The Polish Royal Opera started its activity as a new state-funded cultural institution on 1 August 2017, by the Ordinance of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of 25 July 2017. The Opera was established in order to meet the strong demand for a new chamber opera house voiced by musicians and music lovers alike. Ryszard Peryt served as the first director of the Polish Royal Opera, then his duties were taken over by Andrzej Klimczak. The current director is Magdalena Kaczorowska, who has been associated with the Polish Royal Opera since the very beginning of the institution, first as head of the Department of Organization of Artistic Work, and since June 2019, as deputy director.
The activity of the Polish Royal Opera is founded on three key pillars. The primary focus is on new productions of the greatest period operas, with a particular emphasis on Baroque and Classical works. Another significant aspect of the Opera’s mission is to revive the rich, yet often overlooked, Polish repertoire, including not only operas but also vocal and instrumental pieces. In addition to operatic productions, the institution is also active in presenting concerts. Both period and modern compositions, encompassing chamber and symphonic works, are performed with meticulous attention to achieving the highest level of artistry, striving to offer the audience a sound as close as possible to the historical original.
In order to fulfill all the above goals, the Polish Royal Opera employs a permanent team of outstanding artists. Apart from the extraordinary Soloists, the Chorus, and the Orchestra, the Opera has its own period instruments ensemble, Capella Regia Polona. The Opera also invites top-class artists of the Polish and international music scene – soloists, conductors, and directors – to participate in individual opera productions and concerts.
One of the top priorities for the Polish Royal Opera is the OPERA ON TOUR concert cycle. The primary goal of this program is to bring high culture to remote areas of Poland, particularly where access to professional theatres is limited. In addition to organizing events both in the capital and beyond, the Polish Royal Opera hosts three major festivals. The Summer Festival of the Polish Royal Opera held annually in July and each year devoted to a different theme, has become a permanent feature of the capital’s cultural scene. Launched in the autumn of 2019 under the name Music of the Kings of Poland, the In Tempore Regum – Music in the Time of Kings festival aims to popularize Poland’s rich yet lesser-known musical works from past centuries. Finally, since 2021, the Baroque Festival has taken a prominent place among the recurring events organized by our institution, offering audiences the opportunity to experience the masterpieces of 17th- and 18th-century composers.
The name, the emblem, and the activity profile of the Polish Royal Opera are a reference to the great origins of opera in Poland. Preserving the memory of theatrical achievements during the reign of King Władysław IV, who founded the first permanent opera theatre in Poland – and one of the first in the world – with a stage in the Royal Castle in Warsaw, the Polish Royal Opera strives to emulate the magnificence for which the Chapel Royal at the courts of the Polish Vasa kings was famous. On the other hand, the impressive building of the Royal Theatre in the Royal Łazienki Park serves as a reminder of the flourishing of opera during the reign of King Stanisław August Poniatowski, who initiated its construction. At present, this is the main stage of the Polish Royal Opera, an institution whose mission is to cultivate and popularize Polish musical heritage and to build and strengthen the Polish and European identity focused around the three Platonic ideals: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.
