“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. Ola has laid the foundation of her career as a dramatic mezzo, having performed most of Verdi's iconic operas. 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 for Opera Lively. Ola continued that trajectory as Azucena in Il Trovatore with Opera Forza, and Maddalena in Rigoletto with Gulfshore Opera, as well as The Verdi Requiem with Gulfshore Opera, under Maestro Paul Nadler, and Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera with Opera Project Columbus. Ola started her mezzo career in the title role of La Tragedie de Carmen with Syracuse Opera, making a big splash in “Opera Today” and leading to subsequent performances of the Bizet versions (Gulfshore Opera, New Jersey Verismo Opera, Pacific Symphony (highlights). In preparation for the role, Ola studied flamenco dance and castanette playing with world renowned flamenco dancer and choreographer Rosa Mercedes. Carmen continues to be a signature role for Ola.

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, Marfa in Khovanschina, and Jadwiga in Straszny Dwor. Starting from the age of 3, Ola studied 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 is proud to continue the celebration of her Polish culture in the Chicagoland area, performing with groups such as the Lira Ensemble, the Paderewski Symphony, and solo recitals for Polish cultural organizations.

Notable Opera debuts include Brangaene in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde with the Eugene Symphony, Charlotte in Werther with Martha Cardona Opera, at the Kauffman Center, and Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana (Opera Angelo),  the Old Gypsy in Rachmaninov's Aleko  (Chicago Opera Theatre) , The Mother, Chinese tea cup, shepherd, and dragonfly, in Ravel's L'enfant et les sortileges (Florentine Opera) , La Frugola in Il Tabarro (Opera Festival of Chicago). Ola was honored to receive a UNESCO award for her performance as Alkmene in the Olympic Torch, a modern Greek opera by P. Karousos. She also created the role of Diskana in a new opera "Second Sight", by Jessie Downs, with Nickel City Opera and the Sotto Voce ensemble.

Ola's voice soars in chamber music and concert repertoire. Her performances include Carnegie Hall as the Alto soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria, as well as De Falla’s El Amor Brujo with the Pacific Symphony, and Beethoven's 9^thwith the Evanston Symphony. She has performed many galas, and enjoyed singing with the Springfield Symphony, New Jersey Symphony and others. Last season she performed the Brahms two songs for voice and viola, as well as excerpts from Bach St. Matthew Passion, and Mahler songs, with the Lakeside Artists Guild. 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 has been a guest recitalist for the Wagner society of America. 

Recently Ola has been awarded a grant from the Olga Forrai foundation for dramatic voices. 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. 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.

This season Ola returns to the Eugene Symphony to sing the beautiful Alto solo in Mahler's Second, "The resurrection" symphony, followed by the role of Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica with Sotto Voce Ensemble in New York. Ola continues to appear as a guest artist with the Lira Ensemble, for important Polish cultural events. Ola will be performing in Chicago with "In the realm of the senses"- a multi-sensory performance experience, including the arts of fragrance, gastronomy, music, fashion, and visual art. This fall Ola will tour a project she created entitled: "Viva Verdi", a multi-media presentation about the life and contribution of Giuseppe Verdi, punctuated by important musical moments of his masterworks, sung by a quartet of soloists and piano. 

REPERTOIRE

OPERA PERFORMANCES

Brangaene, Tristan und Isolde, Eugene Symphony

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

Ulrica, Un Ballo in Maschera, Opera Project Columbus (Upcoming)

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 for voice and viola, Lakeside Artists Guild

Beethoven 9th Symphony, Evanston Symphony Orchestra

Mahler songs, Lakeside Artists Guild

Mahler 2nd, Eugene Symphony (upcoming)

Repertoire prepared:

Verdi: 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 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 

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