On March 15 and 16, soloists from the Bolshoi Theatre—People’s Artist of Russia Irina Dolzhenko (as Countess) and Anna Nechaeva (as Liza)—will perform in Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s opera The Queen of Spades.  These shows are part of the international festival Stars Parade at the Opera. Slovtsov. Both singers are well known to Krasnoyarsk audiences.

Irina Dolzhenko has graced the Krasnoyarsk stage many times: not only in her striking portrayal of the Countess in The Queen of Spades but also in other roles of strong-minded women, such as Amneris, Carmen, Vesna, Azucena, and Lyubasha. She has been a frequent participant in Stars Parade concerts and other festivals. Between 2013 and 2016, she served as Artistic Director of the opera company at the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre overseeing opera festivals, touring productions, and casting. She continues to share her expertise by conducting annual master-classes for the Theatre’s opera company.  Irina Dolzhenko made her Bolshoi Theatre debut in 1995 as Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, and to this day, she remains one of its leading soloists.

Krasnoyarsk audiences recognize Anna Nechaeva primarily for her role as Liza in The Queen of Spades, which she has performed here as a guest artist. She has also sung the soprano part in Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem on the Krasnoyarsk stage.  A graduate of the Saratov State Conservatory, Anna has performed with the St. Petersburg Opera and  Mikhailovsky Theatre. She joined the Bolshoi Theatre in 2012 making her debut as Nastasya in Tchaikovsky’s The Enchantress (Charodeyka). She has since performed on prestigious opera stages in Russia and abroad and is a laureate of the international competition Madama Butterfly that is held in Moldova.