Gorchakova, Galina

Gorchakova, Galina, compelling Russian soprano; b. Novokuznetsk, March 1, 1962. She was born into a musical family, her father being a baritone and her mother a soprano. She studied at the Novokuznetsk Academy of Music and Cons. From 1988 to 1990 she sang with the Sverdlovsk Opera. During this time, she also appeared as a guest artist throughout Russia. In 1990 she made her debut at the Kirov Opera in St. Petersburg as Yaroslavna in Prince Igor. She secured her position as one of the company’s leading artists shortly thereafter with her stunning portrayal of Renata in The Fiery Angel. In 1991 she sang Renata again in a concert performance in London, and again in 1992 with the visiting Kirov Opera at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. In 1994 she made her San Francisco Opera debut as Prokofiev’s Renata. On Jan. 4, 1995, she made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera as Cio- Cio-San. Later that year she sang in Rome, Los Angeles, Edinburgh, and London, and appeared as Tosca at the Opera de la Bastille in Paris. In 1996 she was engaged as Cio-CioSan at Milan’s La Scala and as Tosca at London’s Covent Garden. In 1997 she appeared as Tchaikovsky’s Tatiana at the Metropolitan Opera. In 1998 she sangTosca at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. She also pursued a highly successful career as a recitalist. In addition to her compelling interpretations of the Russian operatic repertoire, Gorchakova has won distinction in operas by Verdi and Puccini.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire