Iwona Hossa

is one of the most prominent sopranos of her generation. The Artist’s domaine is above all precision and technical possibilities of her exceptionally comprehensive voice, unusual purity of the timbre and charming tone. Her vocal artistry was admired in numerous places all over the world, always fascinating the audience and gaining the respect of critics.

She is a graduate of the Vocal and Acting Department of the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań in the vocal class of Prof. Ewa Wdowicka (graduated with honours).

The role of Violetta in La Traviata in the production of the Opera House in Poznań is considered as an official debut of the artist. However, her first appearance in the opera took place two weeks earlier, when, replacing other singer, she sang there the part of Hanna in Moniuszko’s The Haunted Manor, and almost suddenly becoming main soloist of the theatre. She is also a soloist of the National Opera in Warsaw, where she first appeared also as Violetta. She is cooperating with many theatres all over the world.

Iwona Hossa has won many prizes including the Third Prize and Special Mozart Prize at the 6th Ada Sari International Singing Competition in Nowy Sącz, Grand Prix and Gold Medal at Maria Callas International Singing Competition in Athens, she is also a laureate of ‚Orfeo 2000‘ International Vocal Competition in Hannover. She also won the Amber Ring for the role of Constance in Abduction from Serail, the Young Art Medal for her achievements on the opera stages, the Andrzej Hiolski Prize for the role of Hanna in Moniuszko’s The Haunted Manor (performed in National Opera in Warsaw). In 1995 she received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and Art in 1995, and a scholarship for young artists from the Poznań artistic community in 1998, awarded by the Poznań Art Award Commission.

She has worked with such conductors as Charles Dutoit, David Lloyd-Jones, Gustavo Dudamel, David Agler, Maurizio Benini, John Neschling, Myung Whun Chung, Jose Florencio, Gabriel Chmura, Jacek Kaspszyk, Kazimierz Kord, Jan Krenz, Jacek Kaspszyk, Jerzy Masymiuk, Grzegorz Nowak, Krzysztof Penderecki, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Antoni Wit. She has taken part in several opera festivals, including International Festival ‚Vratislavia Cantans‘, Opera Festival in Bydgoszcz, International Festival of Contemporary Music ‚Warsaw autumn‘, opera festival in Carcassonne in France, the Wexford Opera Festival in Ireland, Rossini Festival in Pesaro in Italy.

The Artist’s repertoire includes several dozen opera and operetta roles, as well as oratorio and cantata parts from baroque (Bach, Handel, Vivaldi) to contemporaneity (Penderecki, Kilar, Górecki). She has also a wide art song repertoire. She has taken part in many world premieres of Polish contemporary music, including the music by Wojciech Kilar, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Marek Jasiński and Pawel Serafinski.

Iwona Hossa has an honour to cooperate with Maestro Krzysztof Penderecki for eleven years and her repertoire includes all of Maestro’s cantata and oratorio pieces.

She also made numerous CD recordings – EMI Classic – St. Moniuszko – The Hounted Manor, Naxos Recording – K. Szymanowski Stabat Mater (Grammy Awards 2008 Nomenee) or K. Penderecki Utrenja ( Grammy Awards 2009 Nomenee). She took part in the BBC production of Holocaust, A Music Memorial Film from Auschwitz, which was honoured with International Emmy Award in 2005.

In 2011 her solo album Hossa & Mesinger sings Karłowicz and Faure has been nominated for Fryderyki Awards in Poland.

In 2012 she has been done some more recordings with K. Penderecki Passio et Mors Domini Nostri jesu Christi Secundum Lucam (DVD) and VII Symphony – Seven Gates of Jerusalem (CD).

In 2011 received a Ph.D. in musical arts (UMFC in Warsaw) and in 2014 received a Habilitation in musical arts (UMFC in Warsaw). She teaches singing at the Music Academy in Poznan.

In 2013 she has been done a recording of Krzysztof Penderecki’s The 8^th Symphony – Lieder der Vergänglichkeit. CD box Krzysztof Penderecki; The Complete Symphonies conducted by the composer, is a Winner of Classical Music Awards 2014 in category Contemporary Music.