Polish Ambassador’s Residence- Alexandra Nowakowski, coloratura soprano; William Woodard, piano

RESIDENCE OF THE POLISH AMBASSADOR
3041 Whitehaven Street, NW, NW

ALEXANDRA NOWAKOWSKI, COLORATURA SOPRANO
WILLIAM WOODARD, PIANO

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2020 7:30PM

Alexandra Nowakowski is a 27 years old coloratura soprano of Polish heritage. Since 2018, Ms. Nowakowski has been with the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists program of the Washington National Opera. Her varied assignments with the company included the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and Zerbinetta in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. Ms. Nowakowski sang Nannetta in Falstaff with the WNO Orchestra, Gilda in Rigoletto with the Verbier Festival, and Mozart’s Requiem with the Columbus Symphony.

Ms. Nowakowski captured 1st Prize in numerous competitions: Kościuszko Foundation Sembrich Competition, Partners for the Arts Competition, Gerda Foundation Competition, Violetta DuPont Competition, the American Council for Polish Culture’s Sembrich Competition, and the Astral National Auditions. As the 2018 Winner of the Vocal Arts DC Art Song Discovery Competition, Ms. Nowakowski sang a recital at The Phillips Collection in Washington DC. She has won 2nd Prize or was a Finalist in many competitions, including the Moniuszko Vocal Competition in Warsaw, Poland, and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Ms. Nowakowski holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, and completed operatic studies at the Academy of Vocal Arts, Philadelphia PA.

Alexandra Nowakowski’s parents immigrated from Poland to the United States in 1986, and settled in St. Louis where Alexandra was born. They kept close ties with the Polish community, and Alexandra speaks Polish fluently. When the family moved to Chicago, Alexandra attended the Fryderyk Chopin Polish School in Palatine IL, and earned the equivalent of a Polish High School diploma. Alexandra keeps close ties with her family in Poland. She is honored to perform at the Ambassador’s Residence of the Republic of Poland.

William Woodard is a pianist/vocal coach and he joined the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera for the 2019-2020 season. William recently graduated from the Manhattan School of Music where he studied under the tutelage of Warren Jones with the Jensen Scholarship for Opera Accompanying. Previously, William attended Vanderbilt University where he was a Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholar and studied under Amy Dorfman.

While at Vanderbilt, William worked with the Vanderbilt Opera Theatre as a coach and rehearsal pianist on projects such as Mark Adamo’s Little Women and Michael Ching’s Speed Dating Tonight! He also played on Nashville Public Radio’s Live in Studio C Broadcast and performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto k. 415 with the Vanderbilt University Orchestra as a winner of the annual concerto competition. At the Manhattan School, William worked with the Opera Theatre department on Rota’s I due timidi, Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Britten’s Albert Herring. He performed in many masterclasses for teachers such as Martin Katz, Kathleen Kelly, Sir Thomas Allen, Jennifer Larmore and Diana Soviero. He has also participated in music festivals such as the Merola Opera Program, the Aspen Music Festival, SongFest, Bowdoin International Chamber Music Festival and AIMS in Graz where he was awarded the Outstanding Lieder Pianist Prize.

William made his Carnegie Hall debut in the winter of 2019 while participating in Renée Fleming’s SongStudio at Carnegie Hall. He is also an avid chamber musician. The KOE Trio, which began playing together at Manhattan School of Music, was selected to perform in flautist Tara Helen O’Connor’s masterclass through the The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center last spring. This season, he makes his debut Kennedy Center debut as an assistant conductor for Washington National Opera’s production of Don Giovanni. This summer, William is excited to join the team at Wolf Trap Opera as a coaching fellow. Program: Chopin, Moniuszko,Donizetti, Viardot, Delibes, Mozart. Buffet/Wine/- $160, Valet Parking, all- inclusive.