Sylwia Karwowska comes from Wrocław – a city where the sound of oratorios and cantatas fills churches and concert halls during the famous Wratislavia Cantans festival. Since childhood, she has been in constant motion – dancing, singing, and overflowing with music. When someone suggested her parents enroll her in a music school, the choice was obvious.
She began her musical journey at the age of seven – first at the piano, then on the cello, which remained her main instrument for eight years. Yet it was the voice that became her true instrument. Although her school had no official vocal department, Sylwia was fortunate to study with a teacher who offered voice lessons and was the first to recognize her vocal potential. From that moment, singing became her way of life.
From an early age, she sang in choirs – children’s, girls’, and mixed – always close to music, and often also to dance, as she studied ballet alongside. At the age of twenty, she was accepted into the Cantores Minores Wratislavienses, a professional chamber ensemble from Wrocław. With them, she performed works she had once admired as a festival listener: Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Motets, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. She also sang in the opera chorus – years filled with music, stage work, and travel across Europe.
In 1998 she emigrated to Canada, where she focused on raising her family and building a new life. Seeking a stable yet artistic profession, she became a ballet accompanist, a perfect match for that time in her life – combining rhythm, structure, and music without demanding perfect English.
Around 2008, Sylwia began to return to singing – first in choirs, but her experience with Pacifica Singers, the associate choir of the Vancouver Chamber Choir, made her realize that she longed for a solo career. She resumed vocal studies, completed Royal Conservatory of Music Grades 9 and 10, and later earned a Master of Vocal Arts degree.
Since then, she has been an active performer throughout the Lower Mainland, from Chilliwack to West Vancouver, singing with various ensembles including Belle Voci, Allouette Baroque Ensemble, Opera Pro Cantanti, and Augmented Five. Each of these groups offers a unique and exciting experience – the opera troupe allows her to express her dramatic side, while Belle Voci reconnects her with the oratorio and cantata repertoire she fell in love with in her youth.
Sylwia loves to share her passion for music. She teaches voice at the Tri-City School of Music, offering morning Bel Canto lessons for adults.
Dedicated to continuous learning, she keeps developing her craft. Last year, she attended a Vocal Pedagogy Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, and she is currently enrolled in an Audition Preparation program at the Vancouver Academy of Music.
sylwia@telus.net