Polish National Opera Receives Photograph of Legendary Tenor Jan Kiepura
By David Salazar(Photo provided by Marjan Kiepura)
On May 15, 2025, a portrait of Polish tenor Jan Kiepura was gifted to the Polish National Opera (also known as Teatr Wielki, Opera Naradowa).
The portrait, originally painted by Boris Chaliapin, son of famed bass Feodor Chaliapin, had been a long-treasured family possession. Kiepura’s son, pianist Marjan Kiepura, and his wife, Jane, were present when the gift was revealed during a press conference alongside Opera Director Waldemar Dabrowski.
“Jan Kiepura came home three times. First in 1958 when he returned after the War with triumphant concerts in Poland. Then in 1966 when he was buried in Warsaw. And now for the final time to the Polish National Opera,” Kiepura stated during the press conference. Moreover, he told OperaWire that the decision to gift the painting to the opera house was because it was “the most appropriate location for a decades old family possession, and final home for the memory of Jan Kiepura.”
Kiepura was a renowned tenor who performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Polish National Opera, and Wiener Staatsoper, among others. He also sang in several movies during the 1930s alongside his wife Marta Eggerth.
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