Mariana Poltorak won the 21st Ada Sari Competition!

Mariana Poltorak, an Ukrainian soprano of Polish heritage and graduate of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, has won the first prize (43,000 PLN) at the 21ˢᵗ Ada Sari International Vocal Artistry Competition. The decision was made by an international jury chaired by Małgorzata Walewska, the competition’s Artistic Director. The soprano also received an award for the outstanding performance of a Polish piece – specifically for "Ha! Dzieciątko nam umiera" (Halka’s scene and aria from Act IV of Stanisław Moniuszko’s opera Halka).

The second prize (13,000 PLN each) was awarded ex aequo to two sopranos: Jessica Seo Jin LEE from South Korea and Etīna Emīlija SAULĪTE from Latvia.

The third prize (9,000 PLN) went to Polish baritone Artur GARBAS.

Additionally, the jury awarded two distinctions (3,000 PLN each) to sopranos Mariya MEDETOVA from Kazakhstan and Viktoriia SHAMANSKA from Ukraine.

The prize for the best performance of a contemporary piece (2,000 PLN) went to Ukrainian soprano Daria KOROLOVA for her rendition of Valeria’s aria "I never thought a boy who would love me" from Tom Cipullo’s opera Mayo. The same artist also received the Ada Sari Prize (3,000 PLN) for the most promising soprano, funded by Jacek Lelek, Mayor of Stary Sącz.

Meanwhile, the Helena Łazarska Prize (5,000 PLN) for the best performance of a Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart piece was awarded to Jessica Seo Jin LEE for "Temerari / Come scoglio" (recitative and aria of Fiordiligi from Act I of Mozart’s Così fan tutte). The prize was funded by Antoni Malczak, initiator and director of the Ada Sari International Vocal Artistry Festival and Competition from 1985 to 2019.

The final and the announcement of the results were streamed on adasari.pl and, for the first time, on the international platform operavision.eu, which offers free broadcasts and reruns of the world’s most famous operas. Over two thousand viewers from around the world tuned in.

The finalists received an abundance of prizes, not only statutory awards but also special distinctions.

Monetary awards, aside from those previously mentioned, which have been funded by local governments, associations, and private individuals, are financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage under the "Muzyka" Program and by the Sokół Małopolska Cultural Centre in Nowy Sącz, the main organizer of the competition.

The Competition is held under the honorary patronage of Minister of Culture and National Heritage Hanna Wróblewska and Deputy Marshal of the Małopolska Region Witold Kozłowski. It is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund – under the "Music" programme implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

Details are available in the jury’s official report: https://adasari.pl/