Elena Zaremba (born July 10, 1957) is a Russian-born mezzo-soprano long active in the United States.
Zaremba was born in Moscow into a family of singers, and studied at the Gnessin State Musical College, joining the Bolshoi Opera in 1984 upon graduation. On the company's 1989 tour to La Scala she made her Western debut as Vanya in A Life for the Tsar . At this stage in her career she sang mainly Russian roles, such as Laura in The Stone Guest , the Innkeeper in Boris Godunov , Olga in Eugene Onegin , and Amelfa in The Golden Cockerel ; other roles included Cherubino and Lola in Cavalleria rusticana . In 1990 Zaremba was engaged as Konchakovna for Prince Igor at the Royal Opera House, a performance which has been preserved on video. In 1991 she bowed in New York with the Bolshoi on tour; in 1992 she was Ulrica at the Vienna State Opera, and that same year she sang Carmen for Bregenz. In 1991 she took part in the world premiere of The Master and Margarita by Nicolas Slonimsky in Moscow. Zaremba has since moved to the West, and taken on roles such as Dalila. [1] She has sung frequently with the Metropolitan Opera since her debut with the company as Azucena in 1999. [2] Zaremba has recorded the role of Erda in Das Rheingold under Christoph von Dohnányi, and Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera under Carlo Rizzi, but the majority of her recordings are of Russian music. [1]
Nicolai Ghiaurov was a Bulgarian opera singer and one of the most famous basses of the postwar period. He was admired for his powerful, sumptuous voice, and was particularly associated with roles of Mussorgsky and Verdi. Ghiaurov married the Bulgarian pianist Zlatina Mishakova in 1956 and Italian soprano Mirella Freni in 1978, and the two singers frequently performed together. They lived in Modena until Ghiaurov's death in 2004 of a heart attack.
Galina Pavlovna Vishnevskaya was a Russian soprano opera singer and recitalist who was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1966. She was the wife of cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, and mother to their two daughters, Olga and Elena Rostropovich.
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).
Moscow Ballet has toured the United States and Canada during the holiday season since 1993 and is exclusively represented by Talmi Entertainment Inc for these tours. There are 70 to 80 Russian-trained classical dancers on the annual North American tour who fly in from the former republic of Russia. Stanislav Vlasov, a former principal artist of the Bolshoi Ballet, was the first artistic director on the North American tour in 1993. Vlasov's debut in the United States was at Carnegie Hall in 1957.
Vladimir Viktorovich Vasiliev is a Soviet and Russian ballet dancer and choreographer. He was a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet and its director from 1995 to 2000. He was best known for his role of Spartacus and his powerful leaps and turns. He received the People's Artist of the USSR (1973).
Mirella Parutto is an Italian operatic soprano and later mezzo-soprano.
Radmila Bakočević, is a Serbian operatic soprano who had a major international opera career that began in 1955 and ended upon her retirement from the stage in 2004. During her career, she sang at most of the world's important opera houses, including performances throughout Europe, North and South America. She forged important long-term artistic partnerships with two opera houses during her career: the National Theatre in Belgrade and the Vienna State Opera.
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.
Maria Agasovna Guleghina is a Soviet-born operatic soprano singer, particularly associated with the Italian repertory.
Irina Zhurina is a Russian operatic coloratura soprano.
Elena Cernei was a Romanian operatic mezzo-soprano, musicologist, and voice teacher. During her 25-year career as an opera singer, she sang in leading opera houses in both Europe and North America. In 1963, she was made Artistă Emerită of the Republic of Romania and in 1999 received the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa from the National University of Music Bucharest for her contributions to the field of musicology.
Lyubov Yurievna Kazarnovskaya is a Russian operatic soprano who has sung leading roles in opera houses around the world. She has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Philips, and Naxos Records, amongst others. She has her own music show on Russian television and a weekly one-hour radio program, "Vocalissimo", on Radio Orphej.
Dinara Alieva is an Azerbaijani and Russian opera singer (soprano). She is currently a soloist at the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, where she made her debut in 2009 as Liù in Puccini's opera Turandot. People's Artist of Azerbaijan (2018).
Ekaterina Nikolayevna Scherbachenko is a Russian operatic soprano. She was the 2009 winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. In April–May 2011 she appeared at La Scala, singing the role of Liù in Turandot.
Maria Petrovna Maksakova Jr. is a Russian opera singer, a guest soloist with Bolshoi Theater, soloist with Moscow's Helikon-Opera and Mariinsky Opera Company (2011). She is the daughter of actress Lyudmila Maksakova and granddaughter of Maria Petrovna Maksakova Sr., a renowned Russian and Soviet opera singer. Maria is the laureate of several prestigious events. Her extensive chamber repertoire includes works by Schumann, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Rakhmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov. In October 2016, Maksakova relocated from Moscow to Kyiv, Ukraine, with her husband Denis Voronenkov and baby son, saying that they were fleeing the political persecution of Voronenkov in Russia. On 23 March 2017, Voronenkov was murdered in Kyiv.
Tamara Andreyevna Milashkina was a Russian lyric and dramatic soprano. A member of the Bolshoi Theatre from 1958 to 1989, she also appeared at La Scala in Milan, throughout Europe and at the Metropolitan Opera. She focused on roles by Tchaikovsky such as Lisa in Pique Dame and Tatyana in Eugene Onegin. She was the first Soviet soprano to be trained at the studio of La Scala in Milan, and her Italian repertoire included Verdi's Leonora in Il trovatore, Elisabetta in Don Carlo and Aida, and Puccini's Tosca.
Lyudmila Stepanivna Shemchuk is a Ukrainian operatic mezzo-soprano. She is an Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1984).
Veronika Dzhioeva is a South Ossetian operatic soprano singer.
Dina Kuznetsova is an American lyric dramatic operatic soprano of Russian descent who has appeared in leading roles on the stages of international opera houses from New York to Sydney. She has focused on Italian and Slavic repertoires. Her signature roles include Tatyana in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Desdemona in Verdi's Otello, Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly by Puccini, the title role in Dvořák's Rusalka, and Kátya in Kátya Kabanová by Janáček.
Elena Manistina is a Russian operatic mezzo-soprano. She is a member of the Bolshoi Theatre and has appeared in many operas internationally. She also appeared as Verdi's Azucena at the Metropolitan Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Opéra Bastille, and as Amneris at the Arena di Verona.