Jakub Józef Orliński

Jakub Józef Orliński emerged as a trailblazer for the countertenor voice within Poland, gaining prominence as an international opera sensation throughout the 2010s and 2020s. Critical success has marked his performances across the United States and Germany, accompanied by multiple album releases on Ëvoe and the prominent Erato label. Securing the Gramophone Classical Music Award for Young Artist of the Year in 2019 opened fresh doors for Orliński. He has particularly distinguished himself in the part of Orfeo from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, which he captured on disc for Erato during 2024.

Born in Warsaw on December 8, 1990, Orliński gained early choral experience with the recently established Gregorianum male choir, which introduced him to global performances. His vocal studies began at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, where he completed a master's degree under Anna Radziejewska. He pursued additional training at New York's Juilliard School, earning his diploma in 2017 under the guidance of Edith Wiens. Early stage work in Poland included Narciso in Handel's Agrippina and a production of John Blow's Venus and Adonis. Time spent in Germany, featuring Ruggiero in Handel's Alcina at Theater Aachen and a Purcell song recital at the Leipzig Opera, broadened his recognition outside his homeland, reinforced by top prizes in American singing contests such as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. His first recording appeared in 2017 as Vivaldi: Carnevale de Venezia on the Ëvoe imprint.

These competition triumphs secured key engagements centered on Handel during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, among them Ottone in Agrippina at Carnegie Hall alongside La Serenissima, Handel's Messiah with the Oratorio Society of New York, Jonathan Dove's Flight presented by Juilliard Opera, the title character in Handel's Rinaldo at the Frankfurt Opera, and sacred pieces by Handel and Vivaldi at Germany's Karlsruhe Handel Festival. A video of Vivaldi's "Vedrò con mio diletto" shared via France Musique's online platform propelled the engaging young countertenor to online fame. The year 2018 brought the release of Anima Sacra, featuring rarely heard 18th-century sacred arias performed with Il Pomo d'Oro.

Awards accumulated for Orliński in 2019 and 2020, highlighted by his selection as Best Singer of the Year by Opernwelt magazine readers in September 2020. Further Erato projects followed, including Anima Æterna, which showcased uncommon Italian Baroque arias. The 2022 recital Farewells featured pianist Michał Biel, while Beyond, a Baroque aria collection with Il Pomo d'Oro, arrived in 2023. Returning to Erato in 2024, Orliński recorded Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice with his early music ensemble Il Giardino d'Amore. Beyond opera commitments, he sustains elite breakdancing proficiency as part of Skill Fantastikz Crew.