Yana Ivanilova is one of the most in‑demand singers in Russia.
She was born in Moscow.
She is a laureate of the Schneider‑Trnavský International Competition (Slovakia, 1999) and holder of a special prize for her portrayal of Violetta in Verdi’s «La Traviata» at the competition in Košice (Slovakia, 1999), and has been awarded the medal «For Contribution to the Development of Musical Art».
She has been a soloist of the Moscow Novaya Opera Theatre, singing leading roles such as Maria Stuarda in Donizetti’s opera of the same name and Lucrezia in Verdi’s «I due Foscari», and has worked with early‑music ensembles including Madrigal, the Academy of Ancient Music, and Orfarion.
In 2008 she appeared as a guest soloist at the Bolshoi Theatre, touring with the company to London’s Covent Garden in 2010.
She has appeared at European festivals and given concerts in the USA, Canada, Japan, Uruguay, and throughout Russia.
Ivanilova has collaborated with many renowned musicians, among them Evgeny Svetlanov, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Mikhail Pletnev, Vladimir Spivakov, Alexander Boreyko, Saulius Sondeckis, Evgeny Kolobov, Alexander Rudin, Alexei Lyubimov, Boris Berezovsky, Kent Nagano, Richard Bonynge, Andrei Korobeinikov, Pavel Nersessian, Ekaterina Derzhavina, Hamish Milne, David Daniels, and others.[2][3]
Her repertoire is extensive, spanning almost the entire history of music, and includes leading roles in operas by Mozart, Gluck, Purcell, Rossini, Verdi, Donizetti, Grétry, Pashkevich, Tchaikovsky, Sokolovsky, Lully, Rameau, Monteverdi, Haydn, Handel, Loewe, Alessandro and Pietro Scarlatti; as well as soprano parts in Britten’s «War Requiem», Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, Rachmaninov’s «The Bells», Beethoven’s «Missa Solemnis», Dvořák’s «Stabat Mater», Bach’s «St Matthew Passion», Haydn’s «The Creation», and many other oratorio and cantata works.
Chamber music occupies a special place in her work, including monographic song programmes of Russian, Soviet, and European composers; she has revived many little‑known treasures of Russian vocal music, such as songs and romances by I. Genishta, G. Catoire, A. Stanchinsky, A. Alexandrov, N. Golovin, N. Cherepnin, A. Krein, R. Glière, S. Lyapunov, and others.
Over two seasons at the Moscow International House of Music she and pianist Andrei Korobeinikov performed and recorded the complete songs of Sergei Rachmaninov; they later recorded three concert programmes of Tchaikovsky romances for Radio Orpheus.
Her discography includes:
- romances by Nikolai Medtner with pianist Boris Berezovsky (Mirare, Belgium);
- Valentin Silvestrov’s vocal cycle «Stufen» («Steps») with Alexei Lyubimov (Megadisc, Belgium);
- Giuseppe Sarti’s «Enea in Lazio» (Bongiovanni, Italy);
- recordings with the Orfarion ensemble under Oleg Khudyakov (Opus 111 and Vista Vera);
- Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 under Evgeny Svetlanov (Russkie sezony);
- Medtner romances with Ekaterina Derzhavina and Hamish Milne (Vista Vera);
- the first recording (2013) of romances by Grigory Catoire with Anna Zassimova (Antes Edition, Germany);
- festival recordings for French TV channel Mezzo at «La Folle Journée»;
- Rachmaninov’s complete Op. 38 and other song cycles with Andrei Korobeinikov, and «The Bells» with the Ural Symphony Orchestra under Dmitry Liss.
«Soprano Yana Ivanilova is a real discovery: flawless technique and a beautiful, flowing voice combined with elegant phrasing and a feather‑light delivery. She can expand the voice when needed, yet her pianissimo seems to float effortlessly; her performances of Schumann and Brahms were enchanting», wrote Pauli Citron on Classical 93.6 FM (Canada).
Alexei Parin has called her «Moscow’s foremost chamber singer» on Radio Orpheus, and the newspaper Kultura has praised her «beautiful, powerful, and flexible soprano, equally capable of brilliant colours and delicate half‑tones», noting her command across all registers and her ability to shape vivid characters from tragic to warmly humorous.
