YULIA PETRACHUK

ABOUT



“Yulia is a special and unique artist, able to hold her own on any stage in the world.”

Daniel Rigazzi, stage Director at Metropolitan Opera in NYC

Russian-American soprano Yulia Petrachuk studied at Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and is a graduate of Bern Art University, Switzerland. Her debut as a professional opera singer was with the State Theater Bern, Switzerland, in 2010. After that, she performed with many other recognized opera companies and concert venues such as Theater Biel (Switzerland), Ash Lawn Opera Festival (US), Opera Ischia (Italy), Dicapo Opera Theater in New York (US), Great Moscow Hall (Russia), Vocal Productions NYC (US), Nova and Opera Camerata in Washington, D.C. (US), Smetana Hall in Prague (Czech Republic), Carnegie Hall in New York (US), Musikverein and Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna (Austria), and many others.

Yulia specializes in contemporary opera and other forms of vocal music of the 20th and 21st centuries. She has performed many World and US premieres.

Out of her passion and drive to sustain and give lesser-known and new music a voice, Yulia Petrachuk founded the nonprofit music organization Lyrica Classic Entertainment, international music festival “Spread New Music to the World,” promoting contemporary American classical music, and ensemble Muffled Voices focusing on contemporary chamber vocal music.

In addition, through her teaching studio, Ms. Petrachuk instills the love for classical music to new generations.


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Biography

A native of Tula, Russia, Ms. Petrachuk began musical studies and performing from an early age of 5. Given her well-developed vocal instrument by the age of 12, Ms. Petrachuk was immersed in studies with a professional vocal teacher and coach, Larisa Sheresh. Within three years of studies, she won many local and regional vocal competitions. Over the next several years, her studies and achievements eventually landed her at the prestigious Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow, where she pursued Vocal and Opera studies under mentorship of Honored Artist of the RSFSR mezzo-soprano Larisa Nikitina and soprano Klara Kadinskaya.

During her years at the Conservatory, Ms. Petrachuk held a busy schedule of opera performances. She regularly participated in numerous concerts and fully-staged opera productions in a variety of leading roles, amongst which include Mimi (Puccini’s “La Boheme”), Kupava and the Snow Maiden (Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Snow Maiden”), Zemphira (Rachmaninoff’s “Aleko”), and Euridice (Gluck’s «Orfeo et Euridice»). In addition, she received a series of artistic honors and recognition at both the national and international levels – Winner of the national competition «Tver Romansiada» in Tver, followed by a Finalist Diploma at the international competition of Russian romances “Romansiada” in Moscow. Subsequent appearances in Tallinn, Estonia, and a win at the Spring International Festival in Pyongyang, North Korea, sealed her reputation as an important up-and-coming young artist.

In 2006, after having won a grant for further apprenticeships in international theaters, she spent a summer performing and training in Rimini, Italy, with such outstanding international artists as Alessandro Calamai and Rolando Panerai. During this time, she achieved major success with a concert at the main theater of Rimini, “Novelle,” for which she received recognition in Italy’s most well-known classical music magazine, “L’Opera.”

In 2007, Ms. Petrachuk appeared in the role of Mimi in Puccini’s “La Boheme” in Ischia, Italy, as part of the Ischia Summer Music Festival. Later that same year, Ms. Petrachuk performed with the Vilnius Philharmonic Theater in Lithuania.

In 2008, she entered a professional opera training program at Bern Art University in Bern, Switzerland. During 2009-2011, Yulia commenced her career in Europe with many performances and concerts at the venues such as State Theater Bern and State Theater Biel Solothurn (Switzerland). Her major roles performed were Princess in Prokofiev’s opera “The Love for Three Oranges”, Flaminio in Pergolesi’s opera “Flaminio”, Elisa in Mozart’s opera “Il Re Pastore.”

 

After Ms. Petrachuk immigrated to the USA in 2011, she became a finalist for the Placido Domingo Washington Opera Program (2012). Also, she received a Grant from The Schuyler Foundation for Career Bridge in New York (2012) and became a finalist in the Opera Idol Competition in New York (2013). In 2015, Ms. Petrachuk became a finalist of the Vocal Arts DC Discovery Series Competition in Washington DC and a New Jersey State Opera Vocal Competition. Also, in 2015, she won the Montpelier Art Center’s Classical Recital Series Competition.

