About Us

“SCHOOL’S DIRECTOR”

“There is a certain gap between the institute of higher education and a prestigious stage which you can overcome only in years or even decades. But now theatres need young singers whose looks and age correspond to audience’s idea of, for example, Romeo and Juliet. And they cannot wait for too long. At The Bolshoi we try to concentrate our pedagogical and financial efforts on preparing young talented artists for working days at theatre. This is like a little factory that produces something precious and exclusive. And young artists should be first of all captivated with creativity and the amount of interesting work to do, so they could advance. Our young artists dream about such things”.

Dmitry Vdovin, the Artistic Director of The Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Opera Program.


TEACHERS

Constant pedagogues		Singers		Pedagogues-coaches		Conductors		Directors
Dmitry Vdovin, Diane Zola, Ekaterina Vasheruk, Lyubov Orfenova, Svetlana Nesterenko, Sergei Terekhov, Yury Papko, Lyubov Levina, Tatiana Freishist, Roman Matveev, Ariana Oaro, Anna Krivchenkova, Valeria Prokofieva, Marina Kozlova (producer), Viktor Zolotov (coordinator)		Irina Bogacheva, Laura Claycomb (USA), Andre Cognet (France), Mirella Freni (Italy), Maria Gulegina, Inga Kalna (Latvia), Makvala Kasrashvili, Olga Makarina (USA), Maxim Mironov, Evgeny Nesterenko, Elena Obraztsova, Joan Rodgers (Great Britain), Albina Shagimuratova, Neil Shicoff (USA) Carol Vaness (USA), Elizabeth Vidal (France), Deborah York (Great Britain)		Alessandro Amoretti (Italy), Richard Bado (Houston Grand Opera), Maya Bakhturidze (La Scala), Vita Maria Brunetti (Conservatorio Bolzano, Italy), Gloria Guida Borelli (The Naples Conservatory of Music), George Darden (Metropolitan opera), Alexei Goribol, Irina Kataeva (France), Mark Lawson (Bayerische Staatsoper), Emma McDermott (USA), Xavier le Mareshal (France), Alexander Podkidchenko, Lenore Rosenberg (Metropolitan opera), Stephanie Rhodes (USA), Semyon Skygin (Hanns Eisler Academy of Music), Sebastian Schwarz (Austria), Vladimir Scheblykin, Valentina di Taranto (Netherlands), Howard Watkins (Metropolitan opera), Giulio Zappa (Italy)		Antonello Allemandi (Italy), Laurent Campellone (France), Vladimir Fedoseev, Nicola Giuliani (Italy), Mikhail Jurowski, Dmitri Jurowski, Christopher Moulds (Great Britain), Vasily Sinaisky, Alberto Zedda (Italy)		Tito Capobianco (Argentina), Yulia Pevzner (Israel), Andrejs Zagars (Latvia), Francesca Zambello (USA)

STUDENTS

26 graduates-vocalists		7 became the Bolshoi soloists		Venera Gimadieva, Olga Kulchinskaya, Alina Yarovaya, Yulia Mazurova, Andrei Jilihovschi, Konstantin Shushakov, Oleg Tsybulko
		14 keep collaborating with the theatre		Uliana Aleksyuk, Anastasia Kikot, Nina Minasyan, Angelina Nikitchenko, Valentina Fedeneva, Oxana Volchkova, Alexandra Kadurina, Nadezhda Karyazina, Pavel Kolgatin, Sergei Radchenko, Boris Rudak, Alexei Pashiev, Grygory Shkarupa, Pavel Chervinsky
4 graduates-pianists		2 became the Bolshoi Opera company concertmasters		Artem Grishaev, Pavel Nebolsin

There are 11 vocalists and 3 pianists participating in the Program right now.



HISTORY

The Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Opera Program has been started on October 19, 2009. Young artists selected through the competitive auditions take vocal classes, study foreign languages, scenic movements and acting, participate in The Bolshoi theatre performances and prepare their own repertoire during several seasons.


