“Ola Rafało proved to be a mezzo to watch, with a strong Stride la Vampa” said Anne Midgette, for the Washington Post, when Ola was featured as Azucena and Amneris, in scenes at Kennedy Center. per Ola has laid the foundation of her career as a dramatic mezzo, performing most of Verdi's roles in her repertoire. She started with Fenena in Nabucco (Baltimore Lyric Opera, Opera Carolina), “Rafało produced the best singing of the evening, in spite of her role being smaller. "– L. Gazzola of Opera Lively. Ola continued that trajectory as Azucena in Il Trovatore with Opera Forza, and Maddalena in Rigoletto with Gulfshore Opera. She was featured in various Verdi galas including: Gulfshore Opera, Opera Tampa, Springfield Symphony, and Teatro Curci. She continues to establish her unique artistry on the world's stages.

   Ola started her mezzo career in the title role of La Tragedie de Carmen (2013) with Syracuse Opera, making a big splash in “Opera Today” and leading to subsequent performances of the Bizet version with: New Jersey Verismo Opera, Gulfshore Opera, the Lyric Orchestra, and in highlights with the Pacific Symphony. Ola debuted the role of Charlotte in Werther with Martha Cardona Opera, at the Kaufman Center, with natural ease. She has sung highlights from Samson et Dalilah in various venues. She performed the Mother in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, with Orlando Opera. Ola received an award from UNESCO for her performance as Alkmene in the Olympic Torch, (a modern Greek opera by P. Karousos). Ola sang Fricka in Die Walküre, and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, with the Lyric Orchestra. Other Concert highlights include Carnegie Hall as the Alto soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria, as well as De Falla’s El Amor Brujo with the Pacific Symphony. She was honored to perform the alto role in the American premier of Poniatowski’s Mass, with the Paderewski Symphony, an important work of Polish history. Ola performed Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana with Opera Angelo in New York City, and debuted with Chicago Opera theatre as the Old Gypsy in Aleko. She was accepted to perform a recital for the upcoming Dame Myrna Hess Memorial concert series in Chicago, and performed a recital for the Wagner Society of America. This season she made her debut with Opera Festival of Chicago, singing La Frugola in Il Tabarro, and the Dante 700 project.

Rafało carries dual passports for the U.S. and Poland, and speaks fluent English, Italian, and Polish. She is a natural interpreter of slavic repertoire, in roles such as Olga in Eugene Onegin, Konchakovna in Prince Igor, Pollina in Queen of Spades, and Jadwiga in Straszny Dwor. Starting from the age of 3, Ola was trained in Polish folk dancing and singing, creating a musical template from which to interpret all the slavic music with roots in the tradition of folk music.

Ola was honored to receive the Maria Callas Prize in 2019, at the 2nd annual Giulio Fregosi Concorso di Lirica in Voghera, as well as the Kitakiushu prize, and the Premio di Teatro Bibiena. She is the 2nd prize winner of the 2017 Altamura-Caruso competition. In 2015 she won Fourth Prize and the Audience choice award from the Young Patronesses of Opera Competition. She has been awarded the Giulietta Simionato career grant from the Inter-city Arts foundation. In 2009, she was awarded the audience prize at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Southeast chapter. In 2008, she was awarded Grand Prize of the Elgin Opera competition and First Prize of the Sherrill Milnes Opera Idol competition. Miss Rafało was an apprentice artist at Sarasota Opera, where she received the Leo M.Rogers award, as well as a young artist at Opera Tampa, and Palm Beach Opera.

In 2020 Ola was scheduled to make several important debuts, that have since been postponed. Post lock-down engagements that will happen at some point in the near future include: debut with the Israel Philharmonic as Emilia in Verdi’s Otello under Maestro Gianandrea Noseda, (Telaviv), Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Teatro Voghera Italy, for the Ultapadum Festival, followed by a concert at the Maria Callas Festival in Sirmione, concerts in Belgium in, with Mythos Opera festival, concert at Teatro Bibiena di Mantova.

