Zofia Janukowicz-Pobłocka
One of the most distinguished Polish singers. Currently professor at the Gdansk Medical Academy, for many years she was dean of the Vocal Faculty and head of the Vocal Department. After her studies with Prof. Barbara Iglikowska (at the Sopot College of Music) she improved her vocal skills in Italy and completed with honours the master class in musical interpretation at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome (1960-61). In 1955 she won first prize in the National Singing Competition in Warsaw. In 1959 she won the Gold Medal in the International Vocal Competition in Hertogenbosch (Holland), which launched her European concert career. In 1961 she received a Polish Radio award for her interpretation of Szymanowski’s and Lustoslawski’s songs. Throughout her career she popularized Polish songs, also those from her native Kashubia region. She has given concerts in Japan and the USA. She has made recordings (for Polskie Nagrania, the Dutch Radio Hilversum, the Soviet Radio) with the accompaniment of piano, harpsichord, organ and symphonic orchestras (e.g. in Moscow, Hilversum, and Katowice). A few quotations from reviews:
…The Polish soprano controls her voice superbly even in the most difficult parts. She has an excellent technique which she uses without any effort while reading the composer’s intention with extreme accuracy. (Denmark 1971); …Zofia Janukowicz, who won the first prize in an international competition in the Netherlands, was accompanied on piano by her 14-year-old daughter Ewa Poblocka. (…) The Polish singer demonstrated a voice of beautiful timbre and great flexibility. Her virtuoso interpretation of Rossini was full of charming simplicity. Her performance of Tchaikovsky’s romances was expressive and very moving. The suggestive accompaniment by the young Ewa Poblocka contributed to the huge overall success of the two artists (The Soviet Union 1971).