“From the first note, Szarek's glorious voice filled the opera house like velvet”.

The Newport Daily Express

Barbara Szarek serves on the Cathedral music staff and on the UCA Vocal Faculty. Ms. Szarek graduated from Warsaw’s Chopin Academy of Music with a B.Mus. in piano and voice (distinction) and M.Mus. in voice and drama. Ms. Szarek began her singing career at Warsaw's Grand Theatre, performing the leading role in operas such as Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte, and Gluck's Orpheus and Eurydice.

In 1990 Ms. Szarek relocated to Montreal. Her first role in Canada was "Drusilla" in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea performed at the Northern Opera Theatre in Montreal, followed by "Jenny" in the Three Penny Opera by Kurt Weill. At the 1992 Ensemble Internationale de Montreal, as a soloist, Barbara represented Quebec and Canada at the International Festival of Modern Vocal Music in Warsaw.