Born in England to Polish parents, Jacek Strauch read medicine at Queens’ College Cambridge, while studying singing privately. He received a Royal College of Music scholarship.
His artistic career gained momentum in 1978 after he received the Kathleen Ferrier Scholarship and the Decca Ferrier Prize. He made a debut singing Perucchetto in Haydn'sLa Fedeltà Premiata with Glyndebourne Touring Opera. He then joined the State Theatre in Saarbrücken. In 1984 he won the second prize and the Verdi Prize at at the Verdi Singing Competition in Vienna.
In the 1990s Mr Strauch was a member of the Municipal Theatre in Graz. In 2000 German opera magazine Opernwelt named him singer of the year for his appearance as Verdi's Falstaff, while in 2010 he received the Czech award Thalia for Hindemith's Cardillac. He has performed in Berlin, Vienna, Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Tokyo, among other cities, as well as at festivals in Edinburg, Bregenz, Vienna, and Prague. His repertoire includes German and Italian dramatic roles, ranging from Wotan to Rigoletto.
Photo: artist's archive