In continued celebration of the Bicentenary of Poland’s first national opera composer POSK presents the UK premier of Jawnuta by Stanislaw Moniuszko.

Based on a libretto by Franciszek Dionizy Kniaźnin (1750-1807) “Cyganie” the opera Jawnuta is about a Gypsy fortune teller who kidnapped a child and raised her as her own. The child grows as a gypsy and falls in love with Stach but due to bad relations between locals and gypsies the relationship is doomed to fail until the truth about Chicha’s origins comes out.

The title role “Jawnuta”- the old gypsy fortuneteller is sung by Olga Maroszek who has been a soloist at the Lodz Opera Theatre since 2010 and this is her third production in London (she also sang in Straszny Dwor and Hrabina).

This production will also mark the UK debuts of two great Polish soloists.

Jolanta Wagner (soprano) in the role of Chicha- the kidnapped child. Jolanta  is a regular guest soloist of the opera theatres of Warsaw, Bytom, Krakow and is on permanent contract in Bydgoszcz.

Łukasz Gaj (tenor) was noticed  in a production of Jawnuta at the Dębica Moniuszko Festival giving a brilliant performance Stach (the leading tenor who falls in love with Chicha)

This first production outside of Poland features comic arias, romantic duets, intriguing dialogues, explosive choruses, dancing (Tancy cyganski and Mazur), orchestra and soloists directed by Feliks Tarnawski and conducted by Stephen Ellery. Previously the Polish Opera in London has presented Halka, Straszny Dwor, Hrabina, Paria, Fliss and Verbum Nobile and artists who have appeared on the POSK stage include international star tenors Tadeusz Szlenkier and Rafal Bartminski as well as star divas Agnieszka Adamczak and Monika Swiostek.