University of North Florida

Meet the Director

The UNF Opera Ensemble was established in 2006 shortly after the appointment of Dr. Krzysztof Biernacki as the Head of Applied Voice at the UNF Department of Music.

Comprised and cast entirely from undergraduate voice majors, the UNF Opera Ensemble focuses on skill development, stagecraft, and theatrical experience through production and performance of complete, vocally suitable operatic works with orchestra.

UNF Opera Ensemble also engages in community outreach, student recruitment, and promotion of operatic arts in the community. This young group has already performed numerous concerts of operatic excerpts and took part in various community events.

Dr. Krzysztof Biernacki, director
Baritone Krzysztof Biernacki has established a strong reputation as a versatile artist and very talented teacher. Trained in North America and Europe his professional credits include opera, oratorio, concert, and recital performances on both continents.

Highlights of his operatic engagements include Barber of Seville, La Fanciulla del West, Un Ballo in Maschera, and Der Freischutz with the Vancouver Opera. Other engagements include Carmen and Rigoletto with the Manitoba Opera, Madama Butterfly and La Boheme with Orchestra London Canada, as well as Merry Widow, Don Pasquale, Dido & Aeneas, The Crucible, Cunning Little Vixen, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Die Fledermaus, and Gianni Schicchi with various other companies. Recently he has returned from the Czech Republic where he sang the title role of Eugene Onegin at the City Theaters of Jablonec and Usti and Labem.

Professor Biernacki's commitment to contemporary music is highlighted by world premieres heard on CBC Radio and CBC Saturday Afternoon at the Opera including a highly acclaimed production of Filumena co-produced by the Calgary Opera and Banff Centre for Performing Arts, as well as a newly commissioned work for the Vancouver Opera entitled Naomi's Road.

Respected as a solo recitalist, Professor Biernacki frequently performs song recitals ranging in repertoire from Haydn to Szymanowski, Rihm, and Britten. His concert and oratorio appearances include the Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Okanagan Symphony Orchestras as well as the Vancouver Bach Choir. Professor Biernacki's teaches applied voice and vocal pedagogy.