Tomasz Konieczny’s vision and drive propel the Baltic Opera Festival
In late March, Tomasz Konieczny was a busy man. The Polish bass-baritone was nearing the end of a run of Tristan und Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera, performing alongside Lise Davidsen and Michael Spyres in a new staging directed by Yuval Sharon. His buoyant, hearty Kurwenal was hailed by all, with The New Yorker deeming him ‘a born Wagner singer’. It was the hottest ticket in town, and the Met responded to the demand by adding a performance.
Konieczny is also a man on a mission, and Met performances were not the only thing on his agenda. On one of the first fine spring days in New York, he took time to discuss the Baltic Opera Festival (BOF) at a busy diner a few blocks from the Met. We met just days before the American Friends of the Baltic Opera Festival (AFBOF) was to be launched at The Kościuszko Foundation.