#
Born in Kutno, Poland, Aga Mikolaj studied at the Music Academy in Poznan with Prof. Antonina Kawecka, and continued her vocal education at the Hochschule f�r Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna.
Ms. Mikolaj took part in master classes with Renata Scotto and Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. (view Elisabeth Schwarzkopf´s words about Aga Mikolaj)
At the beginning of her career Ms. Mikolaj won prizes in several singing competitions: The Special Prize of the Ada Sari Competition in Nowy Sacz in 1995, The Public Prize and the G. F. Haendel Award at the 41st International Singing Competition in s´Hertogenbosch (Holland) in 1996, and 2nd Prize as well as the Verdi Prize at the Alfredo Kraus International Competition in Las Palmas, 1999.
Ms. Mikolaj’s professional career began at the Grand Theatre of Poznan (1995 – 2002), where she appeared as the Countess (The Marriage of Figaro), Pamina (The Magic Flute), and Rachel (La Juive). In the same period she performed with the National Opera House of Warsaw, Opera Lódz, Opera Wroclaw, Theatre Luxembourg, Theater Heilbronn, the Expo 2000 in Hannover, Festival Carcassonne 2000, and Festival Hoffmann 2001 in Poznan.
Since September 2002, Ms. Mikolaj has been one of the leading sopranos of the
Bavarian State Opera in Munich, where here roles include:
Pamina and the First Lady (The Magic Flute), Micaela (Carmen), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), the First Flower Maiden (Parsifal), Ännchen (Der Freisch�tz), Drusilla (L`Incoronazione di Poppea), Marzelline (Fidelio) and Eurydice (Orphée et Eurydice), Najade (Ariadne auf Naxos), Almirena (Rinaldo), and Musetta (La Bohème) among others.
Aga Mikolaj performs frequently as a guest with leading European opera houses:
Aalto Theater in Essen (Pamina in The Magic Flute; Eva in Die Meistersinger; the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro; Micaela in Carmen); Opéra Bastille in Paris (First Lady, The Magic Flute); Vienna Volksoper (Micaëla, Carmen); National Opera of Prague (Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni), the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opera Graz, and the Nationaltheater Mannheim, to name a few.
With the Vienna Staatsoper under the baton of Seiji Ozawa she was in Japan in 2004 (Don Giovanni).
Recently she sang again Donna Elvira in a new production at the Opera Monte Carlo. A performance which was reviewed enthusiastically by critics and audience.
Ms. Mikolaj recently made her concert debut in New York at Avery Fisher Hall
in Lincoln Center and her Glyndebourne debut on tour in autumn 2006 as Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte). Other engagements in the USA and Canada include appearances in Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Providence, and Montreal.
She appeared at the Bavarian State Opera in Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice in the title role conducted by Ivor Bolton, and will sing as well as in a new production of „Ariadne auf Naxos“ at the Munich Opera Festival.
A frequent concert artist, Aga Mikolaj has a large repertoire including major works from Bach to Penderecki.
Recent highlights include concerts of Mahler´s 4th Symphony and Music to Beethovens Egmont with Kent Nagano, Penderecki’s works: The 7 Gates of Jerusalem in Valencia and Warsaw; the Te Deum at the Festival Colmar and at the Festival Vorpommern-Mecklenburg. She has also performed in such venues as the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Muziekcentrum Utrecht Vredenburg, and Gran Canaria Symphony Orchestra Hall in Las Palmas.
Aga Mikolaj has worked with conductors: Marco Armiliato, Daniel Barenboim, Harry Bicket, Bertrand de Billy, Ivor Bolton, James Conlon, Jacques Delacôte, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Mark Elder, Adam Fischer, Asher Fish, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Leopold Hager, Michael Hofstetter, Marek Janowski, Mariss Jansons, Philippe Jordan, Zubin Mehta, Cornelius Meister, Kent Nagano, Tomáš Netopil, John Nelson, Krzysztof Penderecki, Daniel Raiskin, Peter Schneider, Karl Sollak, Stefan Soltesz, Constantin Trinks, Krzysztof Urbanski, Edo de Waart, Antoni Wit and Benjamin Zander.
Ms. Mikolaj can be heard on a recently released recording of Penderecki’s The 7 Gates of Jerusalem (Label: Naxos), which received a Grammy nomination in 2008 and in a new recording of Schuberts: "Die Zwillingsbrüder" & "Der vierjährige Posten" (Label: Phoenix).
In the season 2009/2009 she sings the role of Donna Elvira in the following cities: Wiesbaden (Hessisches Staatstheater), Tokyo (New National Theatre Tokyo), Berlin (Berliner Staatsoper unter den Linden) and with the Vienna State Opera on tour in Budapest.
