A leading soprano at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Maria Gavrilova is considered one of the most outstanding sopranos in Russia today. She has garnered critical acclaim for her portrayals of the demanding Russian and Italian heroines of the
lirico spinto repertoire. Miss Gavrilova made her Metropolitan Opera company debut as Cio-Cio San in
Madama Butterfly in 2007-2008 and later in the season was heard as
Manon Lescuat. Miss Gavrilova opened the 2008-2009 season with her return as Cio-Cio San at the Metropolitan opposite Marcello Giordani and closed the season as
Jolantha at the Bolshoi. She returns to the Metropolitan in 2009-2010 in
The Nose.
In addition to performances throughout the Bolshoi seasons, Miss Gavrilova has been most recently heard at the Hamburg State Opera as
Madama Butterfly and Desdemona in
Otello. She was in Paris with the Radio France Orchestra for Rachmaninov’s
Aleko, was Lisa in the Finnish National Opera’s new production of
Pique Dame, Amelia in
Un ballo in maschera for the Florida Grand Opera, and Lisa in
Pique Dame in Budapest. Miss Gavrilova’s most recent assignments at the Bolshoi have included the title roles of
Francesca da Rimini,
Iolanta,
Aida,
Madama Butterfly, Mimi in
La Bohème, Lisa in
Pique Dame, Desdemona in
Verdi’s Otello, Leonore in
Il trovatore, and Tatiana in
Eugene Onegin. Tatiana is her signature role and has performed it at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liègé, Opera de Lille, Opera d’Avignon and at the Baltimore Opera. For her portrayal of Tatiana in Avignon,
Opera Now reported:
“Maria Gavrilova was the highlight of the evening. For nearly ten minutes you could have heard a pin drop, so rapt was the attention...”
New York audiences first heard Miss Gavrilova sing in the role of Tatiana when the Bolshoi performed at the Metropolitan Opera House.
The New York Times, describing her performance, announced:
“Maria Gavrilova…a pure and graceful soprano…her pianissimi are quite outstanding-it is a real delight,” while the
New York Daily News called her:
“…a wonderful spinto soprano with a smooth voice and exceptional shade treasures.”
Recent seasons have included Miss Gavrilova’s performances with the Michigan Opera Theater as Cio-Cio-San in
Madama Butterfly, Iolanta at the Graz Festival, Maddalena in
Andrea Chenier at the Virginia Opera, her New York City Opera debut as Cio-Cio San in
Madama Butterfly, and concert tours with the Radio and Television Orchestra of Moscow and the Russian State Symphony Orchestra. Miss Gavrilova made her role debut as Cio-Cio San in Puccini’s
Madama Butterfly at the Florida Grand Opera where she had previously appeared as Tatiana in 1999.
The Miami Herald proclaimed:
“Maria Gawvrilova is the production's true star, as Butterfly must be.”
Miss Gavrilova can be heard in the Bolshoi’s DVD releases of Rimsky-Korsakov's
Mlada, as Tatiana in
Eugene Onegin, and in
The Maid of Orleans.
Born in Tcheliabinsky, Russia, Miss Gavrilova was graduated from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow with degrees in both piano and voice. She is a prize-winner of both the prestigious Tchaikovsky International Competition and the Glinka Competition.
June 2009 - Please destroy any previously released version