Ukrainian soprano of Polish heritage Mariana Poltorak has won the first prize at the Ada Sari International Vocal Artistry Competition.

“I can’t believe this is happening. For me, this is a tremendous honour. I’ve worked hard for a long time, and now this award confirms that I’m on the right path,” said Poltorak, who has been living in Poland for nine years and had applied to the competition three times. This was the first time she got this far in the competition.

“The most challenging part for me was the second stage, where the jury selected which of the six pieces we had to perform. I was also a bit nervous about singing Wagner in the final because I wasn’t sure if my voice would carry over the orchestra. But I decided to take the risk because I wanted to showcase my voice from different angles,” she continued.

Second place went to Jessica Seo Jin Lee of South Korea and Latvia’s Etīna Emīlija Saulite. Third prize was given to Artur Garbas.

The jury offered distinction prizes to Mariya Medetova of Kazakhstan and Viktoriia Shamanska of Ukraine. The best performance of a contemporary piece prize was given to soprano Daria Korolova. She also won the Ada Sari Prize for most promising soprano. The best performance of a Mozart piece went to Lee.

The jury for the competition featured Małgorzata Walewska, Michael Barobeck, Viviana Barrios, Andrzej Dobber, Marcin Habela, Eeva-Maria Kopp, Sebastian Ukena, and Claudia Visca. The final was live-streamed via OperaVision, and audiences can still view that performance until June 23, 2025.

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