Poland: Izabela Matuła

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World and Song Prize competitor

Izabela Matuła studied music theory and singing with Semen Shkurhan at the Krakow Music Academy, 2002-2008. She won first prize at the 2008 Deutsches Lied Competition at the Prague-Budapest-Vienna Sommerakademie in Austria.

In 2007 she won the Polish Yamaha Vocal Scholarship and first prize at the Slavic Music Singing Competition in the Katowice Academy of Music. In 2006 she was awarded a scholarship by the Polish Ministry of Culture and in 2005 the Grand Prix Award at the Oper Oder-Spree Competition in Beeskow, Germany.

Concert performances in 2006 included the Coronation Mass and Messiah conducted by Helmuth Rilling at the International Bach Academy in Krakow, Handel's Brockespassion in Wrocław in 2007, Wagner's Wesendonk Lieder with the Krakow Philharmonic in 2008, and Penderecki's Credo conducted by the composer in 2008.

She performed in Penderecki's Seven Gates of Jerusalem with the composer in 2004, released by DUX in 2008, and performed this piece again in Gdańsk, at the National Opera Theatre in Warsaw and at Auschwitz in 2008.

Her operatic repertoire includes Euridice (Orfeo), Dido (Dido and Aeneas) and Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro). In December she performed Sister Gabrielle in Penderecki's The Devils of Loudun at the opening of the new opera house in Kracow.

Izabela enjoys reading, trekking and cinema.

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009: concert three repertoire

• Ach, ich fühl's (Die Zauberflöte) - Mozart
• Bel raggio lusinghier (Semiramide) - Rossini
• Celui dont la parole efface toutes peines - Il est doux, il est bon (Hérodiade) - Massenet

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Song Prize 2009: recital two repertoire

• September (Vier letzte Lieder No 2) - Richard Strauss
• Gretchen am Spinnrade (Op 2) - Schubert
• Ya li v pole da ne travushka byla? (Op 47 No 7) - Tchaikovsky
• Var det en dröm? (Op 37 No 4) - Sibelius