Ewa Biegas

Ewa Biegas
Born	March 3, 1977 Cieszyn, Poland
Nationality	Polish
Occupation	Singer (soprano)

Ewa Biegas (born 3 March 1977 in Cieszyn, Poland) is a Polish soprano.

Ewa Biegas studied at the Music State Schools in Cieszyn and Gliwice, graduated in singing at the Music Academy, Katowice, and from 1998 to 2000 studied with Professor Helen Lazarska at the Universität für Musik in Vienna, and graduated in 2005 with a PhD in Vocal Studies at the Katowice Academy.

Acclaim

Since the onset of her career Ewa Biegas has been successful at national and international competitions, and her awards include the 1st prize at the Polish National Vocal Competition in Wrocław (1996), the first class honor award at the Ada Sari International Vocal Art Competition in Nowy Sacz (1997), a competition award at the Internationale Sommerakademie Mozarteum in Salzburg (1997), the 2nd prize at the Anton Dvořák International Vocal Competition in Karlovy Vary (1997), the 1st class honour prize at the International Vocal Competition of Feruccio Taliavigni in Deutschlandsberg in Austria (1998), the 1st prize and four rewards beyond regulations at the International Schneider-Trnavski Vocal Competition in Trnava in Slovakia (1998), the 2nd prize at the Singing Competition of the Vocal Festival in Nowy Sacz (1999), the 2nd prize and the award for the best performance of Ignacy Jan Paderewski's works at the Paderewski Vocal Competition in Bydgoszcz (2003), and the 3rd prize and four awards beyond regulations at the Stanislaw Moniuszko International Vocal Competition in Warsaw (2004).

She has appeared in many opera productions in Poland and in Europe, and her most important parts include Lady Billows in Albert Herring by B. Britten in Vienna (1999), Rozalind in Die Fledermaus by J. Strauss in Vienna (2001), Friend in La liberta chiama la liberta by E. Knapik in Katowice (2002), Micaela in Carmen by G. Bizet in Katowice (2003), Tatiana in Evgeny Onegin by P. Tchaikovsky in Katowice (2003), Halka in Halka by S. Moniuszko in Cracow (2004), Leonora in Il Trovatore by G. Verdi in Cieszyn (2004) during the Viva Il Canto Festival.

She has been supported by scholarships from the Polish Ministry of Culture and Art, from the Thyll-Dur Swiss Foundation, and since 2000 on a scholarship from the Austrian government.

Recordings

She has also performed at many concerts and recitals, and recorded Joseph Haydn, Puccini and Stanisław Moniuszko, as well as songs by Boguslawski for Polish Radio.

Since 2004, she has been the soloist with the Cracow Opera. She has also recorded for Polish Radio and Television as well as for CD labels. Alongside opera appearances, Ewa Biegas has been invited to perform oratorio concerts in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Spain, Germany, Switzerland with notable Polish and European orchestras, and among them the National Symphony Orchestra of the Polish Radio (NOSPR), the Orchestra of the Silesian Opera, the Wrocław Philharmonic, the Silesian Philharmonic, the Torun Philharmonic, the Czestochowa Philharmonic, the Gliwice Chamber Orchestra, the Wiener Music Seminar Orchestra and the Polish National Philharmonic. She has also performed Halka.

External links and sources

• Profile at BBC