Aga Mikolaj

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Agnieszka Beata Mikołajczyk, known by her stage name Aga Mikolaj, was a Polish operatic soprano born on 7 March 1971 in Kutno, Poland. She studied in Poznań and received a scholarship from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. She took master classes with Renata Scotto in 1997 and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf from 2001 to 2006. Mikolaj began her career at the Teatr Wielki in Poznań (1995–2002) and later sang at many European opera houses before joining the Bavarian State Opera in Munich (2002–2007), where she was known for Mozart roles such as Donna Elvira.

Her international career took her from San Francisco to Tokyo. She appeared in a wide range of roles—from Pamina and the Countess in Mozart operas to other classic parts like Gretel, Drusilla, and Micaela—and performed as a guest at major stages including Paris, Vienna, Stuttgart, and London. In 2004 she toured Japan with the Vienna State Opera as Elvira. Mikolaj made her Glyndebourne debut in 2006 as Fiordiligi and continued to appear with leading companies and orchestras around the world, including a collaboration with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2012 and a joint Berlin State Opera/La Scala Ring cycle conducted by Daniel Barenboim.

In concert, she performed a broad repertoire from Bach to Penderecki, sang Mahler, and worked with renowned conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Antoni Wit, and Mariss Jansons. She recorded Penderecki’s The Seven Gates of Jerusalem for Naxos, a project that received a Grammy nomination, and also recorded Schubert songs and other works. Her first solo CD, released in 2009, featured Four Last Songs by Strauss.

Mikolaj was married to Austrian conductor Karl Sollak; they had no children. She died on 11 November 2021, at the age of 50, from complications of COVID-19 in Poland.