Dobosz, Adam (EN)

Dobosz Adam, *3 August 1885 Żyraków (near Ropczyce), †20 November 1952 Warsaw, Polish singer (tenor) and director. After studying in Kraków under W. Żeleński, J. Gall, and M. Horbowski (baritone), he made his debut in 1908 at the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall (now the National Philharmonic) in a quartet of soloists in Rossini’s Stabat Mater. He made his operatic debut in 1909 at the City Theatre in Lviv in the role of Jontek in Moniuszko’s Halka. Dobosz then sang for several seasons at the Lviv Opera. In 1914, he arrived again in Warsaw and became permanently associated with the National Opera as a leading lyric tenor. He also performed as a guest artist in Lviv and Krakow. His best performances included the parts of Jontek in Halka and Stefan in The Haunted Manor by S. Moniuszko, Chevalier des Grieux in Manon by J. Massenet, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly by G. Puccini, Lensky in Eugene Onegin by P. Tchaikovsky. Dobosz was the first on the Polish stage to play the role of Eros in Eros and Psyche by L. Różycki and Shepherd in King Roger by K. Szymanowski. He was also the first to play the solo part in Szymanowski’s Symphony “Song of the Night”’ for tenor voice, receiving, as he later mentioned, some practical advice from the composer himself on how to perform it. His repertoire also included numerous songs, especially Polish songs. In 1933–1934, together with Z. Mossoczy directed the National Opera in Warsaw, which was experiencing serious difficulties in those years. He spent the period of occupation in Warsaw, and from 1941–1944 performed at the Teatr Miasta Warszawy. After the Second World War, he was engaged at the Silesian Opera in Bytom but mainly devoted himself to teaching. In the years 1945–1952, he worked at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice and from 1950 in Warsaw, as a professor and then Dean of the Vocal Faculty.