Svetlana Moskalenko wins prize in Galina Vishnevskaya Competition

Mikhailovsky Theatre soloist Svetlana Moskalenko has won third prize in the Galina Vishnevskaya International Opera Singers Competition. The jury also awarded her a special prize for the best performance of a Russian aria.

The competition, which was launched by Galina Vishnevskaya in 2006, is held every two years. It has earned a reputation as one of the most prestigious displays of vocal talent. This year, there were over 200 applicants for the competition: 46 were selected to participate and only seven reached the final. In the final, which took place on the Bolshoi Theatre’s new stage, each competitor performed two arias — one Russian and one foreign. The skills and vocal abilities of the finalists were assessed by a jury consisting of soloists and artistic directors from La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, the Theater an der Wien, the Opéra de Lyon, the Zurich Opera House, the Teatro di San Carlo, and the Bolshoi Theatre.

Svetlana Moskalenko tells the story:

“The final round was the most difficult, as fatigue had been building up as the days went on, and the nervous tension was increasing. The arias I sang were not the easiest: Antonida’s cavatina and rondo from Glinka’s Ivan Susanin and Olympia’s song from Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann. The most important thing for me was not just the recognition of the jury, but also the recommendations I received when the competition was over and there was an opportunity to just chat. Maria Guleghina, a wonderful singer and a phenomenal woman, was very kind to me and gave me some important advice on how to develop my voice further. “You have to start from the most beautiful note”, she said. “You have such a note, and your whole voice should follow it.” And, of course, “work, work, and more work” — she could not avoid telling me that.

I took my little ten-month-old daughter, Margarita, to Moscow with me for the competition. When I came back in the evenings after performing, I felt that she had missed me and it was a pleasure for me to spend time with her. I also asked my mother to come especially from Stavropol. She helped me a great deal during the competition. I had great support and felt every minute that my family was close by.”

Svetlana Moskalenko joined the Mikhailovsky Theatre opera company in 2011. At that time, she was still a student at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in St. Petersburg, where she studied with Honoured Artist of Russia Professor Tamara Novichenko.

Svetlana has sung several leading soprano roles at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. They include Oscar in Un ballo in maschera, Princess Eudoxie in La Juive, Musetta in La Bohème, and Marfa in The Tsar’s Bride. Svetlana’s voice, which seems to come from somewhere beyond the clouds, can be heard in Nacho Duato’s ballets Multiplicity. Forms of Silence and Emptiness, and Prelude, in which she sings arias by Bach and Handel respectively.