Olszewska was born in , Germany. She studied singing in Munich with
Karl Erler for three years before beginning her career singing in
operettas in that city in 1913. She made her first opera appearance in 1915 as the Page in
Richard Wagner's
Tannhäuser at the
opera house in
Krefeld, where she already had a two-year contract. of
Erich Wolfgang Korngold's
Die tote Stadt on 4 December 1920. While singing in Hamburg, she was appointed to the roster of artists at the
Vienna State Opera (VSO) in 1921 where she sang through 1923. She was a member of the
Bavarian State Opera in
Munich from 1923 to 1925, after which she returned to the VSO from 1925 to 1930. In 1925, she married the baritone (1882–1957). with Maria Olszewska in 1932Olszewska appeared frequently as a guest artist at opera houses around the world. In 1923 and 1928 she was heard as a guest at the
Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. She made numerous appearance at the
Royal Opera, London between 1924 and 1932, where her performances in such roles as Fricka, Ortrud, Brangäne and Herodias drew the highest critical acclaim. Her Carmen and Amneris were less successful, but her Octavian and Orlofsky were highly regarded. In the United States, she sang in Chicago (1928–1932) and at the
Metropolitan Opera. She also gave performances at
La Scala,
La Monnaie, and highly successful tours in South and Central America. From 1947, Olszewska taught at the
University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna and in 1948 she became a lecturer at the Vienna State Opera. From 1951 to 1955, she again appeared at the
Vienna Volksoper, singing roles like Agricola in
Johann Strauss II's
A Night in Venice. She retired from the stage in 1955, after which she devoted her time to teaching. She died in
Klagenfurt. ==Recordings==