In his opera The Oprichnik, Pyotr Tchaikovsky wrote the part of Fyodor Basmanov for a low female voice — mezzo-soprano or contralto. At the Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre on November 23 and 24, this role will be performed by the high male voice singer - countertenor Vadim Volkov.

Vadim graduated from the Faculty of Music Theatre (workshop of Dmitri Bertman) of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS), He made his debut as an opera singer in 2014 performing the role of Orestes in Offenbach’s operetta La Belle Hélène on the stage of the Moscow theatre Helikon-Opera; he also performed in Moscow concert halls. Between 2016 and 2018, he was an artist of the Youth Opera Programme of the Bolshoi Theatre; he underwent an internship at the La Scala Theatre Academy in Milan. As an artist of the Youth Opera Programme, he worked on European stages (in Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy) and in Russia.

In 2020, he performed the role of Nezhata in the premiere series of performances of the opera Sadko by Rimsky-Korsakov (conducted by Timur Zangiev, directed by Dmitri Chernyakov) at the Bolshoi Theatre; in 2021 - Ruggiero in the opera Alcina by Georg Friedrich Händel in Italy. For the first time, he performed the part of Basmanov at the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. In this role, he appeared on the stage of the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre at the premiere of The Oprichnik in January 2023; and later in January 2024.

Let us remind you that the opera The Oprichnik is part of the Expert in Russian Operas campaign. To receive this honorary title, a spectator needs to attend three more opera shows according to their choice (there should be four ones in total): On December 14 or 15: The Tsar's Bride by Rimsky-Korsakov, on December 20 or 21: Prince Igor by Borodin. Also, the spectators who attended Iolanta by Tchaikovsky on October 26 may participate in this campaign. Then, electronic tickets or photos of tickets should be sent via the messages of the Theatre’s community in the social net VK. Until December 31, the spectators who have fulfilled these conditions will gather for tea with the singers and receive the titles of Russian operas connoisseurs and pleasant gifts from the Theatre.