Born in Toruń, on February 24, 1952, contralto Jadwiga Rappé was one of Poland's most popular classical singers. She studied at Warsaw University and took lessons with Zofia Brégy at the Chopin Institute, then with Jerzy Artysz at the Wrocław Academy. After winning first prize at the Leipzig International Bach Competition in 1980 and the gold medal at the Bordeaux International Festival for Young Soloists the following year, Jadwiga Rappé collaborated on several recordings by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, performing Bach's Matthäus-Passion and Mass in B minor. She tackles the modern and contemporary repertoires with Penderecki's Polish Requiem and several collections of songs by Lutosławski, Żeleński or Górecki, alongside regular guest appearances in Mahler's symphonies or lieder. Her specific vocal range is also at the service of opera in Warsaw, with Handel(Amadigi di Gaula), Gluck(Orpheus and Eurydice), Ponchielli(La Gioconda), Tchaikovsky(The Queen of Spades) or Verdi(Falstaff). She also took part in a production of Wagner's Ring des Nibelungen at the Berlin Opera, London, Vienna and the Festival d'Orange, conducted by Bernard Haitink. She then became a member of the jury of the Hertogenbosch International Singing Competition. Jadwiga Rappé died in Warsaw on May 16, 2025, aged 73.
