Song Competition

Mariya Medetova from Kazakhstan has won the Outstanding Performance of the Art Song Award – as decided by the jury of the 21ˢᵗ Ada Sari International Vocal Artistry Competition, chaired by Małgorzata Walewska. The artist received the PLN 3,000 prize for her rendition of Alban Berg’s song cycle "Sieben frühe Lieder".

This year, eight singers took part in the Song Competition: five from Poland, two from South Korea, and one from Kazakhstan. Today, the performers presented song cycles from various eras, ranging from Franz Schubert to Jonathan Dove. Some of the performances were almost like happenings—such as Małgorzata Priebe’s striking rendition of selections from Dove’s Ariel cycle, delivered in an ethereal dress and barefoot.

Not all singers chose to participate in the Song Competition—likely because the art song format is particularly demanding, requiring versatility and deep artistic awareness, as each song tells its own distinct story.

“Songs are my passion. Even the most beautiful aria can’t compare to the beauty found in art songs,” said Wojciech Kowalski after leaving the stage. He performed Johannes Brahms’ Fünf Lieder, Op. 105. “Songs lay bare the performer’s sensitivity—and any shortcomings. There’s nowhere to hide. I chose Brahms because I had prepared one of his songs for another competition, only to discover it was part of a cycle. To understand it better, I learned the entire cycle for myself. It’s so close to my heart that I decided to perform it here at the Nowy Sącz competition.”

Kowalski, a third-year student at the Poznań Academy of Music in Sebastian Szumski’s class (previously under the late Jarosław Bręk, who passed away two years ago), added: “This is my first time at the Ada Sari Competition, though it’s my seventeenth competition overall. But it’s the first time I’m leaving without a prize.”

Tomorrow, the sixth day of the competition, will feature rehearsals for the finalists with the orchestra, as well as the jurors’ traditional visit to Stary Sącz—the hometown of Ada Sari, where memorabilia of the competition’s patron are displayed in the local museum.

In the evening, at 7 PM, the accompanying concert will take place at the SOKÓŁ Małopolska Culture Centre, dedicated to Ada Sari—the patron of the Festival and Competition—and to Prof. Helena Łazarska, the founder and long-standing Artistic Director of the event. The performers will include past laureates: Adriana Ferfecka, Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk, Gabriela Legun, and Hanna Okońska, accompanied by pianist Manfred Schiebel. The concert will be hosted by Anna Woźniakowska and will feature works by Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, and Moniuszko, among others. Tickets (25 and 30 PLN) are still available at the MCK SOKÓŁ box office. Everyone is welcome!