Aigul Akhmetshina is a Russian operatic mezzo-soprano.
Akhmetshina was born in 1996 in a small village Kirgiz-Miyaki [1] in the Republic of Bashkortostan in the Russian Federation.
In 2016 she ended Ufa College of Arts. [1]
Though a Russian citizen, she stated in an interview with The Times in 2024 that "I'm not Russian", and expressed a desire to become a British citizen. [2]
Her family were amateur singers, and encouraged her talent. After being refused the opportunity to study music at a Moscow university, she gained a place on the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House in London. [3] [4]
On New Year's Eve 2023, Akhmetshina appeared in the title role in Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera. She was described by Zachary Woolfe of the New York Times as "the only truly impressive aspect" of the production. [5] In 2024, Akhmetshina appeared in the same opera and role at the Royal Opera House. [6]
Akhmetshina's first album, titled Aigul was released on 26 July 2024, on the Decca Classics label. [7] In a five star review in The Guardian Erica Jeal wrote "Her debut solo recording perfectly showcases the glowing expansiveness, swagger and breathtaking poise of Akhmetshina’s arresting voice". [8] The German magazine Oper! named the album CD of the month in its September issue [9]
Renée Lynn Fleming is an American soprano, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for 18 Grammy Awards and has won five times. In June 2023, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced that Fleming would be one of the five artists recognized at the 2023 Kennedy Center Honors, which she received in December 2023. Other notable honors won by Fleming have included the Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur from the French government, Germany's Cross of the Order of Merit, Sweden's Polar Music Prize and honorary membership in England's Royal Academy of Music. Unusual among artists whose careers began in opera, Fleming has achieved name recognition beyond the classical music world. In May, 2023, Fleming was appointed by the World Health Organization as a Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health. On April 9, 2024, Penguin Random House published Fleming's anthology Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, a collection of essays about the health benefits of music and the arts, by scientists from leading research institutions, practitioners, educators, arts leaders, musicians, artists and writers.
Cecilia BartoliOMRI is an Italian mezzo-soprano widely known in the music of Bellini, Handel, Mozart, Rossini and Vivaldi and for lesser-known music of the Baroque and Classical periods. She has also sung soprano and alto repertory.
Teresa Berganza VargasOAXS was a Spanish mezzo-soprano. She is most closely associated with roles such as Rossini's Rosina and La Cenerentola, and later Bizet's Carmen, admired for her technical virtuosity, musical intelligence, and beguiling stage presence.
Grace Melzia Bumbry was an American opera singer, considered one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation, who also ventured to soprano roles. She belonged to a pioneering generation of African-American classical singers, led by Marian Anderson. She was recognized internationally when Wieland Wagner cast her for the 1961 Bayreuth Festival as Venus in Tannhäuser, the first black singer to appear at the festival.
Karita Marjatta Mattila is a Finnish operatic soprano.
Dame Felicity Joan Palmer,, is an English mezzo-soprano and music professor. She sang soprano roles until 1983.
Irina Konstantinovna Arkhipova was a Soviet and Russian mezzo-soprano, and later contralto, opera singer. She sang leading roles first in Russia at the Sverdlovsk Opera and the Bolshoi Theatre, and then throughout Europe and in the United States. People's Artist of the USSR (1966) and Hero of Socialist Labour (1984).
Olga Vladimirovna Borodina is a leading mezzo-soprano, known for her roles in Russian operas at her home company, the Mariinsky Theatre, and for her international performing and recording career in a varied repertoire.
Dame Sarah Patricia Connolly is an English mezzo-soprano. Although best known for her baroque and classical roles, Connolly has a wide-ranging repertoire which has included works by Wagner as well as various 20th-century composers. She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to music.
Elena Vasilyevna Obraztsova was a Soviet and Russian mezzo-soprano. She was awarded the People's Artist of the USSR in 1976 and Hero of Socialist Labour in 1990.
Anja Harteros is a German soprano. Since winning the 1999 Cardiff Singer of the World competition she has been particularly associated with the Bavarian State Opera and enjoyed an international career.
Eva-Maria Westbroek is a Dutch soprano opera singer.
Lawrence Brownlee is an American operatic tenor particularly associated with the bel canto repertoire. Describing his voice, Speight Jenkins, general director of the Seattle Opera, said: "There are other singers that sing this repertory very well, but I don't think anyone else has quite as beautiful a sound and as rounded a tone," and praise his "incredible top notes", adding about his high F (F5) in "Credeasi, misera": "With him it's not a scream, it's a beautiful sound." Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato adds: "He is always in service of the music. His natural instrument is just incredibly beautiful. The word 'honey' comes to mind. He also has technical prowess and agility."
Nicholas Eliot Spence is a Scottish operatic tenor who performs in opera, oratorio and recital in both the UK and internationally.
Carmen: Duets & Arias is an album released in 2010 by Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli. The album is a collection of arias of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen, including duets with Welsh bass-baritone, Bryn Terfel, Russian mezzo-soprano Marina Domashenko, and Italian soprano Eva Mei, from the French opéra comique.
Marina Poplavskaya is a Russian operatic soprano. Her repertoire includes leading roles in operas of the Romantic era; she is particularly known for her performances in the operas of Verdi.
Kirsten MacKinnon is a Canadian operatic soprano. A winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2017, she has appeared internationally.
Lise Davidsen is a Norwegian opera singer, known as a lyric dramatic soprano. She came to prominence after winning the Operalia competition in London in 2015.
Zagir Ismagilov Ufa State Institute of Arts is one of the leading academic institutions of higher education of Russia. At the same time it is a unique educational institution of Bashkortostan, graduating professionals in the field of music, theatre and art.
Ljubica Vraneš is a Serbian mezzo-soprano opera singer and politician. As a performer, she is best known for playing the lead role in productions of Georges Bizet's Carmen. She has been a member of Serbia's national assembly since February 2024, serving with the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).