Viola Brzezińska

Music 2009-09-08

She learnt to play the cello and the flute in a primary music school in Giżycko. However, she preferred to sing than to practice scales, etudes or passages. Consequently, at the age of 10 she signed herself out of the school. Later Viola attended a secondary music school in Warsaw, if for only briefly.

For the first time she appeared before a wider public in a TV talent show called Szansa na sukces (A Chance for Success) in which her brilliant performance of a song by Alicja Majewska entitled "Jeszcze się tam żagiel bieli" won her the first place. In 1995 Viola won the first prize at the National Polish Song Festival in Opole.In 1996 in Opole she performed "Szarości me", a song written especially for her by Jacek Cygan and Piotr Rubik. It topped the charts of a Polish TV program by Marek Niedźwiecki for weeks, and the music video was frequently broadcasted by the Polish TV.

Viola played the starring role in the famous Polish musical Metro. She was not only singing the songs, but also learnt a complicated choreography including tap, jazz, modern and classical dancing styles. She performed with the Buffo theatre for 6 years, touring the whole of Poland and also in France.

In the meantime Viola recorded ads for national TV, e.g. a commercial of Coca- Cola, jingles and short advertisements for radio stations, as well as stories for children.  In 2001 she was awarded the first prize at the Festival of Young Talents in Rawa Mazowiecka.  In the same year she received honorable mention at a Jazz Competition in Łódź.  Viola recorded songs to the following films: Spona, Amok, and Towar. She sang on Robert Janson`s album Trzeci wymiar.  In 2000 she became the soloist of Saruel. They recorded together a few albums, studio recordings as well as live concerts. Saruel and Viola performed in different places in Poland as well as in Italy.  She worked together with the group 40 i 30/70. Occasionally she performs at carol concerts with the Pospieszalski family.  She also sang with the famous British artist Chris de Burgh, Janusz Bigda, Krzysztof Krawczyk, Krzesimir Dębski, Piotr Rubik, Mariusz Czajka, Magda Anioł, as well as with the following groups: Full Power Spirit, Triquetra, choir Voce Angeli, TGD, De Mono.  Viola also sang with the group Pneuma on their album entitled Kokon.  She has collaborated with Grzegorz Suski, the director and choreographer from both the Roma and the Buffo theatres.

Together with the musicians from New Life'm, Lidka Pospieszalska and Basia Włodarska, Viola teaches voice production at music workshops.  From 2003 to 2006 she collaborated with the group Viola i New Day. Together they recorded a few albums, e.g. Tam tam i tu, Najpiękniejsze kolędy i pastorałki, and Czarna płyta.  In 1995 the magazine Pani included her in the list of 100 Polish Women of the Year.  In May 2008 her first solo album Przystań was released.  In June the same year she recorded a music video to the song "Druga po Bogu".  In 2008 an album entitled Czekanie of the choir Ex Nomine was published. The artists who were involved in the recording include Viola, Jorgos Skolias, Ewa Uryga, Patrycja Gola, and Mietek Szcześniak.  In the same year, the publishing group PWN-Cartablanca released a guidebook Polska według kobiet (Poland in the Eyes of Women). It contains a description of Viola`s favourite places in Poland.  Viola has contributed to the recording of a few songs on an album of Marcin Styczeń entitled 21 gramów.