Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – "The Maid of Orleans"

While forming part of the Opera Company, the Bolshoi Theatre Chorus is a creative entity in its own right and occupies a page of its own in Bolshoi history. In the 80’s of the 19th century, Ulrich Avranek was appointed Chief Chorus Master and second conductor of the Theatre’s orchestra. Under his leadership, the Chorus attained a very high performance level and became known throughout Russia. Many composers wrote music specially for it. In conductor Nikolai Golovanov’s memoirs, he recalls that: “the splendid chorus of the Moscow Imperial Opera… had a great success in the capital, all of Moscow attended its galas and concerts”. At the beginning of the last century, the Bolshoi Theatre Chorus took part in Sergei Diaghilev’s Russian Seasons in Paris. As the art of staging opera developed, the Chorus became an active participant in all the Theatre’s opera productions. First-class musicians, the Bolshoi Theatre conductors and chorus masters Nikolai Golovanov, Alexander Melik-Pashayev, Mikhail Shorin, Alexander Khazanov, Alexander Rybnov, Igor Agafonnikov and others developed the artistic traditions of choral singing and enhanced the beauty, power and expressiveness of its sound. During a Bolshoi Theatre Opera Company tour of France, a Paris newspaper remarked on the very high level of the Chorus’s performance skills: “that, the public should force the chorus to give an encore during the course of a performance has never been witnessed before at the Palais Garnier or, indeed, at any of the world’s opera-houses”.

Today, the Chorus has 150 members. There is no opera in the Bolshoi Theatre repertoire in which it does not take part, in addition to which there are chorus parts in the ballets Nutcracker and Spartacus. It has a vast concert repertoire, including works for chorus by Sergei Taneyev, Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninov, Sergei Prokofiev, .and religious music. Its performances abroad are always popular: in 2003, the Bolshoi Theatre Chorus showed itself to be in fine form during its tours, after a fairly long interval, of Spain and Portugal, under the leadership of Alexander Vedernikov. The press commented as follows: “…The Chorus is magnificent, musical with astonishingly powerful sound…”; “We draw your attention to the Bells cantata, a spectacular work, … which demonstrates the grandeur of Russian music: the chorus! We were presented with an example of superlative singing: intonation, voices, power, sound. We were lucky enough to hear a performance of this work which is little known here, a marvelous performance not only by the Chorus, but by the Orchestra too…” Since 2003, the Chorus has been led by Merited Artist of Russia Valery Borisov.

Internationally renowned conductor Tugan Sokhiev shares his time between symphony and opera, with orchestras from all over the world as well as with the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse (ONCT) and the prestigious Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, being the current Music Director of both institutions. 

As one of the last students of legendary teacher Ilya Musin at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Tugan Sokhiev is eager to share his expertise and thus has initiated a Conducting Academy in Toulouse. His interest in French-Russian relationships in classical music has resulted in him becoming Toulouse's Franco-Russian festival Artistic Director. The Bolshoi Orchestra often plays at this festival and at the Philharmonie de Paris under his baton.

As a guest conductor, Tugan Sokhiev regularly conducts the most prominent orchestras in the world: Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Finnish Radio Symphony orchestras and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, where he was appointed Principal Conductor between 2012 and 2017. 

Tugan Sokhiev has a rich and varied discography, including recordings on Naïve Classique, Warner Classics and Sony Classical. He is currently collaborating with EuroArts on a series of DVD's. His last recording of Shostakovitch 8th Symphony with ONCT received a Diapason d'Or in 2020. 

The 2021/22 season includes engagements with the Orchestra of La Scala, Milan, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Staatskappelle at the Salzburg Easter Festival and the Munich, Berlin and New York Philharmonic orchestras.

Born in 1972, in Bryansk. He trained at the Academic Music College, attached to the Moscow State Conservatoire and, in 2004, he graduated from the Moscow State Conservatoire (Yevgeny Kibkalo's class).

Soloist of the State Academic Symphony Capella of Russia and Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Centre.

In 2008, he made his Bolshoi Theatre debut in the role of Vaudemont (Iolanta).

Oleg Dolgov is a Prize Winner at the Tenors of Russia Competition (2001) and a Diploma Winner at the International Competition of Singers, Naples (2005).

Анна Нечаева родилась в Саратове. В 1996 г. окончила Полтавское музыкальное училище им. Н. В. Лысенко по классу вокала (педагог — Л. Г. Лукьянова). В 1996 г. поступила в Саратовскую государственную консерваторию на вокальный факультет (класс М.С. Ярешко).

Начиная со второго курса стала совмещать учебу с работой в филармонии. Будучи студенткой пятого курса, была приглашена исполнить партию Татьяны («Евгений Онегин») в Санкт-Петербургской консерватории.

С 2003 г. была солисткой театра «Санкт-Петербург Опера», где исполнила следующие партии: Татьяна («Евгений Онегин» П. Чайковского) Лауретта («Джанни Скикки» Дж. Пуччини) Анжелика («Сестра Анжелика» Дж. Пуччини) Рассказчица («Поругание Лукреции» Б. Бриттена) Виолетта («Травиата» Дж. Верди) Ксения («Борис Годунов» М. Мусоргского) Чио-Чио-Сан («Мадам Баттерфляй» Дж.Пуччини) 

В 2008-2011 гг. — солистка Михайловского театра, где в ее репертуар вошли следующие партии: Недда («Паяцы» Р. Леонкавалло) Татьяна («Евгений Онегин» П. Чайковского) Русалка («Русалка» А. Дворжака) Рахиль («Иудейка» Ж. Галеви)

В 2012 г. дебютировала в Большом театре, исполнив партию Настасьи («Чародейка» П. Чайковского).В сентябре того же года стала солисткой оперной труппы Большого.

Биография — с сайта Большого театра

Graduated from the Orienburg State Leopold and Mstislav Rostropovich Institute of Arts. From 2006–2007 he was a soloist with the Orienburg Municipal Chamber Chorus and a grant-recipient of the Governor of the Orienburg Region. Stanislav Trofimov began his operatic career in the Chelyabinsk Opera House in 2008, he then very quickly moved on to perform the leading bass roles at the Ekaterinburg Opera House. In 2013, he took part in gala concert Young voices of Bolshoi on Historic Stage of Bolshoi Theatre. In 2014, he appeared as Pimen (Mussorgsky`s Boris Godunov) and Archbishop (Tchaikovsky’s The Maid of Orleans, conducted by Tugan Sokhiev).

In 2015, Stanislav Trofimov made his debut at the Mariinsky Theatre as Pimen in Andrei Tarkovsky's production of Boris Godunov. Since 2016 he has been a member of the Mariinsky Opera. 

Stanislav Trofimov is a guest soloist of Bolshoi Theatre, where he appears as Priest in Katerina Izmailova and Leporello in The Stone Guest. 

He appeared at the last Salzburg Festival as Priest in the new production of Lady Macbeth of Mzensk and at the Arena di Verona Opera Festival as Zaccaria in Nabucco. Future engagements include performances at the Salzburg Festival in The Queen of Spades and Les Pêcheurs de perles.