 

In the States, Yulia worked with numerous opera and oratorio companies and festivals, such as Ash Lawn Opera Summer Festival (Charlottesville, USA), Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre (New York), Dicapo Opera Theater (New York, NY), Carnegie Hall (New York, NY), Bethesda Summer Opera Festival (Bethesda, MD), Vocal Production NYC (New York, NY), Opera Camerata in Washington DC, Maryland Lyrica Young Artists Program (Bethesda, MD), Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center (New York, NY), Friday Morning Music Club, Easton Choral Society in Easton, and many others.

 

In 2017, Yulia restarted her European career with the role of Donna Anna in Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni at the Vienna Music Festival in Vienna, Austria. Since then soprano performes in many concerts and festivals with such organizations as Smetana Hall (Prague, the Czech Republic), Rossini Festival “Case Sonore” (Monteleone, Italy), festival Solo Belcanto Montisi (Montisi, Italy), Teatro Annibal Caro (Civitanova Alta, Italy), Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein Golden Hall (Vienna, Austria), Kulturhaus Gotha (Germany), Vienna Muth Hall (Austria), Klagenfurt Konzerthause (Austria), Radio Orpheus (Moscow, Russia), the Festival of contemporary music Européen Voix étouffées (Strasburg, France), Musikverein Graz (Austria), Moscow International House of Music, and many others.

 

Ms. Petrachuk performed under the guidance of maestros such as Arif Dadashev, Wes Lockfaw, Franco Trinca, Alfredo Sorichetti, Hakan Sensoy, Yuriy Yanko, Ernest Hoetzl, Giovanni Reggioli, Pavel Lando, Michael Wittenburg, Michael Kotelnikov, Kurt Schmid, Denis Kirpanyov, Conrad van Alphen, Christian Schulz, and others.

Yulia collaborated with many renowned musicians, such as the assistant conductor of Metropolitan Opera and pianist Steven Crawford, Italian pianist Carlo Pari, violinist Shlomo Mintz, cellist Denis Shapovalov, pianist Michael Fennelly, pianist David Northington, soloists of Metropolitan Opera baritone Javier Arrey, tenor Jonathan Tetelman, and bass Grigory Soloviov, pianist Tatiana Loisha, bass Bruno Pratico, and many others.

 

Yulia’s repertoire includes the lyric soprano roles and solos from opera and oratorios from the classical and contemporary repertoires, such as Elisa (Il Re Pastore), Flaminio (Flaminio), Kupava (Snow Maiden), Mimi (La Boheme), Violetta (La Traviata), Donna Elvira (Le Nozze di Figaro), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Tatiana (Eugene Onegin), Iolanta (Iolanta), Nedda (I Pagliacci), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Fiordiligi (Cosi Fan Tutte), First Lady (The Magic Flute), Elektra (Elektra), Butterfly (Butterfly), Christmas Oratorio by Saint-Saëns, German Requiem by Brahm, Requiem for the Fallen by E. Dubois, Cantata Emmanuel by Paul Leavitt, symphony poem “The Bells” by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and many others.


Besides standard soprano parts from the classical music repertoire, Yulia premiered many world and US-premieres of contemporary classical music.

It’s worth to mansion US-premiere of the mono-opera by Vitaly Hubarenko “The Love Letters,” at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York and soprano solo in the “Requiem for the Fallen” by Emmanuel Dubois at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall (2019).

Ms. Petrachuk became the second soprano in the world, after Regina Klepper, performing the song cycle by Egon Wellesz “Sonette der Elizabeth Browning” at the international festival of contemporary music Européen Voix étouffées with Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra and conductor Conrad van Alphen (2019).

Yulia world-premiered Elekta’s role in the “Symphonisches Monodram aus der Oper Elektra” – mono-opera by Richard Duenser based on music from opera Elektra by Richard Strauss. The production took place at Kulturhaus Gotha in Germany, Muth Hall and Klagenfurt Konzerthause in Austria performed with conductor Ernest Hoetzl and Thueringen Philharmonic Orchestra (2020).

In 2019, Out of her passion and drive to sustain and give lesser-known and new music a voice, Ms. Petrachuk founded the nonprofit music organization Lyrica Classic Entertainment. Within three years, Yulia brought the company to the international level popularizing contemporary choral and symphony music, and has managed complex productions that involved more than 150 people on a single stage. Her international contemporary music festival “Spread New Music to the World” was nominated by the International & European Association Awards in the category “Best Event of the Year 2022.” Under her leadership the company productions took places on such prestigious stages as Carnegie Hall and Kaufmann Center in New York (USA), Congress Hall Stefaniensaal in Graz (Austria), Moscow International House of Music (Russia), and others.

 

In 2023-2024 season, Yulia will lead her new opera project titled “Muffled Voices Festival” featuring 10 chamber operas composed by contemporary American and Russian women composers.