Festiwal

Irina Shishkova

Born in St Petersburg in 1984,the Russian mezzo-soprano graduated from theRimsky-Korsakov College of Music (2004 – pianoand 2006 – vocal). She also studied singing at theSt Petersburg State Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory.Winner of 1st Prize at the Russian AlexanderPirogov Competition (2006) and 3rd Prizeat the International Rimsky-Korsakov OperaSingers’ Competition (2008). Recipient of theHope prize at the Mikhail Glinka InternationalCompetition (2006) and the Best Debut prize atthe International Elena Obraztsova Young OperaSingers’ Competition (2007). Finalistof Competizione dell’Opera (2010, Dresden).In 2010, she became a soloist at the MariinskyAcademy of Young Opera Singers. On the stageof the Mariinsky Theatre, her roles includeCarmen, the Composer/Ariadne auf Naxos,Olga/Eugene Onegin, Clarice/The Love for ThreeOranges, Cherubino/Le nozze di Figaro and Siebelthat she sang in a new production of Gounod’sFaust, conducted by Valery Gergiev, amongmany others.Further to her many Mariinsky appearances, her2014/15 season also included her operatic débutat the Grand Theatre de Genève as Olga/EugeneOnegin.Other highlights include Alexander Nevsky at thePalma de Mallorca festival with Mikhail Tatarnikovand a recital tour with the Academy performingon the stages of the Wigmore Hall (London),the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the Opéra Nationalde Bordeaux, the Serate Musicali (Milan),the Auditorium St-Pierre-des-Cuisines (Toulouse),the Prinzregententheater (Munich),and the Brucknerhaus (Linz).