Also available: Bio in German
Paweł Skałuba (tenor) graduated with distinction from the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk, where he studied in the class of Professor Piotr Kusiewicz. He made his operatic debut in 1996 as Ernesto in Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti at the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk. In 1993, as the only Polish participant and the youngest contestant, he became a finalist of the First International Plácido Domingo International Voice Competition in Paris. In 2002, he won first prize at the 4th International Tenor Competition in Szczecin. In 1997, on the occasion of the millennium celebrations of the city of Gdańsk, he had the honour of performing under the baton of Jerzy Katlewicz and in the presence of John Paul II at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican.
For his artistic achievements, he received an award from the Society of Friends of the Sciences and Arts in Gdańsk. Two years later, he also became the YAMAHA scholarship holder. In 2000, he was nominated for the prestigious Polish phonographic industry award Fryderyk for an album featuring recordings of Canons by Stanisław Moniuszko.
He collaborates with opera houses and philharmonic orchestras in Poland and abroad. His repertoire includes leading tenor roles such as Alfred in La Traviata, the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Cavaradossi in Tosca by Giacomo Puccini, Stefan in The Haunted Manor, Jontek in Halka by Stanisław Moniuszko, Pollione in Norma by Vincenzo Bellini, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Lensky in Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Narraboth in Salome by Richard Strauss, Don José in Carmen by Georges Bizet, Wacław in Maria by Roman Statkowski, Kirkor in Goplana by Władysław Żeleński, Pierre in Madame Curie by Elżbieta Sikora (a production recorded on DVD and released by DUX), Edwin in The Csárdás Princess by Emmerich Kálmán, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus and Sandor Barinkay in The Gypsy Baron by Johann Strauss II.
In 2006, he took part in the world premiere of the large-scale production Ça Ira by Roger Waters, the legendary member of Pink Floyd. In the same year, his solo album Polish Songs, recorded with pianist Waldemar Malicki, was released to critical and audience acclaim, earning a nomination for the Fryderyk Awards in 2006. He has also made numerous archival recordings for Polish Radio and Television.
In 2010, he was awarded the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture. In 2016, he became a laureate of the 10th edition of the Jan Kiepura Theatre Music Award in the category of Best Singer. He also received the title and statuette of Personality of the Year 2015. Between 2010 and 2013, he worked as an assistant lecturer in the voice class of Professor Florian Skulski at the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk.
In 2019, he was awarded the academic degree of Doctor of Musical Arts. Since 2022, he has been teaching his own class of solo singing at the Academy of Art in Szczecin. On 18 March 2024, he was granted the title of Professor of the Arts in the discipline of musical arts by a decision of the President of Poland.
He performs throughout Europe, as well as in Canada (Mississauga Living Arts Centre), the United States (Chicago Symphony Center), and China.