 21st.
This is undoubtedly one of the composer’s most significant works – he used Latin liturgical texts from a funeral mass, adding a fragment of the hymn Holy God. Written over a period of 26 years, it was a testament to a very difficult period for Poland. Referring to the dramatic fate of Poles during martial law, it was intended to “uplift hearts.” Subsequent movements were the composer’s response to current events, commemorating important figures in the country’s history, or providing support for the struggle for freedom. It is worth noting that this work is also an act of courage on the part of Krzysztof Penderecki, who himself repeatedly emphasized the need to take a specific stance on the reality surrounding us.
We cordially invite you to this unique concert featuring outstanding soloists: Iwona Hossa (soprano), Anna Lubańska (mezzo-soprano), Rafał Bartmiński (tenor), Wojciech Gierlach (bass) and the Orchestra and Choir of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic under the direction of Maestro Łukasz Borowicz.
ŁUKASZ BOROWICZ
Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Poznań Philharmonic, Principal Guest Conductor of the Cracow Philharmonic. He studied with Bogusław Madey at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, where he also earned a doctorate in conducting under the supervision of Antoni Wit. From 2007 to 2015, he served as Artistic Director of the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and from 2006 to 2021, Principal Guest Conductor of the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra. He has received awards including the Polityka Passport (2008), the Coryphaeus of Polish Music (2011), the Cyprian Kamil Norwid Award (2013), the Tansman Award (2014) for outstanding musical individuality, and the Honorary Award of the Polish Composers’ Union (2022). He made his opera conducting debut at the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in W.A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni and has since led over 190 opera and ballet performances there, including the premieres of Ch.W. Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, I. Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy/Ligeti’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, S. Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, and the Polish Ballets. He has also conducted the premieres of W.A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni, P. Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, S. Moniuszko’s Halka, and K. Szymanowski’s King Roger at the Cracow Opera, The Magic Flute by W.A. Mozart, A. Dvořák’s Rusalka, B. Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle, and H. Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas at the Grand Theatre in Łódź, King Roger at the ABAO Opera in Bilbao, and Don Giovanni at the Polish Royal Opera. During subsequent editions of the Beethoven Festival, he presented 20 forgotten operas. He also conducted concerts at festivals in Pesaro (recital of Ewa Podleś) and Schleswig-Holstein (Halka with the NDR Radiophilharmonie Orchestra). In 2018, he conducted G. Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots at the Opéra Bastille, becoming the first Polish conductor in the history of the Paris Opera. In 2019, he conducted the premiere of Halka (directed by Mariusz Treliński) with Piotr Beczała at the Theater der Wien (2019) and the Teatr Wielki – National Opera (2020). In 2023, he premiered K. Meyer’s opera The Blind Track at the Teatr Wielki– National Opera. He conducted many orchestras, including: Israel Philharmonic, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Akademie für Alte Musik, RIAS Kammerchor, WDR Sinfonieorchester, SWR Sinfonieorchester, Bamberger Symphoniker, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Luzerner Symfonieorchester, Orquestra Titular del Teatro Real, Paris Opera Orchestra, Opéra Orchester National Montpellier Occitanie, PKF – Prague Philharmonia, Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group and most Polish symphony orchestras.
In the 2025/2026 season, he will debut with the Orquestra de Valencia, the Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock, conduct recordings with the Bochumer Symphoniker, debut at the Baltic Opera Festival, and return to concerts and recordings with the Basque National Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, the Pardubice Chamber Orchestra, the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Polish Baltic Philharmonic, the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, the Polish Royal Opera, the Pomeranian Philharmonic, the Warmian-Masurian Philharmonic, and the Teatr Wielki – National Opera.
