• Prize-winner at the International Young Performers’ Competition
(Finland, 2006)
• Diploma-recipient at the International Elena
Obraztsova Young Singers’ Competition (St Petersburg, 2001)
•
Recipient of an honorary diploma at the Moscow Opera Festival marking four
centuries of opera in the category “Hope” (Moscow, 2000)
•
Diploma-recipient at the XIX Sobinin Music Festival (Saratov, 2006)
Maria Maksakova was born in Munich. Granddaughter of the singer Maria
Maksakova and daughter of the actress Lyudmila Maksakova. In 1995 she
graduated with distinction from the Central School of Music of the Moscow
Concservatoire in piano. The same year she entered the classical vocals faculty
of the Russian Gnesins’ Academy of Music (class of Professor Natalia Dmitrievna
Shpiller). In 2000 she graduated from the Russian Gnesins’ Academy of Music
(class of Professor Margarita Alexandrovna Milgau), and in 2004 she
completed a postgraduate study at the Russian Gnesins’ Academy of Music. Trained
in Italy under Gianfranco Pastine and Katia Ricciarelli. In 2000 she
joined the New Opera in Moscow where she was a lead soloist until 2006. Since
2003 she has been a guest soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia. Joined
the Helikon Opera in 2006 where she made her debut as the Princess
(Dvorak’s Rusalka). Soloist with the Mariinsky Opera Company since
2011.
Her repertoire at the Mariinsky Theatre includes:
Dorabella (Cosм fan tutte)
Cherubino (Le nozze di
Figaro)
Frugola (Il tabarro)
The Composer (Ariadne auf
Naxos)
Her repertoire also includes the roles of Xenia (Boris Godunov),
Zinaida (Golovin’s First Love), the Grand Duchess Catherine
(Tukhmanov’s The Tsarina), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia),
Musetta (La Bohиme), Leпla (Les Pкcheurs de perles), Susanna
(Le nozze di Figaro) and the Princess (Dvorak’s Rusalka).
Additionally, the singer’s repertoire includes romances and songs by
Schumann, Schubert, Brahms, Richard Strauss, Debussy, Rachmaninoff and
Tchaikovsky among other composers.
Maria Maksakova has performed at theatres throughout Russia, Italy, Japan,
Norway and Spain. She has prepared and performed a series of programmes with the
pianist Vazha Chachava. One such programme was Schumann’s Liederkreis,
performed at the Moscow State Conservatoire.
The singer’s discography includes recordings such as In Seville
(arias from operas by Mozart, Rossini, Bizet and Dargomyzhsky with the New
Russia State Symphony Orchestra under Ion Marin), Favorite Arias, The Humble
Stars Excelled Upon Us (romances and songs by Tchaikovsky and
Rachmaninoff), Nothing but Love (arias from operas by 18th century
Russian and European composers) and a disc of songs by Schubert and Schumann
(piano – Vazha Chachava). Maria Maksakova has appeared in films, working
with the directors Nikita Mikhalkov (The Barber of Siberia), Vladimir
Zaikin (To Glory), Dmitry Cherkasov (Bigwigs), Yevgeny
Gerasimov (Savva) and Olga Subbotina (The Photographer), and
she also presents the TV programme The Romance of the Romance.
Maria Maksakova’s official website: www.maksakova.ru