Ewa Podleś was a Polish opera singer and contralto who was known for her powerful three-octave range and performances on stages across the world.
- Died: January 19, 2024 (Who else died on January 19?)
- Details of death: Died in Warsaw, Poland, of lung cancer at the age of 71.
- We invite you to share condolences for Ewa Podleś in our Guest Book.
Ewa Podleś’ legacy
Born in Warsaw, Poland, Podleś studied at the Warsaw Academy of Music and made her stage debut in 1975, playing Rosina in Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville.” She rose to prominence in 1977 when she won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. She won further competitions in Geneva and Athens, Greece, that same year, catapulting her to international stardom in opera.
Podleś had major performances at the Grand Theatre in Warsaw in 1984, and that same year made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera (Met) in New York City and the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, where she played Rinaldo in the opera of the same name. For the next 25 years, she would perform on stages across the world, earning accolades for her powerful, flexible voice which spanned more than three octaves.
Podleś made her final performance in 2017, singing in “La fille du regiment” at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain. She continued to teach after her retirement from the stage. Podleś released or appeared on dozens of albums and was widely considered one of the most powerful Polish singers – and opera singers overall – of her generation.
Tributes to Ewa Podleś
Full obituary: The New York Times
