Maria Gavrilova
Soprano
“Maria Gavrilova was the highlight of the evening.
For nearly ten minutes you could have heard a pin drop, so rapt was the attention.”
– Opera Now, London
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. She made her Metropoliitan Opera company debut as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly in 2007-2008 and will continue the season in New York covering the title roles of Manon Lescuat, and Aida, Paolina in The Gambler and Amelia in Un ballo in maschera.
In addition to performances throughout the Bolshoi seasons, Ms. Gavrilova has been most recently heard at the Hamburg State Opera in the title role of Madama Butterfly and as 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 and Amelia in Un ballo in Maschera for the Florida Grand Opera. Miss Gavrilova’s most recent assignments at the Bolshoi have included the title roles of Francesca da Rimini and Iolanta, Aida, Madama Butterfly, Mimi in La Bohème, Lisa in Pique Dame, and Tatiana in Eugene Onegin . Tatiana has become something of a signature role for her, having performed the role at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liègé, Opera de Lille, Opera d’Avignon and at Baltimore Opera, to name a few. 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...”
Tatiana was the role that New York audiences heard Miss Gavrilova sing when the Bolshoi Theatre performed at the Metropolitan Opera House. The New York Times, describing her performance, said, “Maria Gavrilova…a pure and graceful soprano…her pianissimi are quite outstanding - it is a real delight.” And The New York Daily News called her, “…a wonderful spinto soprano with a smooth voice and exceptional shade treasures.”
The 2003-04 season included Miss Gavrilova’s début with the Michigan Opera Theater as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, Lisa in Pique Dame, and Mimì in La bohème at the Bolshoi. During the 2002-03 season she was Tatiana in Eugene Onegin at the Bolshoi, Maddalena in Andrea Chenier at the Virginia Opera, and made her New York City Opera début as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly. She also toured with the Radio and Television Orchestra of Moscow and the Russian State Symphonic Orchestra. During the 2001-02 season, Miss Gavrilova made her role début 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 Gavrilova is the production's true star, as Butterfly must be.” She was heard in Iolanta at the Graz Festival, Pique Dame in Liège, as Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello, as Mimì, and as Leonora in Il trovatore at the Bolshoi. Her repertoire also encompasses Amelia in both Un ballo in maschera and Simon Boccanegra, Elisabetta in Don Carlo and the title role in Manon Lescaut.
Miss Gavrilova can be seen in the Bolshoi’s video release of Rimsky-Korsakov's Mlada, and is featured singing Lisa’s aria from Pique Dame on a Bolshoi Gala CD on BMG/Melodiya.
Born in Tcheliabinsky, Russia, Miss Gavrilova graduated from the Tchaikovsky Academy in Moscow with degrees in both piano and voice. She was a prize-winner of both the prestigious Tchaikovsky International Competition and the Glinka Competition.