Ilgam Valiev as Calàf

“The brilliant Ilgam Valiev captivated the audience with his mesmerizing voice and profound emotions, leaving an indelible impression upon them.”

In May 2023, Valiev, a soloist of the Bashkir Opera and Ballet Theatre and the People's Artist of both the Republic of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, made his debut with the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus, performing in Giacomo Puccini's Turandot. A year later, he returned to the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus as Calàf in the composer's final opera. Now, on 20 January 2026, Minsk once again will welcome Prince Calàf performed by Ilgam Valiev.

“From the very first note, I was enthralled by Calàf-Valiev. Poignant and incredibly beautiful... one has to adjust their plans for such performers; one has to catch such performances.”

Throughout his career, he has excelled in a diverse range of roles, including Canio in Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo; Alfredo in La traviata, the Duke in Rigoletto, Manrico in Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi; the title role in Faust by Charles Gounod; José in Carmen, Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles by Georges Bizet; Rodolfo in La bohème, Cavaradossi in Tosca by Giacomo Puccini; Erik in Der fliegende Holländer by Richard Wagner; Vaudémont in Iolanta by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, etc.

His performance as the Prince in Sergei Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges earned him a Special Jury Prize at the prestigious Golden Mask Russian Theatre Festival. Valiev frequently performs at renowned theatres across Russia, including in Moscow, Kazan, Perm, and Chelyabinsk, leaving a lasting impression on audiences with his exceptional talent.

This evening's performance of Turandot will also feature recipient of the Francysk Skaryna Medal Tatiana Petrova as Turandot; Honoured Artist of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Valentii as Timur; People's Artist of Belarus, laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus Anastasia Moskvina as Liù; People's Artist of Belarus Vladimir Gromov as Ping; People's Artist of Belarus, laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus Sergey Frankovsky as the Emperor; Alexander Mikhniuk as Pang, and Alexander Gelakh as Pong. Artem Makarov, People's Artist of Bashkortstan, will conduct the performance.