Andrew Polec Wins The International Lotte Lenya Competition – Theatrical/Voice

Andrew Polec, 32, actor/singer/musician/composer from Doylestown, PA, is honored to have been named the first prize winner in The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music 's 23rd Annual Lotte Lenya Competition, which took place in New York City on August 28, 2021. He received the $20,000 First Prize plus a $2,000 Finalist Prize, for a total of $22,000. Each of his four selections were a fully realized one-act drama.

There were 15 finalists, ages 26 to 32, culled from a record applicant pool of 500 entrants, hailing from 29 countries and 39 US states. Each finalist performed a continuous fifteen-minute program of four contrasting numbers, including at least one by Kurt Weill. Polec performed these four songs ... "She Loves Me" from She Loves Me by Bock/Harnick; "Bilbao Song" from Happy End by Weill/Brecht (Feingold translation), "Confession Aria" from Dead Man Walking by Jake Heggie and "How Glory Goes" from Floyd Collins by Adam Guettel.

Brady Sansone, Director of Programs and Business Affairs at the Kurt Weill Foundation said, "Andrew achieved one of the highest scores in the history of the competition and is a terrific example of precisely what the Lenya Competition rewards: singing actors/acting singers who can 'do it all'!" The judges, stage director and Tony-winning actor, Victoria Clark, Broadway and television star, Mary Beth Peil, and Broadway conductor and music director Andy Einhorn described Andrew's performances as "four perfectly curated one-act dramas." They were impressed how he "landed each moment in his program" and agreed that "he has the special ability to communicate the center of every character, and possesses the 'It' factor in extraordinary measure."

Polec was elated by his placement in this international competition. He said, "When they announced my name for first place, I was so unbelievably grateful and honored. I was with such a talented group of artists." While preparing for this virtual performance application which was during the Pandemic, he said, "When the world shut down (due to COVID), I realized this is the last year I could possibly do this. This has been the most worthwhile experience of this whole Pandemic."

Andrew Polec has never been afraid to take chances. Stretching his performances beyond the expected, he has a magnetic quality that attracts audiences to his every move. A person who once aspired to be an athlete, he brings a physicality to each performance whether singing in a concert, acting in a musical or television show or leading his band. He is currently playing the role of "Berger" in Hair at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, where he has also been named a Kurt Weill/Lotte Lenya Artist. He's receiving raves for this performance as he did for his award-winning role as "Strat" in Bat Out of Hell. He won The Joe Allen Best West End Debut award, decided by public vote, for "Bat Out of Hell: The Musical" at the Manchester Opera House and The London Coliseum. He reprised the role on the West End in London and Toronto, before leading the cast at the New York City Center. In 2020 and 2021 he performed virtually and in-concert at the legendary Bucks county Playhouse in PA.

A graduate of the Brown/ Trinity Rep MFA program, Polec appeared Off-Broadway in "The Fantasticks" at the Jerry Orbach Theater and has performed at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Providence Fringe Festival, and with the Trinity Repertory Company. His television credits include "Katy Keene" and "Prodigal Son."

More than a vocal competition, the Lotte Lenya Competition recognizes talented young singer/actors who are dramatically and musically convincing in repertoire ranging from opera/operetta to contemporary Broadway scores, with a focus on the works of Kurt Weill. Since its inception in 1998, the Lotte Lenya Competition has grown into an internationally recognized leader in identifying and nurturing the next generation of "total-package performers" (Opera News) and rising stars in both the opera and musical theater worlds. In awarding more than $1.2 million in prize money since the Competition's inception, the Kurt Weill Foundation has celebrated the talent and supported the careers of hundreds of singing actors worldwide.

The entire performance and awards ceremony was live streamed globally. An edited version of the finals will be available free and on-demand to audiences worldwide beginning Friday, September 10 via OperaVision.

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