Prof. Jadwiga Rappé

Professor Jadwiga Rappé

Jadwiga Rappé, one of Poland's most outstanding singers, graduated from the Department of Slavonic Philology at Warsaw University. She began to learn to sing under Zofia Brégy and then continued her studies under Jerzy Artysz. She graduated with honours from the Academy of Music in Wrocław in 1984. She won the first prize at the International Bach Competition in Leipzig in 1980. A year later she won a gold medal at the Young Soloists Festival in Bordeaux.
Jawiga Rappé is an oratory and cantata singer. She sings music from several different periods, from baroque to contemporary times (including the monumental works of Krzysztof Penderecki and Alfred Schnittke). She also has a rich song repertory in which she presents over a dozen stylistically diversified recitals. She has sung at the most famous concert halls in Europe and North America and has worked with such great conductors as Richardo Chailly, Colin Davies, Charles Dutoit, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Mścisław Roztropowicz, Seiji Ozawa, Kent Nagano, Armin Jordan, Lorin Maazel, Krzysztof Penderecki, and many others. She has sung at many international music festivals including Salzburg Festspiele, Festival de Paris, Orange Festival, Brucknerfest Linz, Styriarte Graz, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, MDR Musiksommer, Wratislavia Cantans and Warsaw Autumn. She is often invited to sing the music of Gustav Mahler and has all his alto parts in her repertory. She is also invited to sing at first performances of contemporary works (the last one being Krzysztof Penderecki's Seven Gates of Jerusalem conducted by Lorin Maazel, Jerusalem 1997) and of works specially composed for her original voice.
Jadwiga Rappé also sings the alto parts in operas by Gluck, Händel, Ponchielli, Verdi and Richard Strauss. Her goddess Erda in Wagner's Ring was also a great success. She has sung this part at first nights at Deutsche Oper Berlin, London's Covent Garden, The Royal Opera in Brussels, Orange Festival, Wiener Staatsoper, Frankfurt am Main, Grand Theatre Geneva and also as a visiting performer in other theatres. She has recorded this part for EMI in a production directed by Bernard Haitink.
Jadwiga Rappé's discography numbers more than 35 titles. Most of her recordings were made for BMG Music, Teldec, Erato, Denon, Orfeo, Naxos, Philips, Eterna, Decca, Polskie Nagrania, Chandos, Polish Radio/KOS Records, CD Accord and DUX. Her recording of Mieczyslaw Karlowicz's songs (with Ewa Poblocka at the piano) won the award of the Polish phonographic industry, Fryderik '98 and the recording of Krzysztof Penderecki's Seven Gates of Jerusalem ("Live from Musikverein") with her rendering, directed by Kazimierz Kord, won the Fryderyk 2001 award.
Jadwiga Rappé is often invited to sit on the juries of national and international singing competitions. Jadwiga Rappé began to teach at the F. Chopin Secondary Music School in Warsaw in 1996 and she has been teaching her own class of solo singing at the F. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw since 2000. She also teaches master classes.

Compiled by: The Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music