ARTISTIC STAFF

Adrian Sylveen Mackiewicz (Artistic Director, Conductor): Conductor and virtuoso violinist Adrian Mackiewicz is a graduate of Paderewski Music Academy in Poznan, Poland and of the Yale University School of Music. His awards include First Prize at the International Chamber Music Competition in Lodz, Poland, the President of the Republic of Poland’s Award For Outstanding Achievement “Primus Inter Pares” and the Polish Department of Education National Scholarship. Mr. Mackiewicz has performed extensively in Poland, former USSR, Germany, and the United States, where he has resided since 1992. In 1997 Maestro Mackiewicz founded the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, a New Britain based orchestra dedicated to presenting and preserving the traditions of chamber music, both traditional and contemporary, that is also CLO’s resident orchestra. In addition to his duties with CLO and the Virtuosi, Mr. Mackiewicz is Artistic Director of the Classical Orchestra of Pila (Poland) and New Britain Chorale.

 Director (The Magic Flute) Michael Philip Davis is delighted to return to Connecticut Lyric Opera after staging  L’Elisir d’Amore in 2009. Other directing credits include: Yours, Anne (New York State Theatre Institute); Puccini/ Coppola’s La Coupe et les Lèvres (World Premiere; Kaye Playhouse, New York), The Tragedy of Carmen and Trouble in Tahiti (TodiMusicFest); Kurt Weill in Berlin (Graz, Austria); Bach’s Coffee Cantata, Weill’s Down in the Valley, Gianni Schicchi, Madama Butterfly and Il Tabarro (California Opera Association); Madama Butterfly and The Merry Widow (Inspiration Point Fine Arts Center); and The Medium (Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute).  As a leading tenor, Mr. Davis appeared in the title role of The Student Prince (New York City Opera); Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (New York City Opera National Company, Central City); Tamino in The Magic Flute (Cologne); Romeo (Houston), Alfredo (Central City, Utah Festival Opera), Faust (Kansas City), the title role in The Rake’s Progress (Blossom Music Festival), Hoffmann (Vienna Kammeroper), the Steersman in Der Fliegende Holländer (Marseille), Marius in Fanny (Utah Festival Opera) and Pasqualino in the world premiere of Anton Coppola’s Sacco & Vanzetti (Tampa Bay Opera), among many others. Mr. Davis has served as both tenor soloist and author/dramaturg of the concert series Regina Resnik Presents, broadcast on City University of New York (CUNY TV). He wrote, co-produced and appeared in the video concert series Regina Resnik Presents Colors of the Diaspora, soon to be released by Video Artists International. 

Pawel Jura (Chorus Master): Chorus Master Pawel Jura has spent many years working with choral groups in New England as well as participating in many musical capacities with a wide variety of stage productions, from plays to musicals to operas. He also maintains an active concert schedule as a pianist and organist. Mr. Jura has studied at the Hartt School and at the Juilliard School, with degrees in piano, composition, and music theory. In addition, he has extensively studied organ and choral directing. He is currently Chorus Master of the New Britain Chorale and Music Director of the Unitarian Universalist Society: East, in Manchester, Connecticut.

Jaroslaw Strzemien (Stage Director – Tosca) Stage director, actor and theatre educator, Jaroslaw Strzemien has many years of experience, both, in this country and in Europe. He worked for ten years in various National Theatres in Poland, after graduating from the National School of Theatre. After living in France for three years, where he acted, directed and worked as a broadcaster for the French radio ORTF, he came to this country more than thirty years ago. In the United States, Jaroslaw studied directing at the Yale School of Drama, directed and acted professionally on Broadway, Off Broadway, on television and in the movies. He also taught acting and directing in various colleges and universities, for almost thirty years. His Polish translation of Jerry Sterner’s play Other People’s Money was produced by the Polish National Television and has been performed by a number of theatres in Poland