P A U L I N A   S W I E R C Z E K
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My first word was "buty" - shoes, in Polish. I was a bilingual child, a fact for which I am grateful every day, raised immersed in the culture of my heritage: speaking the language with family, watching movies, reading books, listening to music. I went to Polish school on Saturdays and Polish girl scouts on Tuesdays. Later on, I researched Polish opera and song, determined to do my part to keep Polish classical music alive and well. I made an effort to program Polish art song whenever possible, exploring the outputs of Chopin, Moniuszko, Lutoslawski, Karlowicz, Walentynowicz, Szymanowski and Palej, and continue to delve deeper into Polish music and literature.

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There is so much beautiful Polish music out there - and the only thing keeping it from being performed is a lack of accessibility in the language. That's where my native experience with the language paired with an understanding of language-learning, IPA and lyric diction comes in handy.

 

Having studied lyric diction and IPA of Italian, German, French, English and Russian during  my studies at the Eastman School of Music and Bard College Conservatory with coaches such as Christina Balsam Curren, Sylvie Beaudette, Pamela Kurau, Ksenia Leletkina, Stefano Balderassoni and Erika Switzer, I have a strong and multifaceted knowledge of the tools and skills necessary to create crisp, clear, accurate diction.