Recently created the role of Diskana in a new opera "Second Sight", by Jessie Downs, with Nickel City Opera and the Sotto Voce ensemble in Buffalo, NY., and debuted with Opera Festival of Chicago, in their Dante 700 project, celebrating Dante's work, where Ola portrayed the Angel, and sang music of Donizetti and Tosti. She also debuted the role of La Frugola in Il Tabarro with Opera Festival Chicago this past season. In 2022 Ola joined the soloist quartet for Beethoven's 9^thwith the Evanston Symphony in Illinois, and performed the roles of the Mother, Chinese tea cup, shepherd, and dragonfly, in Ravel's L'enfant et les sortileges with Florentine Opera in Milwaukee WI. Ola debuted the role of Brangaene in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde with the Eugene Symphony.

At some point in the near future, she will be traveling to Izumo, Japan to sing the role of Santuzza in the world premiere of the newly discovered manuscript of an unabridged version of Mascagni's masterpiece: Cavalleria Rusticana.

Ola has a thriving vocal studio, and is passionate about teaching the next generation of singers in all genres.

She also directs the introduction to classical singing at the Lakeside Artists Academy.

REPERTOIRE

OPERA PERFORMANCES

La Frugola, Il Tabarro, Chicago Opera Festival

Azucena, Il Trovatore, Opera Forza

Amneris scenes, Aida, Washington Chorus, Kennedy Center

Eboli scenes, Don Carlo, Gulfshore Opera

Maddalena, Rigoletto, Gulfshore Opera

Fenena, Nabucco, Baltimore Lyric, Opera Carolina

Fricka, Die Walkure, The Lyric Orchestra

Charlotte, Werther, Martha Cardona Opera

Dalilah scenes, Samson et Dalila

Santuzza, Cavalleria Rusticana, Opera Angelo

Carmen, Carmen

Syracuse Opera

New Jersey Verismo

Gulfshore Opera

Pacific Symphony (highlights)

Mother, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Opera Orlando

Old Gyspy Woman, Aleko, Chicago Opera Theatre

Brangane, Tristan und Isolde, Eugene Symphony

Mother, Chinese tea cup, Shepherd, Dragonfly, L'enfant et les sortileges, Florentine Opera

CONCERT PERFORMANCES

Rachmaninov Songs 

Verdi Requiem, Gulfshore Opera

Vivaldi Gloria, Carnegie Hall

deFalla el Amor Brujo, Pacific Symphony

Poniatowski Mass, Paderewski Symphony

Berlioz D'amour L'ardente Flamme, Springfield Symphony

Bach St. Matthew Passion, Lakeside Artists Guild

Brahms two songs, Lakeside Artists Guild (upcoming)

Beethoven 9th Symphony, Evanston Symphony Orchestra

Repertoire prepared:

Verdi: Ballo in Maschera, Ulrica, La Forza del Destino, Preziosilla

Wagner: Tannhauser, Venus, Gotterdamerung, Waltraute, Siegfried, Erda

Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur, Principessa

Ponchielli: Gioconda, Laura         

Berlioz: Les Troyens: Didon,Cassandra

Tchaikovsky: Onegin,Olga, Pikova Dama, Polina, Orleanskaya Deva, Ioanna

Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov, Marina, Khovanshchina; Marfa

Rimsky-Korsakov: Tsar's Bride, Lyubasha

Moniuszko: Straszny Dwor, Jadwiga

Dvorak: Rusalka, Jezibaba, Foreign Princess

Concert repertoire prepared:

Mahler :Symphony 2, Symphony 3, Das Lied von der Erde, Des Knaben Wunderhorn

Prokofiev : Alexander Nevsky

Durufle: Requiem

Elgar :Sea Pictures

Berlioz: La mort du Cleopatre, Le nuits d’été 

For Opera, Concert, and Acting inquiries please contact Kathy Olsen at:

Encompass Arts | New York City | Contact Information

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VOICE STUDIO

Welcome to Ola Rafalo's Vocal Studio Page! My journey as a vocal musician has been an adventure, with a lot of twist and turns. I am so happy to share all that I have learned from that journey with the next generation of singers and my own peers and colleagues.

I teach all styles of singing- in fact the pop music techniques singing are also derived from the Garcia lineage. Many of my students are opera singers, but some are pop singers, musical theater singers, public speakers, and even yoga teachers. After over 15 years of study, I have learned how the vocal instrument is a combination of muscles, and the personal expression of your spirit and physical body coming together. My job is to facilitate using your authentic voice, building up any weaknesses on those systems, and strengthening and empowering your voice to its full optimization!

Send an email to [email protected] for more information- I teach online and in person.