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Biography

Maria Nazarova is a russian operatic soprano and was born in Dnepropetrovsk (USSR). She is a prizewinner of many international voice competitions who has performed at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, at La Scala in Milan, at the prestigious Salzburg Festival and other leading world opera venues.Since 2015, Maria has been a soloist with the Vienna State Opera ensemble.

She has collaborated with world famous opera conductors: Valery Gergiev, Christian Thielemann, Pier Giorgio Morandi, Philippe Jordan, Frederic Chaslin, Franz Welser-Möst, Timur Zangiev, Alexander Soddy, Pablo Heras-Casado, Giacomo Sagripanti, Guillermo Garcia Cavalo, Stefano Montanari, Speranza Scappucci, Michael Gütttler, Gianluca Capuano, Bertrand de Billy, Jonathan Darlington, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Adam Fischer, Ingo Metzmacher, Axel Kober, Marco Armiliato, Alain Altinoglu, Tugan Sokhiev, Constantinos Carydis, Cornelius Meister, Giampaolo Bisanti and others. She sang with world opera stars such as Placido Domingo, Piotr Beczała, Juan Diego Flórez, Ramón Vargas, Ludovic Tézier, Thomas Hampson, René Pape, Nina Stemme, and others

Maria began taking singing and piano lessons at the age of four. Alongside her general school education, she attended both a music school and a theatre school. She started studying operatic vocal performance professionally at the age of thirteen
She graduated with honors from the Faculty of Musical Theatre at the Institute of Theatre Arts in Moscow (GITIS). She then continued her studies at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, where she received a Master’s degree in Vocal with distinction and performed the role of Barbarina in Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro. After graduating from the Mozarteum, she enrolled in the opera studio of the Vienna Conservatory (MUK), performing the roles of the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Madame Herz in The Impresario, Countess de Folleville in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims, and Serpina in Pergolesi’s opera buffa La serva padrona, where she also graduated with distinction.

Maria Nazarova won the First Prize at the International Singing Competition Les Azuriales Opera in 2014, in France , and the First Prize at the Primo Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino (CLIP) in 2015, in Italy . In 2014, Nazarova was invited to perform the role of Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel at the Vilnius City Opera with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and sang this role in 2015 as well. In addition, she debuted as Lisa in La Sonnambula at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, Germany. Her perfect vocal technique, lively acting and grace immediately attracted attention. In 2015, having finished her studies, the young artist Maria received a Novomatic scholarship at the Vienna State Opera to this day he is a member of the Vienna Opera ensemble.

Throughout these years,Maria has excelled in numerous roles in Vienna State Opera and has been heard as Adina, Adele, Musetta, Oscar, Sophie, Lisa, Despina, Najade, Fiakermilli, Clorinda, Susanna, Pamina, Gretel, Seur Constance, among others. In an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Dominique Meyer (director of the Vienna State Opera until the summer of 2020, now director of La Scala Theater) called Nazarova “our real diamond”.In 2016, Nazarova brilliantly performed Oscar from Un ballo in maschera in Vienna, earning outstanding appraisal from the music columnist and pianist Jonathan Sutherland СДЕЛАТЬ КЛИКАБЕЛЬНО (https://bachtrack.com/22/270/list-published/18167), who had also seen Maria Callas’ performance: The star performer of the evening was young Russian coloratura Maria Nazarova as Oscar who brought dramatic credibility, humour and remarkable technical skill to the role. Her effortless fioratura and stellar staccato in “Volta la terrea” and clarity of intonation in the Act III canzona were absolutely flawless. With a pure tone colour similar to Reri Grist, this young singer has both superb vocal technique and a compelling stage presence.[...] Unquestionably, the Oscar for the best singing in a regicidal Swedish opera by Verdi goes to... Oscar. (13 Januar 2016, Bachtrack) On May 19, 2017, on the stage of the Vienna State Opera, Maria Nazarova was honored to sing along with Placido Domingo at the gala concert celebrating his fifty years on stage, again in her brilliant role as the young page Oscar from Un ballo in maschera.

In February 2018, Maria Nazarova made her Teatro alla Scala debut as Adele in Die Fledermaus under the baton of Cornelius Meister. She made her debut at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow in 2016 as Despina in Cosi fan tutte, and sang this role in 2018 there again. The same year, Maria also sang Despina at the Vilnius City Opera. In Summer 2018, she performed the role of Papagena in a new production of Die Zauberflöte at the Salzburg Festival. In 2019, Maria Nazarova gave her first solo concert of chamber vocal music at the Wiener Musikverein.

