Singer, teacher, and public figure.
From 1974 to 1975 she sang with the Ural State Folk Choir. She then moved to Moscow, where she completed the Solo Folk Singing programme at the M. M. Ippolitov‑Ivanov Pedagogical Music College (1974–1978), followed by studies at the Gnesin State Music and Pedagogical Institute (now the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, 1978–1986) and postgraduate study there (1986–1988).
She is a laureate of the All‑Russian Folk Music Competition (1979, Second Prize).
While still a student at the College she performed with the Folk Music Ensemble directed by Dmitry Pokrovsky, and from 1979 to 1993 she was a soloist with Mosconcert.
Her repertoire includes Russian folk songs collected in many regions of Russia, romances, and contemporary songs to texts by Nikolai Klyuev, Sergei Yesenin, Nikolai Rubtsov, Alexander Pushkin, Fyodor Tyutchev, Marina Tsvetaeva, Konstantin Skvortsov, Valery Volkov, and Lyudmila Kononova. The credo of each of her performances is expressed in the words: «The harder the times, the more we need song».
The art of T. Yu. Petrova enjoys truly nationwide affection throughout Russia: whether in major city venues or small village clubs, audiences rejoice and weep, but never remain indifferent to her songs; Tatiana Petrova, a people’s singer of Russia, is a unique phenomenon in the musical and spiritual culture of our time.
Since 2003 T. Yu. Petrova has been a member of the Presidium of the World Russian People’s Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
She has recorded five LPs for the «Melodiya» label and sixteen albums with leading Russian orchestras, including:
- the N. P. Osipov National Academic Russian Folk Orchestra;
- the VGTRK Russian Folk Instrument Orchestra under N. Nekrasov;
- the Vologda Governor’s Folk Instrument Orchestra under G. Perevoznikova;
- the Novosibirsk Russian Academic Folk Instrument Orchestra under V. Gusev.
Since 2006 she has led the large‑scale project «Russkiy vek» («Russian Century»), for which she was awarded the Order of the Metsenaty Stoletiya Foundation.
T. Yu. Petrova played one of the leading roles in Nikolai Burlyaev’s feature film «Vsyo vperedi» («Everything Ahead»), based on Vasily Belov’s story of the same name, and appeared in the title role of two films about her life and work, «Portret na chornom fone» («Portrait on Black Background», dir. A. Vasiliev) and «Tatyana russkaya dushoiu» («Tatiana, Russian in Soul», dir. Vera Tokareva), as well as in numerous television concerts.
In 1982 she received the Lenin Komsomol Prize for her concert work and her contribution to preserving folk‑song traditions, becoming one of the last laureates of this high award. In 1992 she was named Honoured Artist of Russia, and in 1997 People’s Artist of Bashkortostan.
Since 1991 she has been an Academician of the International Slavic Academy.
In 1996 she became a laureate of the International Prize of Saint Andrew the First‑Called and was awarded the Order «For an Invaluable Contribution to Russian Song Art and the Preservation of National Cultural Traditions».
Since 1996 she has been a member of the Federation of Cosmonautics, and since 1997 a member of the International Association of Film‑Makers of Slavic Orthodox Peoples.
In 2000 she received the Alexei Fatyanov Prize; in 2001 she was awarded a Diploma of the Petrovsky Academy of Sciences and Arts in St Petersburg and elected a full member of the Academy.
In 2004 she became a laureate of the «Chusovskaya podkova» («Chusovaya Horseshoe») Prize, awarded to those who love Russia and the Urals.
In 2005 she was awarded the Order of Saint Equal‑to‑the‑Apostles Grand Princess Olga «for her services in church, state, and public life and for her work for the good of others», and the Order of Saint Sophia «for her personal contribution to the formation of national spirituality, scholarship, and culture».
In 2006 she received the «Sokrovishchnitsa Rodiny» («Treasury of the Motherland») Public Award «for true service to her native land and its people»; in 2008 she was honoured with the Union of Russian Writers’ «Bolshaya literaturnaya premia Rossii» and the «Na blago Rossii» («For the Good of Russia») Prize for her many years of devoted and patriotic service to Russian culture; in 2013 she received the Medal of the Imperial Order of Saint Anna.
Her articles have been published in journals such as «O, Russkaya Zemlya», «Krestovskiy most», and «Nash sovremennik».
She hosts the weekly author’s radio programme «Pesnya — svecha dushi» («Song, Candle of the Soul») on Radio Radonezh.
She has delivered papers on «Folk Vocal Performance in the Modern World and Its Relationship to the Spiritual Principle» at «Church and Culture» sessions of the World Russian People’s Council and at the Christmas Readings, and continues to combine touring with active participation in charitable events.
