Małgorzata Pańko
mezzosoprano
Born in Bialystok, Poland, Malgorzata Panko graduated Magna cum Laude from the Warsaw University of Music (2003), where she studied under the famous Polish mezzosoprano Krystyna Szostek-Radkowa. Malgorzata Panko is a laureate of many vocal competitions, including the Ada Sari Competition of Vocal Art in Nowy Sącz (finalist), the Polish Aristing Song Competition in Warsaw (1st prize), the Duszniki-Zdrój Competition (1st Prize in the oratory and song category and a Grand Prix), the Montserrat Caballe International Singing Competition in Andorra (special prize), and a finalist in the chamber opera competition in Rheinsberg (Germany). She also attended master’s courses run by Marjana Lipovsek, Ileana Cotrubas, Denyce Graves, Alberto Zedda, Tom Krause, Jose Van Dam and Margarita Lilova.
In Warsaw’s Great Teater- National Opera, she performed in Tchaikovsky’s “The Queen of Spades”, singing the part of Polina, in Giordano’s “Andrea Chenier” in the parts of Madelon and Bersi, in Berg’s “Wozzeck” as Margaret, in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” singing the Third Lady, in Kurpiński’s “Superstition” as Zosia, in Tansman’s “The Solemn Oath” singing part of Rosalie, in “Madame Butterfly” as Suzuki, in Moniuszko’s “The Haunted Manor” as Jadwiga, in Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Oniegin” as Olga, in Weinberg’s “The Passenger” as Krystyna.
She prepared performances with Laco Adamik, Achim Freyer, David Pountney, Maciej Prus, Mariusz Treliński, Krzysztof Warlikowski, Andrejs Zagars, Marek Weiss-Grzesiński.
She worked with recognised conductors including Gabriel Chmura, Lawrence Foster, Valery Gergiev, Jacek Kaspszyk, Kazimierz Kord, Miguel Gomez Martinez, Krzysztof Penderecki, Antoni Wit.
In Latvian National Opera in Riga, she performed major roles, including title role in Bizet’s “Carmen” and role of Charlotte in Massenet’s “Werther”. In this theatre she also sang Olga in Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Oniegin”
Her performances include the part of Melo in Haendel’s “Sosarme” staged in her native Academy in Warsaw, Olga in Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” put on by the students of the University of Music on the chamber stage of Warsaw’s Great Teater-National Opera and the Third Lady in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” in Rheinsberg. She also sang Olga in “Eugene Onegin” at the Silesian Opera in Bytom and Baltic Opera in Gdansk. In the Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz she sang Hansel in Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel”.
Her oratory and cantata repertoire contains works from Pergolesi to Penderecki: Masses, Stabat Mater and other works, including by Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Dvorak, Szymanowski, as well as Beethoven’s IX Symphony, Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky, and Mahler’s II Symphony. In addition, Małgorzata Pańko performs chamber music and songs.
She sang Verdi’s “Requiem” (2004) as well as Dvorak’s (2005) and Szymanowski’s (2007) “Stabat Mater” with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed on philharmonic stages at home and abroad (Austria, The Czech Republic, Latvia, Germany, Slovakia, North Korea, Italy, France, Russia, Belorussia). She also works with Warsaw’s Romuald Traugutt Philharmonic, with the orchestras of Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, the Pomeranian Philharmonic of Bydgoszcz and Kalisz, Cracow and Zabrze Philharmonics, as well as with the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Beethoven Academy Orchestra.
In 2006, she sang the part of the Old Lady in a concert production of Bernstein’s “Candide” and performed at the Warsaw Autumn 49th International Festival of Contemporary Music. At the 11th Ludvig van Beethoven Easter Festival in April 2007, she performed Frank Martin’s “Pilate” oratorio together with the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Lawrence Foster.
Her Performances included those at the concerts opening the 2007-08 artstic season of the Polish Radio Synphony Orchestra (Verdi’s “Falstaff”- Meg) and the National Philharmonic(Kurpiński’s “Te Deum”). She performed the”Polish Requiem” conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki at the Saint Petersburg Phiharmonic Hall, made another appearance at the Warsaw Autumn Festival and sang the part of Lysinka in Cherubini’s “Lodoiska” at the 12th Ludvic van Beethoven Easter Festival. In January 2009, she appeared as Polina in a production of “The Queen of Spades” conducted by Valery Gergiev on the stage of Warsaw Great Teater-National Opera. In January 2010 she sang under Valery Gergiev Olga in “Eugene Oniegin”. In April 2011 in Cracow with Sinfonietta Cracovia Orchestra she sang Mahler’s “Kindertotenlieder” conducted by Gabriel Chmura.
