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Aigul Akhmetshina

Mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina was the youngest-ever participant in the Royal Opera House's Jette Parker Young Artists Programme in London. She appeared in many major international opera houses in her early twenties. Akhmetshina was born in 1996 in a small village in the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan (Bashkiria). Many members of her family were strong singers but had gone into law enforcement instead, and Akhmetshina's mother urged her daughter to fulfill her own dream of becoming a singer. Akhmetshina began voice lessons at six, and by 12, she was able to participate in a group tour to Italy, singing folk songs of her home region as well as works by Tchaikovsky and Delibes. She attended the College of Arts in the regional capital of Ufa but then, instead of entering the local conservatory, she opted to continue studying privately with Nailya (Nelly) Yusupova. A prominent Italian singing teacher, Delfo Menicucci, later told her she had made the right decision. She did not move abroad until she was spotted at age 19 by David Gowland, artistic director of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, who arranged for her to give a lunchtime recital (and accompanied her) at St. Clement Danes church in London. When Akhmetshina arrived in London, she spoke little English and had no clear idea of how to get from the airport to her school, but her language skills developed rapidly. Teaching staff gave her the nickname "Baby." Soon, the "baby" had won the Belvedere Competition and made her debut at the Royal Opera house in the title role of Bizet's Carmen at the age of 21. Her voice, of the relatively rare coloratura mezzo-soprano type, made waves, and she was soon appearing at other major houses, including the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Opéra de Paris, where she sang Rosina in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia. In the 2022-2023 season, Akhmetshina was slated to make debuts at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Dutch National Opera, and the San Francisco Opera.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Discography

6 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller

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