Born in Warsaw into a family of musicians, Jan Petryka grew up in Linz. Acquiring a solid base of music education at the Adalbert Stifter Gymnasium, he had a successful start as a cellist in Andreas Pözlberger’s class at the Bruckner Konservatorium Linz, winning numerous prizes in music competitions. He continued studying cello in Graz with Tobias Stosiek, graduating in 2008. At the same time, he also started taking singing classes with Gertrud Schulz and successfully applied for the singing department of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where he completed his Lied/Oratorio studies (Rotraud Hansmann / Marjana Lipovšek) with distinction in 2012.

Since his days as a student Jan Petryka has been involved in numerous projects, exploring the rich and variegated world of sacred music and Lied. He gained considerable experience and broadened his repertoire throughout numerous performances, establishing himself as a versatile concert and oratorio singer at an early stage.

His collaboration with renowned ensembles - including among others the Arnold Schoenberg Chor, the Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, the Bruckner Orchester Linz and Les Musiciens du Louvre - strengthened his position as an up-and-coming young concert singer. In his birth city Warsaw, Jan gave a memorable debut performing in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at the Polish National Warsaw Chamber Opera. At his first appearance at the Lucerne Festival, he embodied the title role in Handel's Belshazzar conducted by Marcus Creed.

Beside carrying out an intense concert activity, Jan Petryka also performed on several opera stages such as the Wiener Staatsoper (Wilfried Hiller: Das Traumfresserchen), Ferrara’s Teatro Comunale (Ferdinando Bertoni: Orfeo ed Euridice) and Theater an der Wien (Franz Schubert’s oratorio Lazarus). As a member of the opera studio of Opéra de Lyon, Jan Petryka sang the roles of Tamino and Erster Geharnischter in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, as well as Pietro and Jüngling in Franz Schreker’s Die Gezeichneten.

In terms of repertoire, the Baroque Era represents one of Jan Petryka’s main focal points of attention. Bach Consort Wien, Orchester der Wiener Akademie, L’Orfeo Barockorchester, Concerto Stella Matutina, La Chapelle Rhénane, Solamente Naturali, Collegium Vocale Luzern as well as Arte dei Suonatori are only some of the ensembles of this genre which appreciate Jan Petryka’s firm skills in style and coloratura. Several projects with the world-renowned ensemble Cinquecento Renaissance Vokal improved his understanding of polyphony and Early Music, expanding his horizons and musical variety of expression. His intense work on Lied and vocal chamber music led to important collaborations with Robert Holl, Helmut Deutsch, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Roger Vignoles, Matthias Lademann and David Lutz. Petryka gave his successful debut with a variety of Schubert works at the Oxford Lieder Festival, accompanied by Julius Drake, Sholto Kynoch and Deirdre Brenner. As a regular and welcome guest at festivals such as Internationaal Lied Festival Zeist, Brahmsfest Mürzzuschlag or Festival Cully Classique, he convinced many audiences of his talent and devotion to Lied.

As Novice in Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd, Jan gave his debut at Prague’s National Theater back in 2018, followed by roles such as Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with the Israel Chamber Orchestra and Jacquino in Beethoven’s Fidelio at the Styriarte Festival in Graz under the baton of Andrés Orozco-Estrada. In addition, Jan appeared as a soloist in Johannes Brahms’ Liebesliederwalzer at the Oxford Lieder Festival, which will be featured also in a recital program at the Musikverein Regensburg during the current concert season 2019/2020.

His particular affinity for contemporary music is expressed by close relations and regular work with some of its leading composers: Johanna Doderer, Kurt Schwertsik, Elisabeth Naske as well as Tristan Schulze have contributed their works to Jan Petryka’s repertoire and dedicated many of them to this versatile lyrical tenor.

Further highlights comprise an extensive European tour with Thomas Hengelbrock and his Balthasar-Neumann-Chor und -Ensemble, with Mozart’s Requiem being performed in Baden-Baden, Basel, Berlin, Brussels, Dortmund, Athens, Barcelona, Bologna and Pavia, Bach’s Magnificat in Tokyo as well as Gottfried von Einem’s Der Prozess (concert version) at the Wiener Konzerthaus. Furthermore, Jan appeared as a soloist in Bach’s cantata Christen, ätzet diesen Tag (BWV 63) at the Philharmonie Berlin under the baton of Vladimir Jurowski. As a recitalist, he also joined the prestigious Schubertiade Festival in Hohenems for a Sacred music recital and a Lieder recital, the latter along with Sir András Schiff and Robert Holl.

Along with Sir András Schiff and the mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska, Jan Petryka will give a Lied recital at the Salzburg Festival 2020 with Leoš Janáček’s The Diary of One Who Disappeared.

2019 | 2020

www.janpetryka.com

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