Iwona Sobotka
Soprano
BIOGRAPHY
Graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and continued her studies with renowned artist and pedagogue Tom Krause at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofi a in Madrid. She is widely acknowledged for her interpretations of Polish vocal repertoire — in particular the works of Karol Szymanowski.
In 2004, she contributed to a complete collection of his songs released by the Dutch label Channel Classics. On a subsequent release for EMI Classics in 2006, she performs Songs of a Fairytale Princess with Sir Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. She has also recorded Szymanowski’s orchestral songs for Polish Radio with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. She has also recently appeared in a series of recitals with the pianist Angel Cabrera, with whom she has recorded songs by Fryderyk Chopin for PlayClassics. Recent notable roles include Violetta (La traviata), Julia (Romeo et Juliette), Micaela (Carmen), and also Tatyana (Eugene Onegin in Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre). Ms. Sobotka has performed all over Europe, in the Americas, and Japan, visiting such prestigious venues as the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Konzerthaus, Carnegie Hall, Salle Pleyel, Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall and Suntory Hall.
She participated in many prestigious music festivals such as La Folle Journée, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Musical Olympus Festival, Wratislavia Cantans, Chopin and his Europe, among others.
Sobotka achieved instant international acclaim as Grand Prix winner of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium in 2004. Other awards include first prizes at the East & West Artists International Auditions in New York, the Warsaw Polish Art Song Competition and the Paderewski Competition in Bydgoszcz.