His discography includes over 140 albums. He has recorded, among others: the violin concertos of G. Bacewicz (with Joanna Kurkowicz) for Chandos; the complete symphonic works of A. Panufnik with the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin – honored with the “ICMA Special Achievement Award” 2015 (cpo); the complete symphonic works of G. Bacewicz with the WDR Sinfonieorchester (cpo); and F. Nowowiejski’s Quo Vadis with the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra (cpo), which won the ICMA 2018 award in the Choral Music category. S. Hasselhorn’s album Urlicht recorded with the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra (harmonia mundi) won a double ICMA award in 2025 (in the categories: Vocal Music and Recording of the Year). Łukasz Borowicz’s recordings have been honored with the “Diapason d’Or” award four times. Łukasz Borowicz teaches conducting at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Cracow.
IWONA HOSSA
She is considered one of the leading sopranos of her generation. The artist’s domain is primarily the precision and technical capabilities of her exceptionally versatile voice, the extraordinary purity of sound and the captivating timbre. Her vocal artistry has been admired worldwide, consistently captivating audiences and earning critical acclaim.
She graduated with distinction from the Vocal and Acting Department of the I.J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań. She collaborates with numerous opera houses and symphony orchestras in Poland and abroad. She won the Grand Prix and the Gold Medal at the Maria Callas International Vocal Competition in Athens. She is a versatile artist, with a rich repertoire encompassing works from early to contemporary music. She has performed under the baton of conductors such as David Lloyd-Jones, David Agler, Maurizio Benini, Gabriel Chmura, Charles Dutoit, Gustavo Dudamel, Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny, Valery Giergiev, Kazimierz Kord, Jan Krenz, Jacek Kaspszyk, Jerzy Maksymiuk, John Neschling, Grzegorz Nowak, Krzysztof Penderecki, Jerzy Semkow, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, and Antoni Wit.
She has recorded 28 CDs and DVDs, mainly of Polish music. Most of them have received prestigious awards such as the International Classical Music Awards in the Contemporary Music category and the Orphée d’Or, as well as nominations for Fryderyk and Grammy Awards.
Iwona Hossa had the honor of collaborating with Professor K. Penderecki for twenty years and includes all of the composer’s vocal and instrumental works in her repertoire. She has premiered numerous works of contemporary Polish music, including those by K. Penderecki, W. Kilar, and J. Maksymiuk. She is a teacher and cultural manager.
While still a student, she received the Scholarship for Young Artists of the Poznań Artistic Community, awarded by the Chapter of the Artistic Award of the City of Poznań, and the Father Piotr Wawrzyniak Award in the “Hope of Greater Poland” category.
She is a recipient of the “Amber Ring” Award for her role as Konstancja in W.A. Mozart’s opera The Abduction from the Seraglio and the Andrzej Hiolski Award for her role as Hanna in S. Moniuszko’s The Haunted Manor.
In 2011, she earned a Doctor of Arts degree (UMFC in Warsaw), and in 2014, a postdoctoral degree (D. Habilitation) from the UMFC in Warsaw. For 10 years, she taught solo singing at the Faculty of Vocal and Acting at the I.J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań. In 2015, she was awarded the Silver Cross of Merit by the President of the Republic of Poland. In 2016, she received the Honorary Badge for services to the Wielkopolska Voivodeship from the Marshal of the Wielkopolska Voivodeship and the Honorary Badge of Merit for Polish Culture from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Małgorzata Omilanowska. In 2019, she received the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture.
Since 2019, she has been a member of the Board of the Bogdan Paprocki Association, which organizes the Vocal Competition, concerts, and the Summer Academy of Excellence.