Further engagements have taken her to Tokyo and Stuttgart (as Adele), back to La Scala (as as Prilepa in "The Queen of Spades" by Tchaikovsky and as Giacinta in *L’Orontea* by A. Cesti), to Hamburg and the Summer Festival Oper Burg Gars (as Adina), as well as to the Berlin State Opera and to Florence (as Najade in *Ariadne auf Naxos*).
A particular highlight of her career was her appearance at the ORF-III gala concert marking the 50th anniversary of *Licht ins Dunkel*, where she shared the stage with stars such as Jonas Kaufmann and Erwin Schrott.

As an ensemble member at the Vienna State Opera, she performed as Despina in "Così fan tutte" and Musetta in "La Bohème", and made her acclaimed role debut as Pamina in "Die Zauberflöte". She also appeared as Brigitta in a new production of "Iolanta" and as Prilepa in "The Queen of Spades" by Tchaikovsky with Anna Netrebko as Lisa. A special highlight of the last season was Maria's performance at the Opening of the Vienna Opera Ball together with Nadine Sierra and Juan Diego Flórez.

In the 2025/26 season, Maria will make her debut in the role of Gretel on the stage of the Vienna State Opera and will again sing Adina (*L'elisir d'amore*), Despina (*Così fan tutte*), Sœur Constance (*Dialogues des Carmélites*), Brigitta (*Iolanta*), Amanda (*Le Grand Macabre*) and Najade (*Ariadne auf Naxos*).

In February 2018, Maria Nazarova made her Teatro alla Scala debut as Adele in Die Fledermaus under the baton of Cornelius Meister. She made her debut at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow in 2016 as Despina in Cosi fan tutte, and sang this role in 2018 there again. The same year, Maria also sang Despina at the Vilnius City Opera. In Summer 2018, she performed the role of Papagena in a new production of Die Zauberflöte at the Salzburg Festival. In 2019, Maria Nazarova gave her first solo concert of chamber vocal music at the Wiener Musikverein.

Other engagements include a series of debuts in Festival d'Aix en Provence and Opéra de Lyon in the new production of "The Golden Cockerel" by Tschaikovsky as the Golden Cockerel.

Further engagements have taken her to Tokyo and Stuttgart (as Adele), back to La Scala (as as Prilepa in "The Queen of Spades" by Tchaikovsky and as Giacinta in *L’Orontea* by A. Cesti), to Hamburg and the Summer Festival Oper Burg Gars (as Adina), as well as to the Berlin State Opera and to Florence (as Najade in *Ariadne auf Naxos*).

In 2022 a particular highlight of her career was her appearance at the ORF-III gala concert marking the 50th anniversary of *Licht ins Dunkel*, where she shared the stage with stars such as Jonas Kaufmann and Erwin Schrott.

As an ensemble member at the Vienna State Opera, she made her acclaimed role debut as Pamina in "Die Zauberflöte". She also appeared as Brigitta in a new production of "Iolanta" and as Prilepa in "The Queen of Spades" by Tchaikovsky with Anna Netrebko as Lisa. A special highlight of the last season was Maria's performance at the Opening of the Vienna Opera Ball together with Nadine Sierra and Juan Diego Flórez.

Previous season highlights at the Vienna State Opera include Lisa in "La Sonnambula", Adele in "Die Fledermaus", Amanda in the new production of "Le Grand Macabre", Jemmy in "Guillaume Tell"Sophie in "Werther", Adina in "L'Elisir d'Amore", Sister Constance in the new production of "Dialogues des Carmélites", Clorinda in "La Cenerentola", and Frasquita in "Carmen". Her stunning debut in the role of Susanna when Maria jumped into the leading role, thereby saving the premiere of Barrie Kosky’s new production of Le Nozze di Figaro, and sang from the orchestra pit,
In the 2025/26 season, Maria will make her debut in the role of Gretel on the stage of the Vienna State Opera and will again sing Adina (*L'elisir d'amore*), Despina (*Così fan tutte*), Sœur Constance (*Dialogues des Carmélites*), Brigitta (*Iolanta*), Amanda (*Le Grand Macabre*) and Najade (*Ariadne auf Naxos*).

Maria Nazarova

Experiment, open yourself to the world, be bold and mischievous. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or to push your boundaries — because those who don’t take risks never drink champagne.

Maria Nazarova

Kunst ist etwas, was Menschen zusammenbringt. Ich bin der Meinung, die wahre Kunst verändert die Menschen.