Ola Rafalo
Mezzo-Soprano
Biography
Ola Rafało, a Polish-American mezzo has been called a "Vocal Powerhouse", and "a Budding next Cossotto", by critics. “Ola Rafało proved to be a mezzo to watch, with a strong Stride la Vampa” said Anne Midgette, for the Washington Post, of The Washington Chorus’ Essential Verdi concert 2014, at the Kennedy Center. There, Rafało was featured in scenes as Azucena, and Amneris. “A Mezzo with great promise”, Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun (Nabucco, Opera Baltimore 2014).
During the 2013-14 season, Ola debuted the title role in La Tragedie de Carmen with Syracuse Opera, to great acclaim. Opera Times said that she “established her character immediately as a seductress par excellence, and her pitch in the devious Seguidilla was incredibly accurate — with no sign of seams when navigating through vocal registers during the spacious octave leaps that permeate this demanding aria.” Ola triumphed at Carnegie Hall as the Alto soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria. She was featured in De Falla’s El Amor Brujo with the Pacific Symphony, which she sang with a “fine dusky quality”-L.A. Times. Ola also sang in the Essential Verdi Gala at the Kennedy Center, and in a “Pop-opera concert” with Opera Tampa. Rafało closed the season with her debut at Baltimore Lyric Opera as Fenena in Nabucco.
In the 2014-2015 season, Ola reprised the role of Fenena (Nabucco) with Opera Carolina, again to great acclaim. “Rafało produced the best singing of the evening, in spite of her role being smaller. Ola has a very powerful instrument and uses it with good technique, producing her notes with a great deal of precision. She has a very pleasant timbre an her passaggio is smooth with perfect pitch control. She started up already warm and didn’t miss a beat or a note. "– Luiz Gazzola of Opera Lively. Ola returned to the Pacific Symphony to sing the title role highlights from Carmen in concert. She was featured in another Verdi Gala, singing selections from Il Trovatore, and the Verdi Requiem with Gulfshore opera, under Maestro Paul Nadler.
In 2015-2016, Ola sang the title role in Bizet’s Carmen with New Jersey Verismo Opera, debuted the role of Azucena in Il Trovatore with Opera Forza, and the role of Charlotte in Werther with Martha Cardona Opera, at the Kaufman Center. Ola returned to Gulfshore Opera for the Legends of Opera Gala featuring Samuel Ramey. She also was featured in concert with the Springfield Symphony, singing highlights from Samson et Dalila, and concerts with Manhattan Lyric Opera. This spring Ola made her debut performance in Italy, singing in a concert at Teatro Curci di Barletta, with Maestro Roberto Corliano. Ola recieved an award from UNESCO for her performance in the role of Alkmene in the Olympic Torch , (a modern Greek opera by P. Karousos).
In 2016-2017, Miss Rafalo was featured in a Verdi gala at the Altamura Center for the performing arts, followed by a "world peace" concert tour of Poland. Miss Rafalo debuted the role of the Mother in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, (Orlando Opera), and sang many concerts including with the Summit Symphony (arias), and the Paderewski Symphony (Karnaval Concert). She joined international superstar bass: Andrea Silvestrelli for a very successful duo recital at FermiLab auditorium in Chicago.
This current season of 2017-2018 Miss Rafalo won the Second Prize of the Altamura-Caruso Competition, which will take her to Osimo Italy for a performance at the Teatro Nuova Fenice in August. This season Ola performed with a new opera company in Orlando: Opera del Sol, in a unique production combining theatre, opera, dance, circus, and other elements entitled Opera Wars. She also joined the Paderewski Symphony once again to perform the American premiere of the Poniatowski Mass, an important work of Polish history and music. Ola will return to Gulfshore Opera this season to perform the role of Maddalena in Rigoletto, and to be featured in concerts.
Ms. Rafało, as a child of Polish immigrants to the U.S., is fluent in Polish, English and Italian. She carries dual passports for the U.S. and Poland, making her a natural interpreter of the slavic repertoire, in roles such as Olga in Eugene Onegin, Konchakovna in Prince Igor, Pollina in Queen of Spades, Ioanna in Orleanskaya Deva, and Jadwiga inStraszny Dwor. Other roles in her diverse repertoire include Adalgisa in Norma, and Giovanna Seymour in Anna Bolena.
Other career highlights include: Ola's performance as Fricka in Die Walküre, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, and the title role of Carmen with the Lyric Orchestra. 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. Ola is the 2nd prize winner of the 2017 Altamura-Caruso competition. In 2015 Ola was awarded the Fourth Prize and the Audience choice award from the Young Patronesses of Opera Competition. She has also been awarded a career grant in the name of Giulietta Simionato 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.
Press

El Amor Brujo. De Falla

'Nabucco' from Lyric Opera Baltimore

Fenena. Nabucco. Verdi

Interview with mezzo-soprano Ola Rafalo in the role of Fenena

Fenena. Nabucco. Verdi

'Nabucco' at Lyric Opera Baltimore

Essential Verdi concert

The Washington Chorus: ‘The Essential Verdi’ at The Kennedy Center

The Tragedy of Carmen, Syracuse Opera

Carmen

Syracuse Opera’s "Carmen"

Condensed adaptation of classic tragedy ‘Carmen’ brings heat, passion to stage

Pacific Symphony draws sketches of Spain

Charlotte, Massenet Werther, Merkin Hall NYC

Verdi Gala Kennedy Center

"A budding baby Cossotto"
Performance Schedule

The New Phoenix
Photos
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Videos
OPERA REPERTOIRE
Verdi
Nabucco Fenena
Il Trovatore Azucena
Aida Amneris
Don Carlo Eboli
La Forza del Destino Preziosilla
Luisa Miller La Duchessa
Wagner
Tristan und Isolde Brangane
Tannhauser Venus
Die Walkure Fricka
Gotterdamerung Waltraute
Saint-Saens
Samson et Dalila Dalilah
Massenet
Werther Charlotte
Cilea
Adriana Lecouvreur Principessa
Ponchielli
Gioconda Laura
Mascagni
Cavalleria Rusticana Santuzza
Bizet
Carmen Carmen
Berlioz
Les Troyens Didon, Cassandra
Tchaikovsky
Onegin Olga
Pikova Dama Polina
Orleanskaya Deva Ioanna
Mussorgsky
Boris Godunov Marina
Khovanshchina Marta
Rimsky-Korsakov
Tsar's Bride Lyubasha
Moniuszko
Straszny Dwor Jadwiga
Dvorak
Rusalka Jezibaba, Foreign Princess
Bellini
Norma Adalgisa
Donizetti
Anna Bolena Giovanna Seymour
La favorita Leonora
Rossini
Semiramide Arsace
CONCERT REPERTOIRE
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Symphony 2
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Das Lied von der Erde
Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Prokofiev
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songs
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Requiem
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Gloria
deFalla
el Amor Brujo
Durufle
Requiem
Elgar
Sea Pictures
Berlioz
La mort du Cleopatre
Le nuits d’été

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