ANNA LUBAŃSKA
Mezzo-soprano. She graduated with distinction from the Academy of Music in Warsaw, in the class of Krystyna Szostek-Radkowa. She is a laureate of the Ada Sari International Vocal Competition, where she received First Prize and three distinctions (for the best performance of a French song and a work by Mozart, as well as for the best performance of a work by Lutosławski). During her final year of studies, she began performing on the Warsaw opera stage, with which she remains associated to this day. She made her debut at the Teatr Wielki as Blumenmadchen in Richard Wagner’s Parsifal. Her versatile talent, temperament, and acting abilities, along with her diverse repertoire, make her one of the most versatile contemporary Polish singers, capable of performing tragic roles and lighter roles with equal success. The most important roles in her repertoire, which she performed on the stage of the Teatr Wielki ̶ National Opera, include: Princess Eboli in the opera Don Carlos, Amneris in Aida and Fenena in Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi, as well as Herodias in Salome by Richard Strauss, Jadwiga in The Haunted Manor by Stanisław Moniuszko, Mother Ubu in Ubu Rex by Krzysztof Penderecki, Olga in Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini, Cześnikowa in The Haunted Manor by Stanisław Moniuszko and Ortrude in Lohengrin by R. Wagner. In addition to the roles mentioned above, the artist’s repertoire includes, and she enjoys singing, the roles of Azucena in Giuseppe Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Frica in Richard Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung, Santuzza in Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, Carmen in Georg Bizet’s Carmen, and many others. She is a highly regarded interpreter of songs. Her repertoire includes numerous works in German, French, Polish, Italian, Spanish, Czech, Russian, Yiddish, and English by composers such as Franz Peter Schubert, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Richard Strauss, Hugo Wolf, Arnold Schönberg, Gustav Mahler, Stanisław Moniuszko, Mieczysław Karłowicz, Karol Szymanowski, Francis Poulenc, Hector Berlioz, Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Manuel de Falla, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and Dmitri Shostakovich. The artist frequently performs in the oratorio and cantata repertoire. Highlights of this repertoire include parts in Hector Berlioz’s Dramatic Symphony Romeo and Juliet, Karol Szymanowski’s Symphony No. 3, Song of the Night, George Frideric Handel’s Messiah, Krzysztof Penderecki’s Seven Gates of Jerusalem, Wojciech Kilar’s Missa pro Pace, numerous arrangements of the Stabat Mater by composers such as Antonín Dvořák, Karol Szymanowski, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Gioachino Antonio Rossini; the Requiem arranged by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giuseppe Verdi, Valentyn Silvestrov, and Antonín Dvořák, as well as Ludwig van Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Symphony No. 9, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, the Magnificat, and the St. Matthew Passion and the St. John Passion, as well as Johann Sebastian Bach’s Great Mass in B minor and his numerous cantatas.
Since 1993, she has been associated with the Teatr Wielki – National Opera, performing with them, including at the Wiesbaden Opera Festival and the Aphrodite Festival in Cyprus. Furthermore, she has sung on opera stages and stages in Japan, Norway, Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, France, Monaco, and Hong Kong. In Poland, she has performed at philharmonic halls, among others, in Warsaw, Cracow, Katowice, Wrocław and Bydgoszcz. She has also collaborated with the Poznań Opera, the Cracow Opera, and the Silesian Opera. She has been a guest at the Wratislavia Cantans Festival, the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, the Warsaw Autumn Festival, and the Krystyna Jamroz International Music Festival. She has recently been invited to serve on the juries of vocal competitions. She has collaborated with many distinguished soloists and conductors, including Jerzy Maksymiuk, Kazimierz Kord, Jacek Kasprzyk, Mark Minkowski, Jan Krenz, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Placido Domingo, and Edita Gruberova. She has made several recordings, including a complete studio recording of Stanisław Moniuszko’s The Haunted Manor released by EMI and Krzysztof Penderecki’s Ubu Rex, both recorded with the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera under the baton of Jacek Kasprzyk. In addition to those mentioned above, she has also made numerous recordings for Polish Radio and Polish Television.
RAFAŁ BARTMIŃSKI
Tenor. A graduate of the Vocal and Acting Department of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, in the class of E. Sąsiadek. Third prize winner at the 11th A. Sari Vocal Competition in Nowy Sącz. In 2007, he won second prize and 11 additional awards at the 6th S. Moniuszko International Vocal Competition in Warsaw. While still a student, he began performing extensively in concerts.
