Lena Belkina Opera singer (mezzo-soprano) Country: Ukraine

Biography of Lena Belkina

Lena Belkina is an opera singer with a mezzo-soprano voice. She was born in Tashkent and moved to Ukraine with her parents at the age of two. In 2003, Lena graduated with honors from a music school and went on to study vocal mastery at the National R.M. Glier Music Academy and the National Music Academy of Ukraine P.I. Tchaikovsky, under the guidance of Eugenia Miroshnichenko. During her time at the academy, Lena regularly participated in local opera productions.

Lena also spent some time in Germany, studying under Marga Schiml and Roland Schubert. In 2008, she received the first prize at the International Borys Hmyria Competition in Kyiv.

From the 2009-2010 season, Lena worked at Oper Leipzig. She was entrusted with roles in major productions such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte," Gioachino Rossini's "Il turco in Italia," and Giacomo Puccini's "Manon Lescaut." However, Lena's talent extends beyond opera, as she often performs in concerts. In May 2010, she played a role in the stage version of Johann Sebastian Bach's cantata "O Eternity thou Word of Thunder," where she was the only female performer. A month later, Lena was invited to perform at the opening of the Haendel Festival Halle, where she mesmerized the audience with arias by Handel and Vivaldi.

During that same summer, Lena was recognized as one of the best young singers selected for the Salzburg Festival's Young Singers. She had the opportunity to take lessons with renowned figures such as Dieter Dorn, Riccardo Muti, Marjana Lipovsek, Christa Ludwig, Thomas Allen, and Olaf Baer, which significantly expanded her repertoire. She later applied the skills she acquired by performing with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg.

This year, Lena was one of the 40 participants in the Operalia vocal competition, under the patronage of Plácido Domingo. In the following year, she is set to join the Vienna State Opera.