Dowiakowska, Bronisława (EN)

Dowiakowska Bronisława Apolonia Izabela, née Klimonowicz, *9 February 1840 Warsaw, †3 February 1910 Warsaw, Polish soprano singer. She studied singing from 1854 with J. Quattrini. She made her first concert appearance on 25 February 1857. On 20 April 1858 she debuted at the Grand Theatre in the role of Leonora in Alessandro Stradella by F. Flotow. On 1 March 1859 she was permanently engaged in the ensemble of the Warsaw Government Theatres, where she performed until 2 September 1894, after which she retired from the stage and devoted herself to teaching. In the years 1873, 1880, and 1885 she appeared as a guest in Lviv, in 1873 in Krakow, in 1881 in Odessa and Kyiv, and in 1888–89 in Nice. She also gave concerts in Vilnius, Lublin, Łódź, Ciechocinek, Krynica, and other Polish cities. 

She possessed an exceptionally powerful voice with a wide range (a–e3) and excellent vocal technique, which allowed her to perform dramatic, lyrical, and coloratura roles (her repertoire included over 100 parts). She achieved particular success in Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots, Verdi’s Aida, and Wagner’s Tannhäuser. She also performed in operettas, mainly by Offenbach. She was regarded as one of the most outstanding Polish singers.