Irina Vasilieva - opera singer, soloist of the Mariinsky Theater, Laureate of international competitions. Its unique soprano captivates listeners with a combination of voice power and beautiful timbre, combined with unsurpassed mastery of performance. Vasilieva performed on the best musical stages in the world, sang along with Placido Domingo, collaborated with eminent Russian and foreign conductors.
Musical education
The future opera star was born in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, in 1970. There she received primary vocational education: in 1988 she graduated from a music school (piano class). Then Vasilyeva went to Leningrad and became a student at the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg Conservatory, which bears the title of the oldest Russian conservatory. Irina studied at the Department of Special Composition and Improvisation under Professor Sergey Slonimsky, as well as at the Department of Solo Singing under Professor Evgenia Verlasova.
It is worth saying a few words about the wonderful teachers of Irina Vasilyeva, who comprehensively developed the natural talents of her student. Sergey Mikhailovich Slonimsky - a well-known composer, professor, holder of the title “People's Artist of the RSFSR”. He composed three dozen symphonies, 3 ballet, 8 operas, wrote music for films and performances. Among his students are composers Vladimir Migulya, Sofia Levkovskaya, Mehdi Hosseini. Evgenia Konstantinovna Verlasova - the famous opera singer (soprano), “Honored Artist of the RSFSR”, who has been performing at the Mariinsky Theater for over 30 years.
Of course, with such knowledge and skill gained from the great professionals in their field, Irina Vasilyeva had a successful vocal and musical future. In total, she spent more than 10 years on higher musical education. In 1993 she graduated from the department of composition at Slonimsky, and in 1999 - the vocal class of Perlasova. At the final exam, she performed Francesca’s aria from Rachmaninov’s opera Francesca da Rimini.
Early career and the Academy of Young Singers
Already during her studies, Irina began to enter the stage of the Opera Studio of the Conservatory. In 1998, she was entrusted with the performance of the Countess from Mozart's “The Wedding of Figaro”. Also in her student years, Vasilieva took part in the Hans Gabor International Opera Singers Competition and the Rachmaninov International Vocalists' Competition. However, she won her first victories a bit later.
After graduating from the conservatory in 1999, Irina was admitted to the Academy of Young Singers at the Mariinsky Theater. This creative workshop opened a year earlier and was an internship troupe that gives young singers the opportunity to stage practice. Vocalists enrolled in the Academy perform at the Mariinsky Theater, tour, prepare for festivals, and participate in master classes. From the day of its foundation, the leader of the internship troupe is Larisa Gergieva, a teacher and people's artist of Russia.
On the stage of the Mariinsky Theater, Vasilieva made her debut on May 24, 2000 with the part of Velgunda from the opera The Gold of the Rhine by Richard Wagner. For 6 years of work at the Academy of Young Singers, she performed the following musical parts on the stage of her native theater and beyond:
- the opera Mavr by Stravinsky - part of Parasha (2000);
- Verdi's “Requiem” - soprano party (2001);
- Puccini's opera La Boheme - Musetta (2001);
- Rossini's opera The Journey to Reims - Corinne (2001);
- Beethoven Symphony No. 9 - soprano part (2002).
With the part of Parasha, Irina performed at the Los Angeles Philarmonic Hall. Here she was lucky to sing on the same stage with the great tenor Placido Domingo. In September 2000, they together presented to the public the second act of Wagner's opera Parsifal.
With the beginning of a professional career and the acquisition of stage experience, Vasilyeva began to successfully perform at music competitions. In 1999, she received a diploma at the Elena Obraztsova vocal competition. In the same year she was noted at a vocal competition in Italian Verona. And in 2000, Irina was awarded a special diploma and a prize at the Rimsky-Korsakov competition among young opera singers. The jury recognized as the best her performance of a work written by a composer of the twentieth century.
In 2001, Vasilieva participated in a master class by opera singer Renata Scotto from Italy. The first tour of the young vocalist took place in 2002, when she went to Helsinki with the opera "Moor". Soon, Irina began recording solo discs, and in 2003 gave a concert in Tsarskoye Selo. In 2004, the singer became a laureate of a vocal competition in Tallinn, named after Isabella Yurieva. The jury awarded her first prize.