He made his debut on opera stage at the Teatr Wielki –National Opera with the role of Lensky in P. Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (2002). Since then, he has collaborated regularly with the Warsaw stage. He became particularly known to Polish and foreign audiences in the roles of: Tamino (The Magic Flute by W. A. Mozart), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni by W. A. Mozart), Nemorino (The Elixir of Love by G. Donizetti), Ismaele (Nabucco by G. Verdi), Duca (Rigoletto G. Verdi), Alfredo (La Traviata by G. Verdi), Boris (Katia Kabanova by L. Janáček), Steva and Laca (Jenufa by L. Janáček), Pinkerton (Madame Butterfly by G. Puccini), Cavaradossi (Tosca by G. Puccini), Rodolfo (La Boheme by G. Puccini), Calaf (Turandot by G. Puccini), Madwoman (Curlev River by B. Britten), Don José (Carmen by G. Bizet), Drum Major (Wozzeck by A. Berg), Wacław (Maria by R. Statkowski), Shepherd (King Roger by K. Szymanowski). He is the only performer of all the main tenor roles in S. Moniuszko’s operas: Janek in The Raftsman, Kazimierz in The Countess, Idamor in Paria, Stefan in The Haunted Manor and Jontek in Halka.
The artist also has a very busy concert schedule, singing leading tenor parts in works by K. Penderecki (Te Deum, Cosmogony, Credo, Seven Gates of Jerusalem, Polish Requiem, Matins). He also sang Messa di Requiem by G. Verdi, Symphony No. 8 by G. Mahler, Harnasie by K. Szymanowski, Messiah by G. F. Händl, Missa solemnis and Symphony No. 9 by L. van Beethoven. He performed K. Szymanowski’s Symphony No. 3 “Song of the Night” with the National Philharmonic under the direction of A. Wit (DVD), the Sinfonieorchester des Bayreischen Rudfunks in Munich and Cologne under the direction of M. Jansons (CD), and the Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE in Madrid under the direction of H. Lintu.
Rafał Bartmiński participated in a monumental performance of G. Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major “Symphony of a Thousand” during the Grand Jubilee Gala celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Silesian Philharmonic, as well as in a television concert broadcast on POLSAT WROCŁAW PRZYSZŁOŚCI.
At the invitation of Director Przemysław Neumann, he performed in the open-air concert ‘Open-Air-Arena der Gärten der Welt’ in Berlin with the Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. On May 29, 2025, he received the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture Gloria Artis.
WOJCIECH GIERLACH
Bass. He graduated from the F. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw in the class of Prof. K. Pustelak with ‘Magna cum Laude’ distinction. He is a laureate numerous awards and distinctions at international vocal competitions. Recent successes include The Abduction from the Seraglio by W. A. Mozart (Osmin) at the ABAO in Bilbao, Alcina by G. F. Händl (Melisso) at the Los Angeles Opera, The Sicilian Vespers by G. Verdi (Procida) at the Bergen Opera and The Magic Flute by W. A. Mozart (Sarastro) at the Polish Royal Opera. In the 2017/2018 season, he made his debut at the Royal Opera in Covent Garden, London, as Priest in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by D. Shostakovich conducted by A. Pappano. His recent successes also include debuts at the Royal Danish Opera and the Welsh National Opera as Sir Giorgio in V. Bellini’s The Puritans under the direction of C. Rizzi and performances as Melisso in Handel’s Alcina (with Joyce DiDonato and The English Concert) conducted by H. Bicket at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Paris’ Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and the Theater an der Wien. He has also prefromed as: Don Basilio (G. Rossini’s The Barber of Seville) at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Oroveso (Norma by V. Bellini) at the Teatro Nacional São Carlos in Lisbon, Assur (Semiramide by G. Rossini) at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen, Alidoro (Cinderella by G. Rossini) at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Melisso (Alcina by G.F. Händl) at the Opéra National de Bordeaux, Orbazzano (Tancredi by G. Rossini) at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, Talbot (Mary Stuart by G. Donizetti) at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Count Rodolfo (The Sleepwalker by V. Bellini ) and Rocco (Fidelio by L. van Beethoven) at the Theater St. Gallen. At the Theatr Wielki – National Opera he performer including as Sarastro in W.A. Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Duce Alfonso in G. Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia, Raimondo in G. Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Zbigniew in S. Moniuszko’s The Haunted Manor, Figaro in W. A. Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Escamillo in G. Bizet’s Carmen, Gessler in G. Rossini’s William Tell, Talbot in G. Donizetti’s Mary Stuart and Sparafucile in G. Verdi’s Rigoletto. Wojtek Gierlach also performs successfully in concert and oratorio repertoire. He has sung works such as Dvorak’s Stabat Mater with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Verdi’s Requiem with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Bach’s Magnificat with the Orquesta Nacional de España, and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin.
