prof. dr hab. Monika Kolasa-Hladiková

She graduated with honors from the Vocal and Acting Department of the Academy of Music in Łódź and completed postgraduate studies at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden in the class of Prof. Christian Elßner, as a scholarship holder of the Ministry of Culture and Art. She honed her vocal skills at masterclasses given by Teresa Żylis-Gara.

After her studies, she lived in the Czech Republic for two years. There she began teaching at music schools in Liberec and Frýdlant and performing in concert, with a repertoire of oratorios in the Czech Republic and Germany. Her repertoire includes alto parts in major works by J.S. Bach, G.B. Pergolesi, A. Vivaldi and Mozart. She has participated in the Kiev Music Festival Kiev Fest. In Poland, she has been a guest of the Łódź, Świętokrzyska and Lublin Philharmonic Orchestras, and in Ukraine, she has performed at the philharmonic orchestras in Sumy, Vinnytsia and Kharkiv. She has also performed at the Musical Theatre in Lublin and at numerous chamber, sacred and organ music festivals. She has sung in Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ukraine, Lithuania, Morocco, Switzerland, Denmark, and the USA. From 1994 to 2023, she worked at the Music High School in Łódź. For several years, she collaborated with the Chamber Music Department of the Łódź Academy of Music. In 2013, she obtained her postdoctoral degree in Warsaw, and in 2021, she was awarded the title of professor of musical arts. She was a professor at the Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, and currently teaches singing at the Academy of Music in Wrocław. She promotes Czech music and has recorded a CD with Ukrainian pianist Georgij Kurkow featuring songs by Antonín Dvořák, Bohuslav Martinů, and Leoš Janáček. Her next two CDs, recorded with pianist Aleksandra Nawe, feature songs by Tchaikovsky, Dvořák, Martinů, Janáček, Ryszard Strauss, and Mark Minkow. She has recorded for Polish Radio's Channel II, Radio Łódź, Radio Kielce, Radio Olsztyn, and for television in Poland and Ukraine. Her academic achievements include lectures at numerous conferences in Poland, the Czech Republic, the USA, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Ukraine, as well as numerous publications.

She was the founder and, for two seasons, the Artistic Director of the “Days of Music in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski” festival and a juror at the Fortissimo International Slavic Music Competition in Kharkiv, Ukraine. She composes poetic songs and children's songs to her own lyrics. Her original program for children has been performed at the Łódź and Świętokrzyska Philharmonic Halls and at the European Fairy Tale Center in Pacanów. She conducts vocal workshops in Poland and the Czech Republic, and also trains stage singers, choir conductors, teachers, and voice professionals. In her teaching work and during numerous workshops, she uses elements of body work to aid in voice development and rehabilitation. She is the vice president of the Polish Association of Singing Teachers.