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The Polish baritone, Sebastian Szumski, graduated from the Vocal and Acting Department of the Academy of Music in Kraków (diploma with distinction) in the class of Professor Marek Rzepka. Before his time in Krakow, he studied and performed with the Poznań Nightingales Boys’ and Men’s Choir under the direction of Stefan Stuligrosz. He further refined his vocal technique in numerous master-classes under the direction of Helena Łazarska, Eva Blahova, Charles Kelly, Rudolf Piernay, Ryszard Karczykowski, and Teresa Żylis-Gara.
Sebastian Szumski has performed in nearly every European country and collaborated with esteemed conductors: Krzysztof Penderecki, Stefan Stuligrosz, Piotr Sułkowski, Łukasz Borowicz, Federico Maria Sardelli, Alessandro De Marchi, Paul McCreesh, Joshua Rifkin, Andrew Parrott, Vincent Dumestre, Fabio Bonizzoni, and Ottavio Dantone. He has also collaborated with highly regarded pianists: Andrzej Tatarski, Marcin Koziak, Piotr Różański.
In 2008, Sebastian Szumski made his stage debut at the Barbican Festival in Kraków, singing the role of Count Almaviva in W.A. Mozart's opera Le nozze di Figaro. In 2010, he received a scholarship from the Opera Studio at the Teatro G. Verdi in Pisa, where, during the 2010-2011 season, he sang the role of Maestro in Donizetti's opera The Convenience and Inconvenience of the Theatre. He also sang this role in theatres in Lucca and Livorno in Tuscany.
Sebastian Szumski performs in Poland and abroad. He has made numerous radio, television, and CD recordings, among others: J.S. Bach's Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 with Arte dei Suonatori, a DVD of HM Górecki's Copernican Symphony No. 3, a CD of all J.S. Bach's motets recorded with a solo ensemble for the esteemed French label Alpha, and a CD recording of Feliks Nowowiejski's oratorio Quo Vadis with Aleksandra Kurzak and Artur Ruciński, conducted by Piotr Sułkowski. With Capella Cracoviensis, he recorded a CD for Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, singing the role of Janusz in S. Moniuszko's opera Halka - the Vilnius version. His repertoire ranges from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary compositions, including numerous song cycles, solo oratorios, and solo parts in operas by George Frideric Handel, Purcell, W.A. Mozart, Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini, Puccini, Georges Bizet, Benjamin Britten, and Moniuszko. He has performed in three world premieres and recordings of Aleksander Nowak's operas: Achat ili, with a libretto by Olga Tokarczuk (Fryderyk Award 2021), Drach (awards: Koryfeusz Muzyki Polskiej 2020, Onet olśnienia 2021), and Pokora, with a libretto by Szczepan Twardoch.
In recent years, Sebastian Szumski has successfully performed Baroque music. His ongoing collaboration as a soloist and chamber musician with the renowned Kraków-based period instrument ensemble Capella Cracoviensis has resulted in dozens of concerts under the direction of Jan Tomasz Adamus at major music festivals in over twenty European capitals since 2011. He has also collaborated with such groups as Arte dei Suonatori, La Poem Harmonique and La Risonanza.
Recent performances include the International Festival of Early Music in Montreal (Canada); the Illustrator in the world premiere of Aleksander Nowak's opera I, Şeküre at the Opera Rara international festival in Krakow; and the roles of Würfel and Patron in the Polish premiere of Leoš Janáček's opera The Expeditions of Mr. Brouček at the Grand Theatre - Poznań Opera House, directed by Sir David Pountney. In January 2025, he performed at the Mozartwoche Festival in Salzburg in a stage production of Claudio Monteverdi's opera L'Orfeo, directed by Nicolas Habjan, opposite Rolando Villazón and conducted by Christina Pluhar. He finished the season at the Mozart Festival in Warsaw, where he sang the solo part in G.F. Handel's oratorio Messiah (arranged by W.A. Mozart).
In 2019, he defended his doctorate at the Faculty of Vocal Studies and Acting at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow. Since 2023, he has taught singing at the Academy of Music in Poznań. Since October 2025, he has been employed as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Vocal Studies and Acting at the Academy of Music in Krakow. |
