Kiepura, Władysław (EN)

Kiepura Władysław, pseud. Władysław Ladis, *30 March 1904 Sosnowiec, †11 June 1998 Fort Lauderdale (the USA), Polish opera singer, tenor, brother of Jan. He studied philosophy at the University of Warsaw and studied singing in Milan. Scout activist, volunteer in the war in 1919 (during which he was wounded), participated in the plebiscite in Upper Silesia. He performed at the opera in Warsaw and Lviv and played the role of Jontek in the 1937 film Halka (directed by J. Gardan). He was also a soloist on opera stages in Germany; in 1935, he led the production of Moniuszko’s Halka in Hamburg, singing the role of Jontek in Polish at the premiere. He recorded several albums for the Polish branches of the Odeon label, including arias from Halka and Tosca by Puccini. After World War II, he settled in the United States and, abandoning his artistic career, began trading in real estate.