prof. dr hab. Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny

Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny, professor of musical arts, pedagogue, and organizer of musical life. She received her vocal and conducting education at the Academy of Music in Wrocław, her degree in biology at the University of Wrocław, and her managerial education at the Cracow University of Economics. Her achievements include dozens of world premieres of Polish music, 25 recorded albums, and over 80 individual and ensemble awards, among them the “Iuvenes Wratislaviae” Prize of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Silver Medal Gloria Artis, two “Fryderyk” phonographic awards, and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage Prize for scientific achievements.

From 2000 to 2014 she directed the Medici Cantantes Choir of the Wrocław Medical University, which she founded. From 2006 to 2021 she was Artistic Director of the National Forum of Music Choir. She is the founder and Artistic Director of the nationwide educational project called the Polish National Youth Choir. Between 2015 and 2022 she served as Program Director of the Choral Academy. From 2013 to 2016 she was curator of the Music priority for Wrocław European Capital of Culture 2016.

With the ensembles under her leadership, she has performed at, among others, London’s Royal Albert Hall and Barbican Centre, Leipzig’s Gewandhaus, the Philharmonie de Paris and Salle Pleyel, Moscow International House of Music, and Brussels’ Bozar. Outside of Europe, she has given concerts in Turkey, the United States of America, Russia, Israel, and Brazil.

As a guest conductor, she has collaborated with ensembles such as the Gabrieli Consort, Schleswig-Holstein Festival Choir, Chor der Bamberger Symphoniker, NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, Choir of the Grand Theatre – National Opera in Warsaw, and the Radio France Choir.

She is passionately devoted to pedagogy as a professor at the Academy of Music in Wrocław and through numerous masterclasses and workshops in Poland and across Europe. She is invited as a vocal consultant, juror of choral, vocal, and composition competitions, and expert in grant programs. From September 1, 2022, to December 31, 2024, she served as General Director of the Sudeten Philharmonic in Wałbrzych. Since January 1, 2025, she has been Director of the Wrocław Opera.