Maria Kokareva
Anna Fauth
“Maria Kokareva’s (Madama Cortese) speed and agility display flawless vocalization.”
Opera Online, August 2022
Maria Kokareva is rapidly making her mark as one of the most promising young voices in opera, noted for her versatile performances and impressive vocal range, and will make a string of major international debuts this season – as Ismene (Mitridate) at both Teatro alla Scala and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées with Les Talens Lyriques under Christophe Rousset. Additionally, as a member of the prestigious opera studio of Staatsoper Unter den Linden where her potential has been quickly recognized, she’ll sing her debut performances of Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro) in Jürgen Flimm’s celebration production conducted by Finnegan Downie Dear.
Berlin will also see Maria Kokareva in several other major productions this season — as Die Stimme des Falken (Die Frau ohne Schatten) under Constantin Trinks, and she makes her role debut as Frasquita (Carmen) under Valentin Uryupin. Additional appearances include Erste Knappe in Dmitri Tcherniakov’s new staging of Parsifal, led by Philippe Jordan, Erste Elfe (Rusalka) in Kornél Mundruczó’s staging with Tomáš Hanus, and Clothilde (Norma) in Vasily Barkhatov’s production, conducted by Francesco Lanzilotta.
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As a young artist at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Kokareva made her Italian debut as Gianetta (L’elisir d’amore) as part of the Como Città di Musica Festival where she garnered praise for her “musical Giannetta, crystal-clear, effervescent, and vivacious” (Connessi all’Opera), took part in the production of Carmen under Maestro Zubin Mehta, covering the role of Micaëla, and was the soprano soloist in Carmina Burana under the baton of Andrea Battistoni.
Her career in Italy was further enhanced when she made her acclaimed debut at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro in 2023 as Madama Cortese and Delia in Il viaggio a Reims, under Daniel Carter.
Maria’s talent has been recognized at numerous international singing competition including the Special Prize for Best Singer Under 25 at the Concorso Lirico Internazionale Portofino 2023; and she was a finalist receiving a special prize at the XIII International Competition of Young Vocalists Elena Obraztsova, won the Grand Prix at the VI International Competition of Vocalists B.T. Shtokolov (St. Petersburg), and was a top prize winner of the 73rd International Competition for Young Opera Singers in Como, Italy (2022).
Maria Kokareva is a graduate of the Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini in Florence and continues to develop her artistic voice on some of the most prestigious stages in Europe.
Gallery
“Dircé, was in good hands with Maria Kokareva, […]. Her bellflower-fresh, bright lyric soprano has substance, her artistic gift dramatically enhancing this character in the opera.”