MATHEMATICS

Opera premieres INVOLVING YAOP artists — 14 (out of 18)

“Don Giovanni”		Alina Yarovaya — Zerlina
“The Golden Cockerel”		Venera Gimadieva — The Tsaritsa of Shemakha Boris Rudak — Gvidon
“The Cherry Orchard” (world premiere)		Uliana Aleksyuk — Anya Alexandra Kadurina — Grisha
“Der Rosenkavalier”		Evgeny Nagovitsyn, Boris Rudak — An Italian singer Sergei Radchenko — A vendor of pets
“The Enchantress”		Angelina Nikitchenko, Anastasia Kikot — Polya Boris Rudak , Evgeny Nagovitsyn — Lukash
“La Traviata”		Evgeny Nagovitsyn — Alfredo Oleg Tsybulko — Doctor Grenvil
“L’enfant et les Sortilèges”		Yulia Mazurova — The child Nina Minasyan — A widower bat, An owl, A shepherdess
“La sonnambula”		Nina Minasyan — Lisa Grygory Shkarupa — Alessio
“Prince Igor”		Sergei Radchenko — Vladimir Igorevich Nina Minasyan, Kristina Mkhitaryan — A Polovtsian maiden Oleg Tsybulko, Grygory Shkarupa — Skula
“Be in the Mood for Opera”		Olga Kulchinskaya — Soprano Alexandra Chukhina — Mezzo-soprano Bogdan Volkov, Pavel Valuzhin — Tenor Andrei Jilihovschi — Baritone
“Don Carlo”		Bogdan Volkov, Arseny Yakovlev — Royal Herald Kristina Mkhitaryan — A Voice from Heaven Andrei Jilihovschi, Pavel Chervinsky, Daniil Chesnokov — Flemish envoys
“The Tsar’s Bride”		Olga Kulchinskaya — Marfa Bogdan Volkov — Lykov Alexandra Chukhina — Dunyasha
“Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti”		Yulia Mazurova — Dorabella Andrei Jilihovschi — Guglielmo
“The Maid of Orleans”		Arseny Yakovlev, Bogdan Volkov — Raimond

Repertoire performances NOT involving YAOP artists — 1 (“Der fliegende Holländer”)

YAOP concerts at The Beethoven Hall — 18 (1/3 of all the performances)
Indicative performances: series of “All the romances by Tchaikovsky” concerts, French composers program, gala evening dedicated to the Britten’s 100th anniversary, joint concerts with Luciano Pavarotti’s fund artists and Metropolitan opera Young artists opera program students.

Concerts at the Historical and New stages — 9

The Bolshoi Theatre Symphony Orchestra concerts involving YAOP artists — 6

Tchaikovsky Concert Hall		“Pulcinella” I.Stravinsky		Alexandra Kadurina Pavel Kolgatin
		“Le nozze di Figaro” W.A.Mozart		Anastasia Kikot Grygory Shkarupa Nina Minasyan
Historical stage		“Bells” S. Rachmaninov		Sergei Radchenko
New Stage		“L’enfant et les Sortilèges” M. Ravel		Uliana Aleksyuk Alexandra Kadurina
		“From Jewish Folk Poetry” D. Shostakovich		Nina Minasyan
		“Le nozze di Figaro” W.A.Mozart		Angelina Nikitchenko Daniil Chesnokov

GEOGRAPHY

Participation in theatre’s touring (during the education)

Pskov		“The Maid of Pskov”		Alexandra Kadurina
Saint Petersburg		“Le nozze di Figaro”		Daniil Chesnokov
Warsaw, Dresden		“Iolanta”		Uliana Aleksyuk Alexandra Kadurina Boris Rudak
London, Madrid		“Eugene Onegin”		Oxana Volkova
Vienna, New York		“The Tsar’s Bride”		Olga Kulchinskaya Bogdan Volkov

YAOP touring

Rome, Nice, Paris, Avignon, Compiègne, Berlin, San Francisco, New York, Sofia, Baku, Kiev, Ekaterinburg, Klin, Khabarovsk, Sochi, Kazan, Kaliningrad.



FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Young artists opera program graduates perform in theatres all over the world:

