Preselection Jury
Professor Adam Zdunikowski, PhD
Tenor - a graduate of the Warsaw Academy of Music majoring in vocal and acting, and the University of Warsaw majoring in cultural institution management. Soloist at the Grand Theatre of the National Opera, winner of Polish and international vocal competitions. During his 30-year artistic career, he has performed on all opera and philharmonic stages in Poland and many around the world. He has had the honour of singing in the company of the leading Polish vocalists, the most renowned conductors and the best Polish directors of three generations. Since 2014, he has been a pedagogue at the F. Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, the branch of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Białystok and the Music School Complex in Warsaw. Coordinator of student opera projects and also a director. Chairman and jury member of national vocal competitions. Professor Adam Zdunikowski has been awarded the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture ‘Gloria Artis’, the Medal of Merit for the City of Kraków and the award of the Minister of Culture and Art ‘Ad Astra’.
Iwona Hossa, PhD
She is ranked among the leading sopranos of her generation. The artist's domain is primarily the precision and technical capabilities of her extraordinarily versatile voice, her extraordinary purity of sound and her captivating timbre. Her vocal artistry has been admired in many places around the world, where she always captivates audiences and wins critical acclaim.
She graduated with honours from the Faculty of Vocal and Acting at the I. J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań. She cooperates with the most eminent orchestras, conductors, directors and singers in the country and abroad. She is the Grand Prix and Gold Medal winner at the Maria Callas International Vocal Competition in Athens. She is a versatile artist. Her extensive repertoire includes works ranging from early music to the latest music.
She has recorded 27 CDs and DVDs, mostly of Polish music. Most of them have received prestigious phonographic awards such as the International Classical Music Awards in the Contemporary Music category or the Orphée d'Or, as well as nominations for Fryderyk and Grammy Awards.
Iwona Hossa had the honour of working with Professor Krzysztof Penderecki for seventeen years and has in her repertoire all of the composer's vocal and instrumental works. She has premiered many works of Polish contemporary music, including those by Krzysztof Penderecki, Wojciech Kilar and Jerzy Maksymiuk. She is a pedagogue and cultural manager. She has been awarded, among others, the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture and the Silver Cross of Merit.
Sylwester Kostecki, PhD
Graduate of the Faculty of Vocal and Acting at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw in the class of Professor Jerzy Artysz, winner of the J. Kiepura Vocal Competition, soloist at the Grand Theatre in Łódź, Warsaw, Poznań and the Silesian Opera in Bytom. He has performed as a guest artist on all major music stages in Poland and many important ones around the world. In 2005, he co-founded the ‘School of Masters’ at the Grand Theatre - National Opera in Warsaw. As Managing Director, he developed the initial principles for the recruitment and training programme for young students of the vocal art. From 2012 to 2014, he held the position of Head of Coordination of Artistic Work at the Grand Theatre in Łódź. He has collaborated with the most eminent artists of Polish opera. He has a rich opera, operetta and oratorio repertoire to his credit and has sung in around 1500 performances and concerts on stage.