Biography:

Jadwiga Rappé (24 February 1952 – 16 May 2025)[1][2] was a Polish operatic contralto, born in Toruń. Rappé studied Slavic philology at the University of Warsaw and voice at the Wroclaw Music Academy.[3] In 1980, she was awarded first prize at the International Bach Competition in Leipzig.[4][5] Rappé was focused on oratorio, song and large-scale concertos.[6][7] She made her professional opera debut at the Grand Theatre, Warsaw, in 1983 and thereafter remained a regular artist at that theatre.[4] She sang leading roles with other opera houses internationally, including the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Royal Opera House in London.[8] In 1988, she sang Erda at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in the Ring Cycle, followed by performances at the Covent Garden Opera, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Festival d’Orange, the Vienna State Opera, Oper Frankfurt, and the Grand Théâtre de Genève.[9][10] Rappé was teacher at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and the Academy of Music Gdańsk [de].[11] Rappe died on 16 May 2025, aged 73.[12]

Credits: