Held by the Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera, the International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition is the biggest singing competition in Poland. Established in 1992 by Maria Fołtyn, Polish soprano, opera director, and promoter of Stanisław Moniuszko’s oeuvre, the Competition sees its twelfth edition in 2025.
Every three years young artists from around the world gather in Warsaw to present their talents to outstanding representatives of the operatic world. For many young artists Moniuszko Competition becomes a launch pad to an international career.
The list of past prizewinners and finalists includes such excellent artists as Aleksandra Kurzak, Mariusz Kwiecień, Małgorzata Walewska, Olga Busuioc, Salome Jicia, Andrzej Filończyk, Krzysztof Bączyk, Joanna Zawartko, Ewa Tracz, Long Long, Gihoon Kim, Maria Motolygina, Gabriela Legun, Nombulelo Yende, Juliana Grigoryan and Jakub Józef Orliński.
Apart from recognized artists and singers, the Competition Jury gathers managers of top international opera houses. In the course of the eleven competition's, the Jury has welcomed among the others: Teresa Żylis-Gara, Gwendolyn Bradley, Regine Crespin, Mirella Freni, Leyla Gencer, Andrzej Hiolski, Jacek Kaspszyk, Kazimierz Kord, Tom Krause, Eva Marton, Elena Obraztsova, Wiesław Ochman, Ewa Podleś, Jerzy Marchwiński, Jadwiga Rappe, Izabella Kłosińska, Piotr Beczała, Mariusz Kwiecień, Olga Pasiecznik, Neil Shicoff, Edith Wiens, Tobias Truniger, Peter Mario Katona, Bernd Loebe, Jonathan Friend, John Allison and Evamaria Wieser.
From its very beginning, the Competition has been more than just fierce artistic rivalry at the highest level. It has also been a chance to promote Polish vocal literature to an international audience. The Competition's repertoire list includes the oeuvre of its patron Stanisław Moniuszko, the father of the Polish opera, as well as pieces by Fryderyk Chopin, Mieczysław Karłowicz, Karol Szymanowski, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and contemporary Polish composers such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Paweł Mykietyn I Paweł Łukaszewski.
As pointed out by independent observers, representatives of the world of opera, participants and jurors, the International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition has become one of the most important and well-respected singing contests in the world.
