Bass Szkafarowsky in demand at venues around the globe (04/16/00)

Bass Szkafarowsky in demand at venues around the globe

by Olga Rudyk

NEW YORK - After a flawless performance in the role of Ramfis in Verdi's "Aida" on March 17 and 19, bass Stefan Szkafarowsky could not bask in the glory of his rave reviews. As the last curtain call was made and the lights in the New Jersey Performing Arts Center Opera Hall dimmed, Mr. Szkafarowsky was already rushing to his next engagement.

Currently, his name and beautiful voice are in high demand all over the world.

The following day, he was in Manitoba, where he began rehearsals for his role of Banquo in the opera "Macbeth," with performances held April 8, 11 and 14 at the Manitoba Performing Arts Center.

Mr. Szkafarowsky is hoping to make it back home in time for the birth of his second child in late April. (His wife, Stefania, and daughter, Alexandra, are praying that the new baby is not in a big rush and will wait for dad.)

Butt, as with all artists, "the show must go on." And so will Mr. Szkafarowsky. His future engagements this year include: "Nabucco" in Santiago, Chile; "Lucia di Lammermoor" in San Paulo, Brazil; "Il Travatore" at the Washington Opera, with Placido Domingo conducting; "Der Fliegende Holländer" in Vancouver; "Luisa Miller" in Palm Beach, Fla.; and numerous concerts in between.

Mr. Szkafarowsky has emerged as one of America's important artists, praised for the beautiful quality of his voice, as well as for his impeccable technique.

Mr. Szkafarowsky's driving force and inspiration from the early age of 13, was his mother, the late Iwanna Prystacka-Szkafarowsky. She was always his No. 1 fan, helping him overcome disappointments and cheering his countless successes. When asked "What is the very last thought that goes through your mind as the curtain rises?" Mr. Szkafarowsky answers softly, without hesitation: "Mamo, tse dlia Tebe" (Mother, this is for you).

A native of New York, Mr. Szkafarowsky is a recipient of grants from the Sullivan Foundation and the Tito Gobbi Award from the Rosa Ponselle Foundation, and a regional winner of the Metropolitan Opera auditions.

Mr. Szkafarowsky made his New York concert debut at the age of 17 in Weill Hall, (then known as little Carnegie Hall). While a student at the Westchester Conservatory of Music, he won a scholarship to the American Opera Center for Young Artists at the Juilliard School of Music.

He made his New York operatic debut at Juilliard in the opera "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" going on to join the Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he performed for two years in their Young Artist Program. From there Mr. Szkafarowsky went on to perform with many opera companies in the United States and Canada.

Among his most accomplished roles are Basilio in "Il Barbiere di Siviglia," Raimondo in "Lucia di Lammermoor," Philip II and the Grand Iquisitor in "Don Carlos", Zaccaria in "Nabucco", and Pimen in "Boris Godunov."

Mr. Szkafarowsky is represented by ICM Artists.

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