Born: June 29, 1886, Wadowice, Austrian partition of Poland (presently Poland)
Died: July 12, 1968, Ciechocinek, Poland
The early days. Her father- Edward, a successful attorney, mother Franciszka Chylinska. In 1889 her family moved to Stary Sacz where her father opened an attorney’s office. Soon he became the mayor of Stary Sacz and hold this position for seventeen years. After finishing elementary school Ada left for Cieszyn and Cracow where she studied the basics of music and singing.
Higher education.In 1905 she was admitted to a private Musical School of Countess Pizzamano in Vienna (the capital of Austro-Hungarian empire) where she studied till 1908. From 1907 till 1910 she studied singing in Milan (Italy).
Professional carreer. In 1910 she debuted as Marguerite in Gounod’s Faust in the Teatro Nazionale in Rome. From 1910 to 1912 she appeared in Milan, Florence, Genova, Madrid and Lisbon. In 1912 she came to Poland and sang at the concerts in Cracow. Her Polish operatic debut was in 1914 in the Teatr Polski in Warsaw where she appeared as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto. She also sang in Cracow, Lwow, and Stanislawow. In 1919 she returned to Italy and from there she toured many European cities (among others: Lisbon, Paris, London, and Munich).
Her appearance in 1922 as Rosine in Rossini’s “Barber of Seville” in La Scala, Milan was a great success and so was her performance in 1923 as the Queen of Night in Mozart’s “Magical Flute”. In 1925 she performed in South America (Bolivia, Argentina). In 1926 she sang in Europe (Paris, Budapest, Stockholm). In 1928 she appeared in Carnegie Hall In New York City and she performed till 1929 in USA and in Canada.
From 1931 till 1934 she collaborated with the troupe of Cracow Operatic Society (Krakowskie Towarzystwo Operowe).
Her repertoire was tremendous - composed of the most prominent world’s operas. She sang the greatest coloratura pieces. Despite of such a rich and time consuming program Ada Sari found time to visit Stary Sacz. In 1934 she moved to Warsaw and during WWII she directed in Warsaw underground operatic studies. After WWII she appeared in Wroclaw and in Cracow where during the years 1945-1947 she was teaching at PWSM. From 1947 she taught at Warsaw’s PWSM. She died on July 12, 1968 during her stay in a sanatorium in Ciechocinek.
Sources (in Polish)
WIEM
Forum Wadowice
Lycos
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Prominent Poles
