soprano of Polish origin Alexandra Nowakowski will perform at Alicante TeatroPrincipe next Monday, December 11, at 20.00, as part of the program of the Alicante Concert Ensemble. The artist will be accompanied by pianist Francisco Cholbi. This artist is known for singing with passion and has earned high praise from Opera News. According to the Concert Society, the soprano shows excellent technique and great facility with coloratura, capable of adapting to multiple registers.
The program features works by Joaquín Turina, Fryderyk Chopin, Jesús Guridi, Ignacy Paderewski, Manuel de Falla and Enrique Granados. Tickets are sold out.
A soprano at her best
Nowakowski, a Polish-American soprano, studied in the vocal department at the University of Illinois and the Philadelphia Academy of Vocal Arts, and participates in the Washington National Opera Cafritz program for young artists. She has earned awards in competitions such as the Columbus Cooper-Bing Competition, the Art Partners Competition, and the Marcella Sembrich, Gerda Lissner and Violeta DuPont contests.
During the 2022-2023 season, she covered roles including Barbara and Miss Latch in Kevin Puts written works, and portrayed roles such as the Voce dal cielo in Don Carlos and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Between 2021 and 2022 she covered Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Zerbinetta films and Ariadne in Naxos, as well as Gilda in Rigoletto. Recently she performed Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte, and sang successfully at the Barcelona Popular Opera Carnegie Hall in New York.
In October this year she debuted at the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Life Victoria Barcelona Festival with pianist Michał Biel. She recorded an album with Biel titled Kraina and is set to return to Carnegie Hall in New York for the Citywide Concert. The role of Manon is also set to debut this season in Manon at the Campoamor Theatre in Oviedo.
An expert pianist
Francisco Cholbi studied with Marisa Blanes and Carlos Apellániz at the Joaquín Rodrigo Superior Conservatory of Valencia and later pursued a Master’s in French Lied and Mélodie at the Escuela Superior de Música de Cataluña under the mentorship of Francisco Poyato. His passion for piano accompaniment led him to undertake development courses in solo and chamber music with teachers such as Albert Atenelle, Fernando Puchol and Victoria de los Ángeles. He has served as a repertoire pianist in various master classes with Fiorenza Cedolins, Victoria de los Ángeles and Ana María Sánchez.
Cholbi trained at the Lausanne Conservatory in Switzerland under Marie-Cécile Berthaud and has performed in venues including Teatro del Liceu, Teatro Real, the Friends of Opera in Sabadell, Palau de la Música in Valencia, Goethe-Institut in Barcelona and the ADDA in Alicante. He participated in productions from the wider opera repertoire including Susanna’s Secret and Voice of Humanity.
As a pianist, he contributed to the Ópera Actual Awards Gala at the Liceu in Barcelona with soprano Maite Alberola and at the Teatro Real with soprano Marina Monzó. He serves on the board of the Ópera Actual Foundation, which aims to support the careers of young singers and lyrical professionals. [Opera News, Concert Society]