Amazing news for Mariusz Kwiecień’s fans! The world-renowned Polish baritone will return to the stage performing a concert with his students in Prague on the 18th of June.
The event is organised by the Association of Friends of Musical Talents, an association whose aim is to support young vocal talent. The association’s founder is Alena Kunertová, owner of Nachtigall Artists, an agency bringing established and rising opera stars to Prague. This season alone, invitees include Piotr Beczała and Juliana Grigoryan, Jonathan Tetelman and Sylvia d’Eramo, and Jonas Kaufmann. Just the day before yesterday, Rossini’s 'Cinderella’ was also presented in the Smetana Hall of the Municipal Representative House under the baton of Łukasz Borowicz.
So far, Mariusz Kwiecień has performed in Prague three times – in 2010, and later in 2013 and 2016 (together with Simona Houda Šaturova). Since the end of his spectacular singing career in 2020, he has repeatedly come to the Czech capital giving masterclasses with talented young singers. In June, she will sing together with the already renowned Czech soprano Zuzana Markova and young soloists, i.e. Arnheidur Eiríksdóttir (mezzo-soprano), Daniel Matoušek (tenor), Emma Balunová (soprano), Ivan Lyvch (bass). The concert will take place in the Dvořák Hall at the Rudolfinum and the PKF – Prague Philharmonia orchestra will be conducted by Alena Hron.
Mariusz Kwiecień is one of the best baritones of his generation, acclaimed worldwide for his roles in Mozart’s „Don Giovanni”, Mozart’s „Le nozze di Figaro”, Tchaikovsky’s „Eugene Onegin”, Szymanowski’s „King Roger”, Donizetti’s „Lucia di Lammermoor”, Puccini’s „La Bohème” and many others. He regularly appeared on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera for nearly twenty years, and was also constantly in the casts of productions staged at the Lyric Chicago of Opera, Royal Opera House, Bayerische Staatsoper, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro Real, Opéra National de Paris.
From 2020 to 2023, he served as artistic director of the Wrocław Opera, preparing several positively received premieres (including a spectacle awarded the Jan Kiepura Theatrical Musical Awards statuette for the best performance of Puccini’s „Tosca” directed by Michael Gieleta), implementing his own „Opera Młodych” (Opera of the Youth) programme and inviting many outstanding artists to Wrocław, such as: Aleksandra Kurzak, Charles Castronovo, Ambrogio Maestri, Lianna Haroutounian, Marina Rebeka, Kristine Opolais, Erwin Schrott, Ekaterina Siurina, Jakub Józef Orliński.
Mariusz Kwiecień is a lecturer at the Academy of Music in Kraków, where he defended his doctoral thesis in February this year. Since the beginning of the current academic year, he has been granted the title of professor at this university. He holds masterclasses at many institutions at home and abroad and is also a juror in vocal competitions.
Tickets: Prodejní aplikace (enigoo.cz)
Read in Polish: Mariusz Kwiecień zaśpiewa w Pradze z młodymi śpiewakami operowymi! – Opera Lovers
