Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
It seems that not so long ago Maria Chabounia won the First Prize of the 1st Minsk International Christmas Singing Competition conquering the hearts of the audience and the jury with her amazing voice, artistry and charm. In the summer of 2016, Maria graduated from the Academy of Music (Belarus) with honours and became a soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus. In the past and current theatrical season Maria took part in many performances at the Hamburg State Opera. It has been her dream to sing Marfa on stage at home. On 4 May, her dream will come true: Chabounia will sing the part of Marfa from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tsar’s Bride on the stage of the Belarusian Bolshoi.
‘I didn't have a chance of choosing any other path – only music!’ smiles Maria Chabounia. ‘My mother always says that music has lived in me since childhood. She likes to remember that when I was three, as I was listening to my older sister Nastya playing the violin, I would name the notes, “This is Do, this is Fa, and this is Sol”, although nobody taught me. This way mom realized that I had an absolute pitch. When I was five, I started taking solfeggio and ear training classes, which I am unlikely to ever forget because we had a terrific teacher! A charming man who loved working with children. Every time he had some interesting games for us, and the impression was that ear training wasn’t some boring lesson, but a fun and amusing adventure. When I was seven, I started singing solos in our school choir and I knew already then that I loved singing by far more than playing the piano... I can say that music evokes a variety of feelings and emotions in my heart, and it is namely music where I draw my inspiration. I hope that the audience will feel that. After all, audience is audience anywhere. It all depends on what is happening on stage: if you fascinate the spectators, captivating their attention and keeping them in suspense, when they are eager to see what will happen next, trust me, it doesn’t matter what city this occurs in...’
One thing remaining to add is that on 4 May, the leading parts on the stage of the Belarusian Bolshoi will be sung by the Honoured Artists of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Gromov (Grigory Gryaznoy), Alexander Keda (Vasily Sobakin), Oleg Melnikov (Malyuta Skuratov) and the winners of international competitions Kriskentia Stasenko as (Lyubasha), Victor Mendelev (Ivan Lykov) and the winner of an international festival Yanosh Nelepa (Bomelius). The conductor of the performance is the Honoured Art Worker of the Republic of Belarus Nikolai Koliadko.
