Popławski Adolf, *27 March 1881 Stroki (Starokonstantinovsky Uyezd, Volhynian Governorate), †21 November 1965 Warsaw, Polish singer (bass) and opera director. He studied singing at the Kyiv Conservatory (1900–1905) and directing under K. Stanislavsky in Moscow (1909). He completed his music studies in Milan and Paris (1911). He made his debut as a singer in 1905 at the Kyiv Opera in the role of Pimen in M. Musorgsky’s Boris Godunov. He was affiliated with the Kharkiv Opera from 1906 to 1920. He made guest appearances in Kyiv, Saint Petersburg, and Moscow. He began his directing career at the Muzykalnaja Drama theatre in Saint Petersburg, then continued it in Kharkiv and Kyiv. In 1920 he came to Warsaw and took up the post of director at the Teatr Wielki, serving in that capacity from 1920 to 1930 (principal director, 1925–1930), in 1931/1932, and 1936/1937. In the 1930/1931 season, he was director of the theatre. He staged more than 100 operas, and prepared, among others, the world premieres of works by K. Szymanowski (Hagith, 1922, King Roger, 1926), E. Młynarski (Noc letnia, 1924), T. Joteyko (Zygmunt August, 1925), L. Różycki (Beatrix Cenci, 1927). However, his stagings, including Moniuszko’s and Wagner’s works, were regarded as innovative. After the war he was director of the Silesian Opera in Bytom (1946–1949), the Wrocław Opera (1949–1953) and the Poznań Opera House in Poznań (1953–1959).
