On the last day of August 1919, the Grand Theatre in Poznań opened its doors with a performance of Moniuszko’s Halka. Thirty-one years later, the city’s premier opera stage would be named in honor of Poland’s greatest opera composer. Since then, the spirit of Stanisław Moniuszko has never left the building beneath the Pegasus.

With the construction of the Royal Theatre in 1804 (on what is now Plac Wolności), the history of permanent repertory theatres in Poznań began. The venue, with seating for a thousand spectators, served for the next hundred years as a stage for both Polish and German ensembles, as well as visiting foreign theatre troupes and others. Works by Mozart, Weber, Cherubini, Elsner, Dittersdorf, and Haydn were performed there. After the Prussian authorities issued a ban in 1827 prohibiting Polish companies from performing (a ban that lasted ten years), even Kurpiński’s works were staged — in German translation.

In 1870, the first permanent theatre company was established in Poznań, performing, among other works, operettas by Offenbach and Suppé, as well as the first Poznań staging of Moniuszko’s Halka (on March 8, 1873). Initially, in the first permanent Polish theatre built in 1875, nearly half of the repertoire consisted of purely instrumental works (performed by a military orchestra). Later, however, opera and operetta came to dominate the program, which was at times met with criticism. Before the current theatre under the Pegasus was built, Poznań had already seen performances of 11 works by Wagner (Tannhäuser alone had around 75 showings!), 9 by Rossini, 8 each by Verdi, Donizetti, and Mozart, 19 by Offenbach, 13 by Auber, and from the Polish repertoire: 17 by Damski, 12 by Elsner, 7 by Moniuszko, and 6 by Kurpiński.

The takeover of the Municipal Theatre by the Polish authorities in 1919 was marked by a grand celebration: on the evening of August 31, a performance of Halka was preceded by a morning ceremonial gathering attended by the President of Poznań, Jarogniew Drwęski, along with distinguished guests from across the country, including Kornel Makuszyński, Emil Młynarski, Zenon Przesmycki ("Miriam"), Józef Kotarbiński, and others. In the beginning, the stage also hosted theatrical plays and symphonic concerts, often featuring some of Poland’s most renowned soloists. However, it was opera and ballet that quickly established the theatre as one of the most important musical stages in the country. The pre-war history of the institution is marked by successive directorships: Adam Dołżycki (1919–1922), Piotr Stermicz-Valcrociata (1922–1929), Zygmunt Wojciechowski (1929–1933), and Zygmunt Latoszewski (1933–1939), whose leadership—abruptly cut short by the outbreak of war—had brought the theatre’s repertoire and artistic standard to a level comparable with the leading opera houses of contemporary Europe.

The repertoire of the Poznań opera in its first two decades included works by Polish composers as well as the 19th-century classics of Italian, French, and German opera. During this period, 12 world premieres of Polish operas and ballets were staged, including the Polish premiere of Karol Szymanowski’s ballet Harnasie (April 9, 1938), along with 18 Polish premieres of operas and operettas — such as Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, Borodin’s Prince Igor, Verdi’s Sicilian Vespers, Puccini’s La Rondine, Gluck’s Alceste, and others.

The carefully selected ensemble of performers and artistic collaborators included some of the finest artists of the era — among them Karol Urbanowicz, Maria Janowska-Kopczyńska, Zygmunt Szpingier, Maksymilian Statkiewicz, Bolesław Fotygo-Folański, and Mieczysław Rozmarynowicz — alongside outstanding guest performers such as Jan Kiepura, Toti dal Monte, Mario Battistini, Wanda Wermińska, Ada Sari, Ewa Bandrowska-Turska, Adam Didur, Stefan Belina-Skupniewski, and Pietro Mascagni himself, who conducted his Cavalleria rusticana in 1925.

