Maria Modrakowska
A lyric soprano, favourite with the pre-war Paris. She performed compositions by Debussy and Poulenc, among others, and was also involved in the promotion of music by her Polish colleagues studying with Nadia Boulanger. She was the first performer of Zygmunt Mycielski’s Five Wedding Songs and also sang his Deux melodies, that is the songs Gorzka zatoka [Bitter Bay] and Gdzieżeście [Where Are You?]. After the war she lived in Poland and worked as a teacher. Mycielski became friends with her, when he was studying in Paris and remained in close touch with her until her death. The composer’s archive contains their correspondence from the post-war years.