Freszel, Joanna

A graduate (with honours) of the vocal class of Jadwiga Rappé at the Fryderyk Chopin Music University in Warsaw, she has held scholarships from the Polish Ministry of Culture, Pro Polonia, and Young Poland programmes as well as ISA 2012. She was shortlisted for Fryderyk Awards in 2016 for her album real life song. at CD, published by DUX Records, also won a Golden Orpheus in 2016 from the Académie du Disque Lyrique – Prix de la SACD for Best Contemporary Music Performance. In 2017, she was nominated to the Coryphaeus Award and won the coveted Polityka weekly Passport Award. 

Her other accolades include the 2nd Prize at the Halina Halska Competition in Wrocław (2009), 3rd Prize and Special Prize at the Karol Szymanowski Competition in Łódź (2009), 1st Prize and three special prizes at the Reszke Competition in Częstochowa (2011), Special Prize at the Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition in Vienna (2011), and Giuseppe Sinopoli Award and special prize of the Frankfurt Opera at the ISA J:opera Voice Competition. She was also a finalist of the Viotti Competition in Vercelli (2012). 

She has recorded music for Polish films such as Copernicus̓s StarJoannaJohn Paul II, and Battle of Warsaw 1920. She has appeared at numerous festivals including Warsaw Autumn, Aix-enProvence, Contrechamps, Silesian Quartet & Guests, Saaremaa Opera Days, Opera in the Town Hall Festival, and Musica Polonica Nova in Wrocław. She has also sung at the UNESCO seat in Paris and the Megaron in Thessaloniki. Her roles include Musetta in Puccini ̓s La Bohème, Vénus and Phrygienne in Rameau ̓s Dardanus, Fiordiligi in Mozart's Cosí fan tutte, and Marguerite in Gounod ̓s Faust

She has cooperated with many philharmonics in Poland and Ukraine as well as ensembles such as Sinfonia Iuventus, Capella Bydgostiensis, Österreichisches Ensemble für Neue Musik, Camerata Viva, and AUKSO Orchestra. She regularly collaborates with the Estonian National Opera. She specialises in the performance of modern music but is equally successful in other periods' works. She is currently a PhD student at the Fryderyk Chopin Music University in Warsaw.