With the Rolle of the "Countess" in "Le Nozze di Figaro" she was successful at the "Aalto Theater Essen" and saved at the last moment the performance at the "Bayerische Staatsoper München" on May 20th 2009. Her interpretation was highly enthusiastic acclaimed by the audience.
She sang in a recent Gala Concert in Palma de Mallorca together with Johan Botha, Bernd Weikl and Kurt Rydl - conducted by Karl Sollak. Together with Karl Sollak she recorded at the West German Radio Arias by Mozart and by Richard Strauss: "4 last songs" and the "Capriccio" Final Scene.
Together with Bryn Terfel she sang in a new production of Verdi´s Falstaff "Alice Ford" at the Opera Monte Carlo.
She sang in a performance of Mahler´ s 8th Symphony in Manchester conducted by Sir Mark Elder with the Halle Orchestra & the BBC Orchestra. She returned for two concerts in Madrid and Manchester (Schubert: "Die Einsamkeit" instrumentated by Detlev Glanert and Mahler: Symphony 4)
At "Teatro alla Scala" Milano and Berlin she sang with Daniel Barenboim in Wagners "Das Rheingold". She returned to Milano with Mozarts "Die Zauberflöte".
Concerts in Bergen (Songs by Szymanowski) Malmö and Poznan (Verdi Requiem and a New Years Eve Concert) were part of her concert performances.
At the Bavarian State Opera she was honored as best singer with the "TZ Rose" for her interpretation of "Micaela" in Bizet´s "Carmen" (her partner was Jonas Kaufmann)
In the new "Munich" Ring she sang with big success "Freia" in "Das Rheingold"
Recently she made her debut at the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre as "Donna Anna" in Mozarts "Don Giovanni" With this role she returned to the Tokyo Opera.
As "Donna Elvira" in "Don Giovanni" she made her debut in Los Angeles with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. She returned to the USA with concerts in Indianapolis with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Nelson. The program included Mozarts: "Exultate jubilate" and Brahms: "Ein deutsches Requiem"
Recently she sang in Antonin Dvoraks: "Requiem" the Soprano part in Paris with "Orchestre de Paris" conducted by James Conlon. This work she sang before in Berlin in the "Berlin Philharmonie". Under the baton of Daniel Raiskin she sang also concerts in Germany with the "Rheinische Philharmonie"
Aga Mikolaj steps in to sing in Verdi's Messa da Requiem with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Mariss Jansons on 27 and 29 September. The dates mark her debut with the orchestra, and her first collaboration with Jansons.
The concerts follow a successful summer for Mikolaj, including her critically acclaimed appearance at the BBC Proms in Das Rheingold, with the Staatskapelle Berlin conducted by Daniel Barenboim.
She sang Strauss "4 last songs in Poznan (Poland) and Macao and sang in Mexico City the adaption of polish songs by Witold Lutoslawski and Rachmaninov "The Bells". Six weeks after her sucessful debut she returned to the Concergebow Amsterdam with Poulenc "Stabat mater".
In honor to Prince Charles 65th birthday and his 35th anniversary of his patronage for the "Philharmonia Orchestra London" she sang a Wagner Gala at Buckingham Palace with this orchestra conducted by Christoph von Dohnanyi. She sang in Manchester with the BBC Orchestra 6 orchestra songs by Richard Strauss.
She sang "Rosalinde" in J. Strauss "Die Fledermaus" in Moskow, London (in englisch) and Warsaw. In concert she sang Mahler 4th Symphony, Beethoven "Missa solemnis" and 9th Symphony, Dvorak "Te Deum", Strauss "4 last songs" and a collection of Operetta Arias in Amsterdam, Paris, Dublin, Stettin, Lodz and Vilnius. In August 2014 she made her highly acclaimed debut as "Donna Elvira" at the "Ravinia Festival" with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Conlon.
In October 2014 she returned to Tokyo as "Donna Elvira" in "Don Giovanni". Following her Opera performanes she sang in the same city and Osaka 7 performances of Beethoven 9th Symphony conducted by Leopold Hager.
4 concerts with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra (watch the reviews on Aga Mikolaj´s news page) conducted by Benjamin Zander marked her debut in Boston. She will return to Boston in April 2015 with Giuseppe Verdi: Messa da Requiem.
Further performances 2015: Musikfestspiele Saar, Beethoven´s "Missa solemnis" in Bonn, Verdi´s Messa da Requiem in Bournemouth, Beethoven Symphony 9 in Indianapolis und Monte Carlo, Strauss "4 last songs" and Mahler Symphony 4 in Brussels and London, Brahms Requiem in Hilversum, Utrecht and Amsterdam, a New Years Concert in Lodz (Poland) and Verdi´s "Falstaff" in Tokyo.
2016 she returned already for the 3rd time to the "Orchestre de Paris" with Dvorak "Stabat Mater" and sang Strauss: "4 last songs" and Mozart: Requiem in Koblenz and Kuala Lumpur
