Soprano

Elena Yurchenko

In the choir since 2011

Biography
Interview

Elena Yurchenko is a laureate of the Bella Voce international competition (Moscow).

Elena Yurchenko was born in Novosibirsk. She is a graduate of the Glinka Novosibirsk State Conservatory (solo vocals; class of prof. N.I. Lubyanovskaya). She has a Master’s degree in music arts. During her studies, Elena sang the parts of Tatiana (“Eugene Onegin” by Tchaikovsky), Mimi (“La bohème” by Puccini), Iolanta (“Iolanta” by Tchaikovsky) and Stéphano (“Roméo et Juliette” by Gounod). She took part in the “Soul of Japan” International festival (Moscow) and in a master class by professor Akiko Mibe. As a soloist, she was a regular participant of orchestra, vocal, choral and organ concerts at the conservatory.

In 2007, Elena Yurchenko worked at the Moscow State Children’s Music Theatre directed by Gennadiy Chikhachev. In 2008–2011, she was a member of the New Siberian singers choir at the Novosibirsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre, where she sang Frasquita’s part in “Carmen” by Bizet.

In 2011, Elena became a member of the musicAeterna choir at the Perm State Opera and Ballet Theatre. Her repertoire included the following parts: Mercédès (“Carmen” by Bizet), Laura (“Iolanta” by Tchaikovsky), Tatar (“One Day of Ivan Denisovich” by A. Tchaikovsky), Charmion (“Cléopâtre” by Massenet), Hofmeisteress (“Twelve Months” by Banevich), Polovets Girl (“Prince Igor” by Borodin) and Annina (“Traviata” by Verdi). She sang the soprano parts in Nikolaev’s “Gereven” ballet and Dusapin’s “Medeamaterial” opera. Elena was a regular participant of vocal chamber concerts at the Perm State Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Perm Art Gallery and the “Triumph” philharmonic, and she also performed as a soloist in choral music pieces.

Since 2019, Elena Yurchenko has been a member of the musicAeterna choir in Saint Petersburg.

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WANTED TO BE A MUSICIAN?

I come from a musical family. My grandparents and my mother used to sing and play the accordion all the time. My mom worked at the opera theatre, so I’ve been watching and listening to operas and ballets since childhood. In a word, music has always been a huge part of my life, so it’s no surprise that I chose to enter music school (where I learned to play the piano), then went to music and teaching college (where I studied the basics of choir singing and choir conducting), and eventually became a student of the conservatory, which gave me the specialty of a soloist singer. I cannot imagine my life without music anymore.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL WHEN GOING UP ON STAGE?

Aside from the anxiety which everyone feels at those moments, I feel delighted and eager to play beautiful, thought-provoking music that will make the audience happy. I also feel proud to represent Russia when performing abroad, and I’m happy to expose the audience to new, modern music.

DOES IT MATTER TO YOU WHO YOUR LISTENERS ARE?

No matter if the venue is sold out or if there’s just one listener, no matter if I’m performing for the sophisticated audience at the Salzburg festival or for regular listeners at a smaller concert, I will always strive to give my 100%. Famous director Peter Sellars once told us we should dedicate each performance to someone in our minds. It does introduce a new sense and new emotions into the performance, and it allows us to exchange some sort of energy with the audience.

WHAT MAKES MUSICAETERNA DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CHOIRS?

First of all, it’s the singers’ professionalism. Although the troupe is comprised of young musicians, each has excellent education and rich creative experience. What’s more, this ensemble has wonderful vibes going on: there is some sort of emotional connection between all of us here. Of course, Teodor plays a big part in that. He is the spiritual and emotional foundation of our troupe, its energy source and guardian. He nurtures us with new emotions and reveals new facets of music to us. We are all on the same wavelength. It isn’t a troupe where people treat music simply as a job. It is like a big family where everyone is happy to meet each other, communicate, play music, and bring wonderful emotions to the listeners. It’s easy to work when everyone understands each other.