Operas were performed in Poland as far back as the seventeenth century, and a high point of Polish opera occurred in the late eighteenth century, during the reign of the last Polish king, Stanisław August Poniatowski, when the National Theatre was founded and when first operas were written in Polish.

The big names of Polish opera and theatre include Wojciech Bogusławski, Józef Elsner, Karol Kurpiński and, above all, Stanisław Moniuszko considered the “father of Polish national opera” and the greatest figure in nineteenth century Polish music after Fryderyk Chopin.

Today, the Polish National Opera regularly tours abroad and its productions can be viewed by audiences across the world.

Polish opera singers such as Aleksandra Kurzak (soprano), Piotr Beczała (tenor) and Jakub Józef Orliński (countertenor) often perform at the world’s leading opera houses – from New York’s Metropolitan Opera through London’s Royal Opera House to Milan’s La Scala.

Take a virtual tour of Warsaw’s Grand Theatre, one of the largest theatres in Europe, home to the Polish national theatre, opera and ballet!

#DiscoverPoland

🔎gov.pl/diplomacy/discover-poland

🎭vod.teatrwielki.pl/en/