For the next nine years, Zdzisław Górzyński served as Director of the Theatre (1954–1963), enriching the repertoire with Polish premieres of operas and ballets — including Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty — as well as enthusiastically received productions of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, Delibes’ Lakmé, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Paderewski’s Manru, and others. These were staged in collaboration with outstanding directors and choreographers such as Stanisław Jarocki, Feliks Parnell, Willy Bodenstein, and more, and featured acclaimed soloists including Krystyna Jamroz, Alicja Dankowska, Krystyna Pakulska, Irena Winiarska, Stefan Budny, Albin Fechner, Marian Kouba, Bernard Ładysz, Antoni Majak, and Władysław Malczewski.

The directorships of Mieczysław Nowakowski (1969–1972) and Jan Kulaszewicz (1972–1978) marked a period of new ballet premieres featuring Olga Sawicka, Wiesław Kościelak, Roma Juszkat, and Przemysław Śliwa, as well as opera productions starring Krystyna Kujawińska, Stanisław Romański, Aleksander Burandt, Barbara Zagórzanka, Ewa Werka, and Józef Kolesiński.

Among the premieres were the first Polish performances of operas by Britten (The Beggar’s Opera, A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Orff (Die Kluge), Bartók (Bluebeard’s Castle), Verdi (Don Carlos), Leigh (Man of La Mancha), Rossini (La Cenerentola), and Offenbach (The Tales of Hoffmann). During this time, the company also frequently presented Polish operas and ballet works on international stages.

In January 1995, Sławomir Pietras, a long-time director of leading Polish opera houses, took the helm of the Theatre. The repertoire soon expanded to include numerous new productions that were highly acclaimed by critics and audiences both in Poland and abroad. Among them was the world premiere of Mikis Theodorakis’s opera Elektra (first performed in May 1995 in Luxembourg, the European Capital of Culture that year), as well as notable stagings of operatic works such as Penderecki’s The Devils of Loudun; Verdi’s Nabucco, La Traviata, and Il Trovatore; Donizetti’s Don Pasquale; Puccini’s Tosca and Madama Butterfly; Moniuszko’s Halka; Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute; Rossini’s The Barber of Seville; Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov; Strauss’s Salome; Stefani/Bogusławski’s The Pretended Miracle, or The Cracovians and the Highlanders; Wagner’s Parsifal; and Bizet’s Carmen.

The Polish premieres of Jean-Pierre Landowski’s Galina and the musical Phantom by Yeston/Kopit also stood out, along with ballet productions such as Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Theodorakis’s Zorba the Greek, as well as performances for children and youth, including Katarzyna Gaertner’s Krasnoludki, krasnoludki… (The Little Dwarfs, the Little Dwarfs…).

The Grand Theatre cooperated with international festivals and opera houses in Baden-Baden, Brussels, Heilbronn, Luxembourg, Xanten, and Carcassonne. Bold and sometimes controversial productions prepared by the Poznań company and its creative team consistently won the approval of audiences and critics alike. The ensemble received numerous honors, including the Golden Rose of the St. George Foundation in Venice and a special award from the International Music Festival in Salsomaggiore for its interpretation of Verdi’s works.

With the appointment of Michał Znaniecki as General Director on July 1, 2009, a new era of artistic challenges began for the Grand Theatre, marked by numerous co-productions with major opera houses around the world. The 2009/10 season opened with a production of Verdi’s Ernani, created in collaboration with the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv and ABAO-OLBE in Bilbao.

On the newly established Wojciech Drabowicz Chamber Stage—formerly the theatre’s smoking room, adapted for the presentation of small-scale musical works—a new performance series titled Pocket Opera was launched, featuring one-act operas, unfinished works, and salon compositions.

Among the key pillars of the Poznań opera stage is a commitment to maintaining the highest quality of the so-called “everyday performance.” This includes enriching the theatre’s soloist ensemble with the artistry of guest singers, hiring the finest musicians, and collaborating with renowned conductors. Another core value is the creation of a diverse repertoire, enhanced by productions staged in line with contemporary theatrical trends—bringing together masterpieces of music with the unique vision of directors who are respected not only in the operatic world but beyond. These include David Pountney, Denis Krief, Kirsten Dehlholm, Pippo Delbono, Leszek Mądzik, Maciej Prus, Paweł Passini, and Ivan Vyrypaev.