Metropolitan opera		Oxana Volkova		Maddalena (“Rigoletto”), Olga (“Eugene Onegin”)
		Alexei Lavrov		Schaunard (“La bohème”)
Houston Grand Opera		Uliana Aleksyuk		Ida (“Die Fledermaus”), Yvette (“The Passenger”), Gilda (“Rigoletto”), Frasquita (“Carmen”)
The Atlanta opera		Boris Rudak		Alfredo (“La Traviata”)
Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires)		Oxana Volkova		Carmen (“Carmen”)
Opéra National de Paris		Uliana Aleksyuk		Anya (“The Cherry Orchard”)
		Alexandra Kadurina		Grisha (“The Cherry Orchard”)
		Venera Gimadieva		Violetta (“La Traviata”)
Opéra de Nice		Oxana Volkova		Marguerite (“La damnation de Faust”)
Royal Opera House		Nadezhda Karyazina		Mercédès (“Carmen”), Flora (“La Traviata”), Maddalena (“Rigoletto”)
Teatro Real (Madrid)		Alexandra Kadurina		Feodor (“Boris Godunov”)
		Alina Yarovaya		Kseniya (“Boris Godunov”)
Teatro alla Scala		Konstantin Shushakov		Guglielmo (“Così fan tutte”)
Arena di Verona		Svetlana Kasyan		Liù (“Turandot”)
Teatro la Fenice di Venezia		Venera Gimadieva		Violetta (“La Traviata”)
		Svetlana Kasyan		Cio-Cio San (“Madama Butterfly”), Tosca (“Tosca”)
Teatro dell’Opera di Roma		Pavel Kolgatin		Tamino (“Die Zauberflöte”)
		Nadezhda Karyazina		Third Lady (“Die Zauberflöte”)
Teatro di San Carlo (Naples)		Oxana Volkova		Santuzza (“Cavalleria rusticana”)
		Sergei Radchenko		Lensky (“Eugene Onegin”)
Teatro Regio (Turin)		Svetlana Kasyan		Élisabeth (“Don Carlo”)
Teatro Massimo (Palermo)		Oxana Volkova		Laura (“La Gioconda ”)
Teatro Petruzzelli (Bari)		Uliana Aleksyuk		Dita (“Lo stesso mare”)
Wiener Staatsoper		Pavel Kolgatin		Balthasar Zorn (“Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg”), Brighella (“Ariadne auf Naxos”), Tamino (“Die Zauberflöte”), Don Basilio (“Le nozze di Figaro”), Borsa (“Rigoletto”), Count Almaviva (“Il Barbiere di Siviglia”), The Simpleton (“Boris Godunov”), Arbace (“Idomeneo”)
Theater an der Wien		Pavel Kolgatin		Telemaco (“Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria”)
Salzburger Landestheater		Pavel Kolgatin		Nemorino (“L’elisir d’amore”)
		Nadezhda Karyazina		Charlotte (“Werther”), Polinesso (“Ariodante”)
Staatsoper Berlin		Grygory Shkarupa		Samuel (“Un ballo in maschera”), Marchese d’Obigny (“La Traviata”), Alaska Wolf Joe (“Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny”) ecc.
Pfalztheater (Kaiserslautern)		Maria Lobanova		Maria (“Friedenstag”)
Latvian National Opera		Oxana Volkova		Carmen (“Carmen”)
		Angelina Nikitchenko		Tatiana (“Eugene Onegin”)
		Nadezhda Karyazina		Olga (“Eugene Onegin”)
National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing)		Oxana Volkova		Carmen (“Carmen”)
Bunkamura (Tokyo)		Oxana Volkova		Carmen (“Carmen”)
Glyndebourne Festival Opera		Uliana Aleksyuk		Zerbinetta (“Ariadne auf Naxos”)
		Venera Gimadieva		Violetta (“La Traviata”)
Savonlinna Opera Festival		Venera Gimadieva		Violetta (“La Traviata”)
Internationale Musikfestwochen Luzern		Sergei Radchenko		Mozart (“Mozart and Salieri”)
“Les Nuits de la Courtine” Festival (St-Paul-de-Vence)		Yulia Mazurova		Carmen (“Carmen”)

“EXAMS”

During their education Young artists opera program students more than once accepted awards at prestigious vocal competitions.

Gian Battista Viotti International Music Competition, Vercelli
Kristina Mkhitaryan (I prize) — 2014

Plácido Domingo’s International Competition “Operalia”
Konstantin Shushakov (II prize) — 2011
Nadezhda Karyazina (III prize) — 2012

International Vocal Competition " Neue Stimmen", Germany
Pavel Kolgatin (IV prize and audience award) — 2009
Nadezhda Karyazina (V prize) — 2011
Oleg Tsybulko (II prize), Kristina Mkhitaryan (III prize), Yulia Mazurova (special prize) — 2013

Queen Elizabeth International Competition, Brussels
Konstantin Shushakov (V prize) — 2011

Queen Sonja International Competition, Oslo
Uliana Aleksyuk (III prize) — 2011
Kristina Mkhitaryan (I prize) — 2013

Mirjam Helin’s International Competition, Helsinki
Ekaterina Morozova (II prize) — 2014

International Competition in Ningbo, China
Svetlana Kasyan (I prize) — 2011

Glinka International Vocal Competition, Moscow
Oleg Tsybulko (III aw prize ard) — 2011

International Vocal Competition of Sobinov Musical festival, Saratov
Oxana Volkova (I prize) — 2010

Shalyapin International Competition “Voices over Ples”
Venera Gimadieva, Pavel Kolgatin (I prize), Svetlana Kasjan (II prize), Alina Yarovaya (III prize) — 2010

One cannot embrace the unembraceable: Young artists opera program is The Bolshoi Theatre’s great project. Our statistics cannot claim to be complete!