Registration, Rehearsals, and the Opening of the 21st Ada Sari Competition

"I wish the contestants success in presenting the best version of themselves," said Małgorzata Walewska, President of the Jury, who has served as Artistic Director of the Ada Sari International Vocal Artistry Competition since 2014. "But I would also like to encourage them not to treat the Competition as a race, but rather as an experience. It’s worth listening to the jurors’ advice to draw conclusions, and it’s worth forming friendships that will last for years," emphasised the President of the Jury.

The opening of the 21st edition of the Competition gathered many participants, jurors, and journalists. It began with sad news: two outstanding singers and former jurors of the Competition had passed away — the magnificent tenor Luigi Alva, who was in Nowy Sącz in 1995, 1999, and 2007, and the renowned contralto Jadwiga Rappé, who judged young vocalists in 2001. The young vocalists honoured the memory of these exceptional artists with a minute of silence.

Addressing the participants, Małgorzata Walewska reminded them that the event begins on an important day for Poland — the day of the presidential elections. At the same time, President of the Jury encouraged international contestants to vote for Justyna Steczkowska in tonight’s Eurovision final, praising her extraordinary vocal talent.

From Saturday afternoon, the competition atmosphere could already be felt at SOKÓŁ. After registration, young artists arranged rehearsals with pianists — some began practising shortly after their arrival. As a result, as the afternoon progressed, the SOKÓŁ Małopolska Culture Centre in Nowy Sącz resonated increasingly with music.

The competition auditions will begin tomorrow, Sunday, 18 May. Andrzej Zarych, Director of MCK SOKÓŁ, drew the letter "C" over a month ago, determining the order of the upcoming auditions. As usual, the Competition will consist of three stages, held in SOKÓŁ’s performance hall. In the first and second stages, participants will perform with piano accompaniment, while in the final, the young artists will appear with the Kraków Opera Orchestra under the baton of Marta Kluczyńska. The results will be announced late on Friday, 23 May. The Winners’ Concert is scheduled for Saturday, 24 May at 7 PM in the Lucjan Lipiński Hall of Nowy Sącz’s SOKÓŁ.

The three-stage Ada Sari Competition is highly demanding. The repertoire performed by participants is diverse — ranging from Baroque to contemporary compositions, always sung in the original language. Among the required pieces is also one work by a Polish composer.

The singers will be judged by an international jury, which, alongside Małgorzata Walewska – Artistic Director of the Festival and Competition, President of the Jury, mezzo-soprano singer, vocal pedagogue; Michael Barobeck – Musicologist, dramaturge, and Casting Director at Graz Opera; Viviana Barrios – Head of Young Artists Relations, Casting at Deutsche Oper Berlin; Andrzej Dobber – Baritone singer, vocal pedagogue, and Artistic Director of the International Adam Didur Opera Singers' Competition; Marcin Habela – Baritone singer, professor of Voice at the Geneva University of Music and the University of Lugano; Artistic Advisor for the Tibor Varga Academy of Music in Sion, Switzerland, and the Anargyriou & Korgialenios School of Music Academy on Spetses, Greece; Eeva-Maria Kopp – ArtProducer at the Bregenz Festival, soprano singer and vocal pedagogue; Sebastian Ukena – Opera Director and Head of the Opera Studio at Komische Oper in Berlin; Claudia Visca – Professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, soprano singer and Paweł Żółciński – Secretary of the Jury.

Ada Sari International Vocal Artistry Competition, initiated by Helena Łazarska and Antoni Malczak (long-time director of MCK SOKÓŁ), is one of Poland’s most prestigious vocal competitions. Held biennially since 1985, it is organised by the SOKÓŁ Małopolska Culture Centre in Nowy Sącz.

All competition auditions are open to the public (free tickets are required for the final and winners’ concert). Supporters can also cheer for the young artists online at www.adasari.pl. Moreover, for the first time, the third stage will be streamed on the international platform operavision.eu, which offers free broadcasts and reruns of the most famous operas from major European and global stages.

As part of the Competition, the organisers also invite attendees to a concert dedicated to one of the most outstanding figures in vocal history—the Competition’s patron, Ada Sari — and its long-time Artistic Director, Prof. Helena Łazarska. The evening, taking place on 22 May at MCK SOKÓŁ, will feature past laureates: Adriana Ferfecka, Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk, Gabriela Legun, and Hanna Okońska, accompanied by pianist Manfred Schiebel. Hosted by Anna Woźniakowska, the programme will include works by Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, and Moniuszko.

This year’s edition saw a record 210 artists from 40 countries applying—the highest number in the Competition’s history. Applications came from six continents (Europe, Australia, South America, North America, Asia, and Africa). Ultimately, the selection committee, composed of jury representatives, qualified 70 young singers from 18 countries: Argentina, Austria, China, Montenegro, Georgia, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, Ukraine, the USA, and Italy.

Agnieszka Malatyńska-Stankiewicz
Competition Press Office