soprano

Iwona Sobotka achieved international acclaim by winning the Grand Prix and the first prize at the Queen Elisabeth International Vocal Competition in Brussels (2004). Other awards include first prizes at the Warsaw Polish Art Song Competition, the Paderewski Competition in Bydgoszcz, and the East & West Artists International Auditions in New York. Her versatile artistic activities include concert activities, opera appearances, and pedagogical work.

Since 2022, a soloist at the Poznań Opera House, where she debuted as Madama Butterfly and Tosca in concert performances of Puccini's works. She has also performed as the titular Rusalka in Dvořák's opera directed by Karolina Sofulak, Desdemona in Verdi's "Otello" directed by David Pountney, and Manon Lescaut in Puccini's opera staged by Gerard Jones. With the Poznań ensemble, she had the opportunity to perform at the Berlin Philharmonic, where she debuted as Neala in a concert performance of Moniuszko's "Paria" under the baton of Maestro Jacek Kaspszyk.

In the 2024/2025 season, the artist will expand her repertoire with new roles, appearing as Aida and Turandot at the Teatr Wielki in Poznań, Amelia in "Un Ballo in Maschera" at the Slovak National Theatre, and Senta in "Der Fliegende Holländer" at the National Performing Arts Center in Taipei. Additionally, she will reprise roles such as Leonora in "Il Trovatore" at the Estonian National Opera, Madama Butterfly at the Wrocław Opera House and the Grand Theatre in Łódź, as well as Rusalka at the Poznań Opera House.

Her plans also include numerous concerts, where she will perform in L. Janáček's "Glagolitic Mass" with the Czech Philharmonic under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, G. Verdi's "Requiem" with the National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw, and G. Mahler's "Symphony of a Thousand" with the Krakow Philharmonic. She will also appear at festivals, presenting R. Strauss's "Four Last Songs" at the Eufonie Festival in Warsaw, Szymanowski's "Songs of a Fairy-Tale Princess" at the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival in Warsaw, and Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.

In previous seasons, Iwona Sobotka successfully created roles such as Roxana in Szymanowski's "King Roger" for the Chicago Opera Theater, the Daughter in Shostakovich's "The Nose" for Teatro Real in Madrid, and Violetta Valéry in "La Traviata" at the Grand Theatre - National Opera in Warsaw. She has also appeared as Leonora in "Il Trovatore" for the Estonian National Opera, Rusalka at the Slovak National Theater.

Sobotka made her operatic debut at the Opéra National de Paris in 2004, where she performed as the First Lady in "The Magic Flute" and Ygraine in "Ariane et Barbe-Bleue". She portrayed Pamina in Barrie Kosky's world-renowned production of "The Magic Flute" with Komische Oper Berlin, appearing in Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Macao, and Taiwan to great critical acclaim. Other roles in which she has enjoyed great success include Tatiana in "Eugene Onegin", Donna Anna in "Don Giovanni", Magda in "La Rondine", Mimi in "La Bohème", Blumenmädchen in "Parsifal", as well as Liù in "Turandot" and many others.

In demand on the concert platform, Sobotka has performed top world orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, and Staatskapelle Berlin. She has also appeared with philharmonic and radio orchestras in Luxembourg, London, Vienna, Paris, Berlin, Helsinki, Warsaw, Barcelona, and Madrid, working with prominent conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Colin Davis, Semyon Buchkov, Marco Armiliato, Marek Janowski, Jesus Lopez Cobos, Juanjo Mena, Massimo Zanetti, and Vladimir Jurowski. In 2016, she embarked on a concert tour to Japan and Taiwan with the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle.

Iwona Sobotka is widely recognized for her interpretations of Polish vocal repertoire, particularly the works of Karol Szymanowski. In 2004, her first solo album was released by Channel Classics, featuring songs by Karol Szymanowski and distinguished with the Fryderyk Award by the Polish Academy of Phonography for outstanding recording of Polish music. Subsequent recordings include additional albums of Szymanowski's songs, recorded for EMI Classics with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle, and songs recorded with the Polish Radio Orchestra under the direction of Kazimierz Kord. In 2010, invited by pianist Piotr Anderszewski, she participated in the concert series "Szymanowski Focus", promoting the music of this composer in venues such as Wigmore Hall in London and Carnegie Hall in New York. Her latest album "SZYMANOWSKI", featuring the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic under the direction of Giancarlo Guerrero, presents a new perspective on the cycle "Songs of a Fairy-Tale Princess” op. 31, fully orchestrated for this occasion by Italian composer Bruno Dozza.

A graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, where she studied under the guidance of the eminent artist and educator Tom Krause.

photo by Łukasz Rajchert