Dobrski Julian, *31 December 1812 or 1811 Nowe (Podlasie), †2 May 1886 Warsaw, Polish opera and stage singer (tenor). From 1826, he studied at the Warsaw Conservatoire in E.C. Soliva’s singing class; he also continued his studies in Italy, where, following a two-year stay, he appeared in 1848 in G. Verdi’s opera I Lombardi. Following his debut in G. Rossini’s The Barber of Seville in 1832, he performed at the Grand Theatre in Warsaw until 1865: in operas by G. Donizetti, G. Meyerbeer, K.M. Weber, D. Auber, L. Hérold, J. Halévy and G. Verdi. He was the first performer of the role of Jontek in the Warsaw production of Halka (1858) and Stefan in S. Moniuszko’s The Haunted Manor (1865). He captivated audiences with the beautiful timbre of his voice and the power of his dramatic expression. He took part in the freedom movement of the Spring of Nations in 1848, thereby incurring the wrath of the partitioning powers. From 1861, he taught a singing class at the Warsaw Music Institute. That same year, he began publishing a collection of songs by foreign composers entitled Echo. He also wrote several songs (Niezapominajki, Kochanek lutni).
Literature: W. Szymanowski Julian Dobrski, “Tygodnik Ilustrowany” 1865 No. 324; J. Kleczyński Julian Dobrski, “Echo Muzyczne, Teatralne i Artystyczne” 1886 No. 136.
