Russian-born, she studied singing, piano and accordion.
Opera and oratorio singer, she developed her own artistic activity in
Europe and, in particular, in Italy, becoming Italian by adoption. Her
love for Italy led her to live in this nation where the artist carries out
the promotional activity of opera music and culture in general.
She is the winner of numerous important international and national
competitions, awards and recognitions: Giuseppe Sciacca International
Prize (Italy, 2021); the prize “Giulietta” as the best female newcomer at
the Festival dell’Arena di Verona (Italy, 2015); the 1st prize for the
competition of AsLiCo for the role of Lucia di Lammermoor (Italy, 2012);
the 2nd Prize at the Riccardo Zandonai Opera Competition in Riva del Garda
(Italy, 2011); the Audience Award at the Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition
in Vienna (Austria, 2011); the 3rd prize at the Maria Caniglia
Competition, Sulmona (Italy, 2008); “The Triumph Award” (Russia, 2008);
the 1st Prize at the Competition of Giuseppe di Stefano in ” Musical July
in Trapani “(Italy, 2007). She was nominated as the best newcomer at the
International Opera Awards in London (Italy, 2016) and she received a
recognation on the side of NewsREMINDER and the European Parliament
Italian Office as Ambassador of Italian Culture in the World (Italy,
2020); the Remind Award, International Good Practice Award (Italy, 2020)
and the TAOBUK Prize of the International Literature Festival in Taormina
for contribution to Art and Culture (Italy, 2020).
She is a regular guest of the major opera houses and collaborate with the
most prestigious conductors: she has establish a successful collaboration
with a National Symphony Orchestra of the RAI under the baton of Fabio
Luisi, Steven Mercurio and Jurai Valcuha; with the Ensemble Matheus under
the baton of Jean-Christophe Spinosi; with Plácido Domingo, Mung Whung
Chung, Stefano Ranzani, Dan Ettinger. She has appeared in productions by
famous directors such as Mario Martone, Franco Zeffirelli, Achim Freyer,
Calixto Bieito, Robert Carsen, Henning Brockhaus, Richard Eyre, Hugo de
Ana, Renoud Doucet, Andrea de Rosa.
After her debut at the Royal Opera House in London as Violetta Valery,
Ekaterina Bakanova was praised by the press for her interpretative
refinement and since then she has been called to the most prestigious
stages, such as the Staatsoper of Dresden, the Arena of Verona, the Teatro
Real in Madrid, the Teatro Liceo in Barcelona, the Royal Opera in
Versailles, the Israeli Opera in Tel-Aviv and the Opera in Zurich, the
NCPA Performing Arts Center in Beijing and others.
Her performances are followed by the Italian media (press, TV, web),
which give their particular appreciation for her talents as a soprano and
as a public figure involved in various initiatives to promote culture.
Through her art and as a testimonial, she supports campaigns and events
to raise awareness on important social issues (Shows 2021-2022 AISM -
Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association, "En Musique pour plus d'Humanité"
Grand Palais, Paris 2022 etc.) and is also involved in civil battles such
as protecting victims of terrorism, violence against women, and support
for the populations affected by the earthquake. She promotes brotherhood
between peoples and the values of multiculturalism in every context,
institutional and civil.
Her past engagements include: Carmen at La Fenice in Venice
(under Myung Whun Chung); La Traviata in Venice, Florence,
Trieste, Peralada, Lisbon, Dresden, Moscow; La Rondine (new
production) in Florence; a concert version of Carmen in Versailles
with Jean-Christophe Spinosi, with whom she also performed as Almirena in
Handel's Rinaldo on tour in Brest, Lyon, Versailles, Moscow,
Vienna and in Vivaldi's Gloria and Handel's Dixit Dominus
in Paris (TCE); Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) in Tel Aviv and in
Padua; Le Nozze di Figaro (Susanna) in Verona (Teatro
Filarmonico); Il Bravo (Violetta) by Mercadante in Wexford;
Les pêcheurs de perles at the Liceu in Barcelona and Dortmund; Turandot
(Liù) and Les Contes d'Hoffmann in Beijing; Shostakovich's Symphony
no.14 with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg; Maria
Stuarda in Lisbon; La Traviata at the Teatro Real de
Madrid, in Tokyo and in Cagliari; Mahler's Symphony no.4 with the
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI in Turin under Fabio Luisi; Les
pêcheurs de perles in Oviedo; Les Contes d'Hoffmann
(Antonia) in Zurich; L'Angelica (title role) by Porpora at the
Festival della Valle d'Itria in Martina Franca under Federico Maria
Sardelli; Fidelio (Marzelline) at La Fenice in Venice under Myung
Whun Chung for the season's opening; her debut as Nedda in Pagliacci at
the Opernhaus in Zurich.
Her recent engagements include: Il viaggio a Reims in Dresden; Die
Fledermaus in St Gallen; Shostakovic's Symphony No. 14 at
the Philharmonie in Paris; Moise et Pharaon in Lyon; La
Traviata at the Volksoper in Vienna and Die Zauberfloete in
Turin; Les pêcheurs de perles in Zurich; La Traviata in
Beijing, Oviedo and Vienna (Volksoper); Così fan tutte in Jesi; Roberto
Devereux in Geneva; Manon at the Teatro Regio in Turin;
Edgar in Nice.
She will soon be performing in the New Year's Concert at the Teatro Verdi
in Trieste; and in Così fan tutte in Metz; Khovantchina in
Geneva; Carmen at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome; and Don
Giovanni in Seville.
November 2024