Festival Opera Discoveries

 Opera Discoveries 6th Contemporary Opera Festival

After a hiatus of nearly nine years, the Contemporary Opera Festival returns to the Wrocław Opera. The program for this year’s sixth edition features exceptional contemporary operatic works and another edition of the Choreographers’ Evening.

Opera remains a rapidly evolving musical genre that responds dynamically to the changing world around us—the Contemporary Opera Festival creates a space where the art form’s long-standing traditions meet its contemporary interpretations. We will experience two such encounters for the first time during this year’s edition.

The first is Michał Ziółkowski’s *GenOM*, with a libretto by Justyna Miguła-Damasiewicz—a multidimensional story about a return to abandoned dreams, set in the ruthless world of science. Its main character is Teodor Zaks, a charismatic, obsessive microbiologist who has devoted his entire life to the search for the “gene of perfection.” The story, however, chronicles his painful yet liberating downfall: Teodor discovers that what is biologically perfect is, in human terms, dead. Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny will serve as the production’s musical director, and Max Nowak will direct.

The festival is not just about opera performances; it is also a space to showcase extraordinary “operatic discoveries” in the truest sense of the word. One such discovery is undoubtedly the staged concert on September 13 featuring Franz Schubert’s *Winter Journey*, performed by baritone Tomasz Konieczny and pianist Lech Napierała. The song cycle was translated into Polish by actor Krzysztof Gosztyła. The performance will be complemented by a video directed by Adam Dudek, which will be an integral part of the event. After the concert, there will be an opportunity to meet the artists—Tomasz Konieczny and Krzysztof Gosztyła.

Mateusz Ryczek’s *iGranie z Potworami* (Playing with Monsters), with a libretto by Justyna Skoczek—the second of the festival’s world premieres—is an opera steeped in the night, where the quiet of an evening at home gives way to digital darkness, and the line between a child’s bed and a computer screen proves to be very thin. It is a performance about transition—from childhood to adolescence, from myth to technology, from play to responsibility. It is also theater that trusts its young audience and does not simplify the world. Instead of a fairy tale, it offers an experience—dark, beautiful, and disturbingly close to reality. The production is being created under the musical direction of Rafał Karczmarczyk and directed by Marta Streker.

On Sunday, September 20, the Baltic Opera company will make a guest appearance on the festival stage at the Wrocław Opera with a performance of Alek Nowak’s *The Voice of the Monster*, with a libretto by Robert Bolesto, directed by Agnieszka Smoczyńska, and conducted by Yaroslav Shemet. The work was inspired by a character from the film *Europa Europa*, directed by Agnieszka Holland, and the true story of Salomon Perel, a Jew who went into hiding during World War II by joining the ranks of the Hitler Youth. In this original adaptation, we are transported to the world of Greek mythology to view the phenomenon of war from a distance and observe its timeless archetypes. It’s worth arriving at the Opera an hour early that day, as a meet-and-greet with the composer and director will take place in the opera foyer before the performance.

As part of the festival, audiences will also have the opportunity to attend the fourth edition of “The Elements”—an evening featuring young choreographers, composers, and dancers. The Wrocław Opera ballet company will present over a dozen original works, which will be enhanced by compositions by students of the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław, performed by the Opera’s musicians.

Contemporary Opera Festival

Co-funded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage

 Opera Discoveries – The Contemporary Opera Festival kicks off on September 5! To make sure you don’t miss a single performance, we’ve prepared a great deal—buy a pass by August 16 as part of our Early Bird offer and get up to 50% off.

Passe s are available in three options:

Download the season ticket price list (PDF)

Season tickets are available at the box office and through the Audience Services Department by phone at 71 370 88 80 or by email at opera@opera.wroclaw.pl

Please note: This is a limited-time offer! Season tickets will be available while supplies last.