The Diaghilev Festival in Perm, during Anna Garafeeva’s body motion performance to Alexey Retinsky’s electronic music. Closer to the end of the performance, I had to say several lines that sounded more like hysterical weeping. Suddenly, I heard a lady whisper “Stop that!” Luckily, I did stop as it was the end of my part; otherwise, I would have probably been removed from the hall.

Modern for sure. It provides a lot of room for experiments with vocal techniques, mannerisms and styles. It might not even sound like singing but it is incredibly engaging. Modern music allows you to put in your own ideas rather than just follow the score. There is a certain flight of thought to it.

Nothing special really happens. I just have to spend time to warm up, get dressed, get focused, skim through the scores and remember all the notes I made. I do not have any special rituals. The same goes for the time after the concert: I just talk to my colleagues and share my impressions. Then I remember there is work to do the next day (or we have to go to a different city if we are on tour), so I just relax and have a good rest.

One of my favourite places is, of course, the Perm Krai, with its wide expanses, forests, and villages. Also, it is the village of Karagai, where my relatives live and where I feel always very welcome. As a child, I used to spend the summer with my grandmother in a remote village. These memories of warmth and care, the smells of meadows, forests and dew, of the taste of fresh milk and honey are incomparable with anything in the world! That is why, even now, when I have travelled almost half the world thanks to my tours, there is nothing more valuable for me than those places.

At the same time, I have always dreamed of living in St. Petersburg. As a child, I only knew from hearsay about its architecture, history, the works of art that are concentrated here, and at some point fate smiled on me. The spirit of this city is very close to me, so now I am very happy to live and work here.