Polish soprano Iwona Hossa graduated in 1998 at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań as a pupil of Ewa Wdowicka. She has won many prizes, including the Grand Prix and gold medal at the Maria Callas International Singing Competition in Athens and the Mozart Special Prize at the Ada Sari International Vocal Competition in Nowy Sàcz. She was also a finalist of the Francisco Viñas International Vocal Competition in Barcelona, the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg, and the Orfeo 2000 International Vocal Competition in Hanover. She has taken part in many vocal masterclasses, including those by Helena Lazarska, Leopold Spitzer, Ewa Podles, Sylwia Geszty and Ryszard Karczykowski. In 1996 she made her début as Violetta in La traviata at the State Opera in Poznań, and since 2000 has been a soloist at the National Opera in Warsaw. Her repertoire there includes leading rôles in Moniuszko’s operas, recorded also for EMI, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Philippe in Penderecki’s Devils of Loudun, Norina in Don Pasquale, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, the title rôle in Aida, and Roxana in King Roger. She has taken part in several opera festivals, including Carcassone, Wexford and Pesaro, and has an extensive repertoire in oratorio and chamber music. In 2004 she received the Andrzej Hiolski Award for the best female rôle at the National Opera in Warsaw. Iwona Hossa has worked with conductors including Krzysztof Penderecki, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Jacek Kaspszyk, Kazimierz Kord, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Antoni Wit, Gabriel Chmura, Maurizio Benini, David Jones, and David Agler.