The Grand Theatre’s stage has also supported emerging talent. Notable productions have been presented by directors such as Karolina Sofulak, Krzysztof Cicheński, and Ilaria Lanzino. Alongside seasoned soloists, the stage has welcomed young singers who are increasingly recognized on international stages, including Andrzej Filończyk, Aleksandra Olczyk, Krzysztof Bączyk, and Szymon Mechliński.

Care for Moniuszko's Legacy

The commitment to preserving the legacy of The Haunted Manor's composer, Stanisław Moniuszko, is evident not only through stage productions but also through various initiatives showcasing his body of work. Since 2019, concert performances of Moniuszko’s operas have been presented at the Berlin Philharmonic. The concert performance of Halkain Berlin was one of the key events of the Moniuszko Year. The success of that first appearance sparked great interest among German audiences, leading to two additional presentations: Paria (2023) and The Haunted Manor (2024).

A Transformed Stage

Between 2021 and 2023, the Grand Theatre in Poznań underwent a major renovation of its stage and orchestra pit infrastructure, carried out during the challenging period of the pandemic. The modernization included upgrades to stage mechanics, lighting, electroacoustics, and safety systems. The number and lifting capacity of fly bars were increased, and the screw-jack lift system was replaced with a cable-driven one, enabling more spectacular staging capabilities. Over 800 m² of wooden flooring was replaced, more than 60 km of cables were laid, and manual controls were replaced with mechanical ones. The lighting system was also overhauled, with 95% of the new equipment based on energy-efficient LED technology.

These new technologies allow performances to be operated by a single person using three mobile electronic consoles. Notably, the Grand Theatre in Poznań became the first opera house in the world equipped with an immersive spatial audio system and an Ambiance system to enhance acoustics. The renovation lasted over 25 months and involved more than 120 professionals. As a result, the theatre now boasts state-of-the-art infrastructure, reinforcing its position among Europe’s leading opera houses.

People Make the Theatre

The Grand Theatre is built by people—both in front of and behind the curtain. The massive operatic machine would be meaningless without its audience, for whom the theatre strives to expand artistic horizons and create a world they will want to return to. This would not be possible without the soloists who have chosen the Grand Theatre in Poznań as their artistic home—outstanding voices like Iwona Sobotka, Gosha Kowalinska, Ruslana Koval, Stanislav Kuflyuk, and Dominik Sutowicz, all of whom are recognized across Europe and beyond.

Since the 2023/2024 season, Jacek Kaspszyk—an icon of Polish conducting—has served as the Theatre’s Music Director. Under his baton, the artists of the Poznań stage have presented a concert performance of Paria (2023) at the Berlin Philharmonic, a premiere of Otello (2023), and a series of concerts—events that have resonated strongly in the musical world.

It is the combination of talent and hard work from artists, along with the commitment of the entire team—technical crews, workshops, and administrative departments—that enables the theatre to deliver a unique artistic experience, as recognized by numerous awards and honors. Mutual inspiration, openness, and trust in pursuing an artistic vision are fundamental values at the Grand Theatre in Poznań.

The Theatre’s Mission

The theatre’s dynamic growth is rooted in a mission that guides the Poznań stage: to reach audiences across different social groups, to move beyond an elite circle of connoisseurs, and to make opera more accessible. This includes participatory educational programs and site-specific performances designed to bring the essence of opera closer to the public. These goals are perfectly reflected in the motto that has accompanied recent seasons: #operaopens, and in the belief that international recognition is earned through local action. These local efforts, metaphorically speaking, are what carry the Grand Theatre in Poznań on the wings of Pegasus.