VIOLETTA BIELECKA
Conductor and Artistic Director of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic Choir in Białystok. From December 1, 2020, she served as acting director of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, and on November 3, 2021, she was appointed director of this institution. She graduated with honors from the State Higher School of Music in Warsaw (major in choral conducting under Professor J. Bok and Professor R. Zimak). She is a graduate and former faculty member of the Postgraduate Studies in Choirmastering and Voice Production at the F. Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz. In 2000, she received the title of Professor of Musical Arts from the President of the Republic of Poland. The choirs included the Białystok University of Technology Choir, the Schola Cantorum Bialostociensis Women’s Choir, and the Białystok Chamber Choir Cantica Cantamus, which has won numerous prestigious awards and distinctions. He was the initiator and organizer of the International Workshops for Polish Youth and the Polish Diaspora of the Polish Peace Philharmonic. She has collaborated with the Grand Theatre – National Opera in Warsaw as a vocal consultant to the choir. She is a professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Białystok Branch. Since 2017, until 2024, she has been the head of the Department of Choral Conducting and Artistic Education at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in the Faculty of Instrumental-Pedagogical Studies, Music Education and Vocal Studies (1999–2005 head of the Department of Choral Conducting; 2005–2012 Vice-Dean of the Faculty, and from 2019–2024 member of the University Council, the Scientific Council, and the Artistic Discipline Council of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music). She has trained numerous choirmasters, choral vocalists, and solo singers. Since 2006, she has served as the conductor and artistic director of the OiFP Choir, with whom they participate in prestigious international festivals, serving as musical literature in major concert halls. She has prepared the ensemble for concerts, radio and radio broadcasts, and CD recordings worldwide as part of major festivals (including Chopin and His Europe, the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival and Warsaw Autumn). Her artistic achievements include publishing phonographic works of vocal and instrumental works, operas, cantatas, and a cappella choral music, performed both domestically and internationally. Recordings of the OiFP Choir have won Fryderyk Awards in 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023, and 2024, as well as the 2018 International Classical Music Award in the choral category (for F. Nowowiejski’s Quo Vadis). She is a member of the Phonographic Academy’s music distribution section, which includes the phonographic releases section and the selection of Fryderyk Award winners. She also participates in the organizational work of controlling the Marshal of the Podlaskie Voivodeship Awards in the fields of artistic creativity, the preservation and protection of culture, and scholarships for individuals recognized for their artistic creativity, the subordination of culture, and responsibilities over historical monuments. Professor Violetta Bielecka has once again been honored for her artistic functions and services to culture, receiving, among others, the J. Kiepura Theatre Music Award (2019), the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture Gloria Artis (2008), and the J. Kurczewski Award for outstanding achievements in the field of choral music and the promotion of Polish music (2013). At the initiative of His Magnificence Rector, Prof. K. Baran, in 2021 she was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis under the auspices of the Minister of Culture, National Heritage and Sport, Prof. P. Gliński. In 2025, for her outstanding contributions to popularizing Polish musical culture and for her achievements in creative work, the President of the Republic of Poland, A. Duda, awarded her the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. 