ResearchWorks: Voicing the Contemporary: New Polish Vocal Music in Practice

In this ResearchWorks session, internationally acclaimed Polish soprano and researcher, Joanna Freszel, invites the audience into the sound world of contemporary Polish vocal music. Drawing on her successful performance career and her doctoral research (New Vocal Tasks in Selected Polish Contemporary Works), she will present and discuss some of the most compelling recent compositions for voice by Polish composers including Agata Zubel, Aleksander Kościów, Sławomir Zamuszko, and Jagoda Szmytka.

Freszel’s debut album Real Life Song – the artistic output of her doctoral project –features eight world premieres and was nominated in two categories for the Fryderyk Awards. The programme showcases a diverse range of techniques and expressive palettes, forming the foundation for her insights into the performer’s role in shaping new vocal repertoire.

This presentation will include live demonstrations and recorded excerpts, offering a closer look at extended techniques, interpretative choices, and the collaborative processes between vocalist and composer. Freszel will reflect on the artistic and technical demands of contemporary works, as well as the pedagogical implications of her research.

Speaker: Joanna Freszel

Joanna Freszel is a multi-award-winning Polish soprano and one of Europe’s leading interpreters of contemporary vocal music. She is a recipient of the Polityka Passport, the “Young Poland” scholarship, multiple Fryderyk Awards, and the Prix de la SACD from the Académie du DisqueLyrique. Her debut album Real Life Song, featuring eight premieres by Polish composers, was nominated in two categories at the Fryderyk Awards and continues to be widely recognised for its artistic innovation and vocal virtuosity. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts with distinction from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, where her doctoral project explored the technical and expressive demands of Polish vocal repertoire from the past 60 years. A sought-after soloist, Freszel has performed at major festivals and opera houses across Europe and the US, including Grand Theatre – National Opera (TWiON) in Warsaw, the Estonian National Opera, and NOSPR.

She currently teaches at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków. Joanna is also the creator of the educational platforms poGŁOSka and samoŚPIEW, which support singers and composers engaging with contemporary vocal practices.
 

Guildhall School’s ResearchWorks is a programme of events centred around the School’s research activity, bringing together staff, students and guests of international standing. We run regular events throughout the term intended to share the innovative research findings of the School and its guests with students, staff and the public.