WITH A VISIT TO THE COMPETITION'S PATRONESS

Today, May 11, there were no auditions scheduled for the XX Ada Sari International Vocal Artistry Competition in Nowy Sącz. As is customary, Thursday is set aside for the finalists' rehearsals with the orchestra. For the first time in the history of the Competition, the finals will take place outside of Nowy Sacz - in Krakow. The performances of young artists with the Krakow Opera Orchestra, conducted by Piotr Sulkowski, create many new opportunities for talent promotion.
On this day, also in keeping with long-standing tradition, the jury, chaired by Małgorzata Walewska - Artistic Director of the Competition, as well as Tadeusz Deszkiewicz - Advisor to the President of the Republic of Poland for Cultural Affairs and President of the Polish Radio RDC, and Liliana Olech - Manager of the Competition's Organizational Office visited the Seweryn Udziela Regional Museum in Stary Sącz, located in the family home of the event's patron. Representatives of the Competition were accompanied by: Jacek Lelek - mayor of Stary Sącz, and Andrzej Długosz - curator of the museum.

In the salon of the great singer, visitors had the opportunity to see photos and memorabilia of the artist, look through her famous mirror, see her famous gloves and rich correspondence, but most importantly to listen to her performance of the aria "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's opera "The Barber of Seville." The recording made a great impression on the jurors, which made the gift from the Competition organizers - a CD with a recording of Ada Sari's performances - all the more delightful. Flowers were also laid at the plaque commemorating the famous singer. In addition, the jurors toured the Poor Clares Monastery, looked at the Sącz Confectionery, which sponsors the event (macarons with the opera star's likeness have been making waves for several editions now), and had lunch at Villa Poprad, which also supported this year's edition.

Ada Sari (whose real name was Jadwiga Szayer), who died in 1968, was associated with Stary Sącz, where her father was mayor for many years. Her stage career, which began in 1909, led through theaters in, among others: Rome, Milan, Naples, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Lviv, Krakow, Vienna, Warsaw and New York. She gained worldwide fame singing under the baton of the greatest conductors of her time, such as Ruggero Leoncavallo, Pietro Mascagni and Arturo Toscanini. She was also an extraordinary pedagogue, bringing the Italian school of singing to Poland. Her students included famous Polish singers such as: Halina Mickiewiczówna, Bogna Sokorska, Maria Fołtyn, Barbara Nieman, Zdzisława Donat and Urszula Trawińska.

It is worth mentioning that there is a TV studio at the Competition. This is the fourth edition, when Karol Szafraniec talks to the participants, pianists and organizers with great flair and expertise. After the finale, the jurors will stand in front of the camera. The studio is very popular. So far, in this edition, 26 conversations have been recorded, which are broadcast during the breaks of the auditions broadcast live. They are later made available on the Contest's fanpage and website. Let's add that so far the audition broadcasts have been viewed more than 12,000 times.

Tomorrow, Friday, May 12, it's time for the final, which promises to be extremely interesting. Nine artists will compete for the laurels of the XX Ada Sari International Vocal Artistry Competition in Nowy Sacz: Hyejin Lee, soprano (South Korea); Lukas Enoch Lemcke, bass (Germany); Chao Liu, baritone (China); Celine Mun, soprano (South Korea); Weronika Rabek, mezzo-soprano (Poland); Liang Wei, tenor (China); Iryna Haich, mezzo-soprano (Ukraine); Adrian Janus, baritone (Poland); Justyna Khil, soprano (Poland).

The finals will begin at 6:30 pm at the Krakow Opera House. Winners of the Competition will be announced on the night from Friday to Saturday. The jury's verdict will be announced at the Malopolska Cultural Center SOKOL in Nowy Sacz. Both the Final Concert and the announcement of the results will be broadcast on: www.adasari.pl

Keep our fingers crossed!
Agnieszka Malatyńska-Stankiewicz
Competition Press Office