The 15th international competition Concorso Musicale Città di Filadelfia Premio Speciale “Paolo Serrao” took place at the Palazzo Santa Chiara in Tropea, Italy, known as the pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea, between May 8 -12, 2024, as part of the Philadelphia Festival. Mezzo-soprano Weronika Włodarczyk, a master's student at the Vocal Department of the Academy of Art in Szczecin (class of Prof. Sylwia Burnicka-Kalischewska), won 1^st place with 96 out of 100 points, which was the highest score in the vocal category.

Veronika was selected to present a piece by W.A. Mozart's “Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte” in the winners' concert. She was accompanied at the piano by the excellent Czech pianist Maxim Averkiev.

Also, Veronika's Chinese classmate Liu Yaxuan from the same class won laurels - 2^nd place and 91 points out of 100.

Sylwia Burnicka-Kalischewska

Photo: Barbara Włodarczyk