Stanislaw Moniuszko’s Hrabina opened at the Polish National Home, The Warsaw in Greenpoint, on a sullen Sunday evening. Given the tragic events of the week, there was some debate as to whether the show would happen at all, and if it did, what audience would attend? On Saturday April 10th, 2010, a plane crash took the life of Polish president Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and many of Poland’s most prominent politicians and military leaders. But, the show went on.

Hrabina by Stanislaw Moniuszko
conducted by Thomas Lawrence Toscano of Opera Oggi NY

with Malgorzata Kellis as Hrabina, Dylan Bandy as Bronia, Mario Arevalo as Kazimierz, Ron Mesa as Podczaszyc, Zander Eben as Dzidzi, Ivan Amaro as Chorazy and Elena Laurenti as Pana Ewa, and accompanied by the Polish Singer’s Chorus and the Polish American Folk Dance Company.

Press from the Greenpoint Gazette.