An exclusive interview with Diana Skavronskaya with OPERA Charm Magazine
OPERA Charm Magazine is thrilled to introduce to you the soprano Diana Skavronskaya in an Exclusive Interview by Alice Lechner. Winner of the Boris Tchaikovsky Competition and Ippolitov-Ivanov International Competition, Diana quickly graced the stages of the most prestigious Concert Halls across Europe. In an interview with Alice Lechner, Diana talks about the beginning of her career, her experience at Carnegie Hall, New York, her repertoire, the biggest challenges an artist has to overcome & her future engagements.
by BY ALICE LECHNER / NOVEMBER 25, 2023
Dear Diana, it’s a pleasure to have this conversation with you. To introduce you to our readers, let’s start from the beginning… Everyone has a story about the first impression we had on opera. What’s your story? Who guided your first steps on this path?
Hello, and thank you so much for having me here! That’s a really good question. I think my first but life-changing impression goes back to my first vocal teacher. I will be forever grateful to Professor Mukaddas (Nishanovna) Rizaeva. She was the most talented, exceptionally competent, demanding, yet insanely devoted to her vocation. It was she who made opera my life’s calling. I guess the luck of the draw brought me to the Tashkent State Conservatory at 13 to audition for Professor Rizaeva. She handed me a book about Elena Obraztsova, one of the most extraordinary opera singers and a favourite of the Metropolitan Opera. It captured my heart at that moment. I was reading it at night, and then I discovered the world of opera – my first acquaintance with it. Then, I started another book about Renée Fleming, Maria Callas, and other major opera artists. When I finished it, I built a full image of a real Opera Diva in my head. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment.
You worked with esteemed vocal coaches such as Galina Pisarenko, Makvala Kasrashvili, Kristina Mkhitaryan, and many others on your journey. What has each “gesture” taught you, and which of them had the most important impact on you as an artist?
I am quite spoiled. I have been blessed to study with some of the greatest vocal teachers in the world. Words cannot describe it, but they played a crucial, even decisive, role in my development as an opera singer. Among them is Galina Pisarenko. She holds a very special place in my heart. And the five incredible years from 2014 to 2019 that I spent under her mentorship shaped me into who I am. Galina Pisarenko was more than just a legend of Russian opera. She was my mentor, who believed in me like no one else. I always think that her faith in me determined my path as an opera singer. What I have learned from her is priceless. Every lesson I took was a miracle. She didn’t just teach me how to sing. She created an atmosphere in which you were transformed into your character, both in voice, mind, and spirit.
As a graduation performance at the Conservatory, I performed the role of Tatyana from Eugene Onegin. Pisarenko herself was widely regarded as the best Tatyana of the 20th century, and she told me from the very beginning that I was destined to be Tatyana. She was the one who prepared me for this role. It is one of my all-time most beloved roles, mastered directly under Pisarenko’s guidance. What else could I dream of back then but to sing it on the best stages in the world? But this is all in the future.
After the Conservatory, I joined the class of Makvala Kasrashvili, People’s Artist of Russia and Georgia. She is absolutely, unbelievably kind and intelligent. She has performed in the greatest opera theatres in the world. And she would share such a wealth of knowledge about how she sang with Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland and of course about singing Tatyana at the New York Metropolitan Opera. She taught me a great deal about being a large stage singer. Under her guidance, I learned to master the repertoire, to be organized, and to engage in the working process. Owing to her, I grasped the ins and outs of a grand opera house. Kristina Mkhitaryan is a unique soprano, an accomplished teacher and a current soloist at the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House in London. Classes with her significantly improved my voice, my vocal power, my clean vocal delivery and my technical skills. Her teaching took it to another level. I moved to a more lyrical soprano repertoire, working with the works of composers such as Donizetti, Mozart, Bellini, Bizet, and Gounod. Also, thanks to Kristina, I strengthened my upper register and gained confidence in navigating coloratura soprano. At the moment, I’m working on refining my techniques with Dr Julia Hunt Nielsen. She is a professional soprano singer and a vocal coach in San Francisco. Every time I learn something new with her, I trust her unconditionally. I am so honoured to have her as my current teacher.
Throughout your career, you have graced the stages of the most prestigious Concert Halls across Europe and America. Recently, you sang at a concert celebrating 150 Years of Rachmaninoff at Carnegie Hall, New York. What can you tell us about your experience in New York?
Indeed, one of the highlights of my career happened just a few weeks ago. I sang at the Carnegie’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. I would read so much about artists who sang there, and here I was on the same stage with some of the greatest performers of our time. Maestro Constantine Orbelian invited me to sing there. And it is a huge honour to sing Rachmaninoff’s music on such a gorgeous stage. Its impeccable acoustics leave no one indifferent. But it’s also unbelievable to see your name on the walls of Carnegie Hall and on a poster with Rachmaninoff. I sang his music for five years at the Conservatory, and it became my absolute favourite. I sang the role of Zemfira in the opera Aleko and the role of Francesca in Francesca da Rimini. I sing his works with pride and honour, and the chance to be there on Carnegie’s biggest stage was a tremendous joy. I would love to return to share Rachmaninoff’s music again.
I know it will be hard to choose, but could you talk about your favourite powerful moment on stage?
God blessed me to be a lyric soprano, and my voice has a very rich and beautiful timbre. I can convey the intensity and vulnerability of my character with ease. That being said, I rather like tragedy roles. The ones where emotions from the stage get under your skin. Those roles are tough ones, on the face of it. But I do not feel challenged to perform them. These are very vivid and dramatic roles; I can convey them with all my soul’s depth and my heart’s bursting. I love playing Mimi in La Bohème. I have a certain degree of familiarity with her fatal destiny. When she dies in Rodolfo’s arms, it’s a very strong and powerful moment that I live through every time. My soul exposes itself in that scene, and I become a character. I can relate to and understand that pain like no other. At an early age, I experienced the tragic loss of someone very close to me. It shook me to the core. And what I experienced, that pain, now allows me to revive it repeatedly on stage and convey its immense depth.
How would you describe your voice at this moment? What’s the repertoire it feels best in at the moment, and what are the roles that you dream of singing soon? What kind of repertoire do you wish to pursue?
At my solo concerts, I frequently perform arias from my beloved operas such as Leila’s aria from Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, Mimi’s aria from Puccini’s La Bohème, ‘Song to the Moon’ from Dvořák’s opera Rusalka, Adriana Lecouvreur’s aria from Cilea’s opera of the same name, and Magda’s aria from Puccini’s La Rondine. My favourite aria, though, is Lauretta’s aria, and it’s always been a huge favourite with the audience. People love it when I sing this aria. Currently, my voice is in its prime, and I’m feeling more myself than ever, and I’m ready to take on various roles. While I already have quite a few in my repertoire, there are still plenty I’m eager to tackle. But it’s a bit challenging to narrow them down. I’d say that at the top of my wish list is Medora from Verdi’s Il Corsaro and the role of Giulietta in Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi. I feel a deep connection to the characters. I am living them. In the future, I would most like to sing lyrical parts with dramatic, expressive, melodic roles, in a way that reveals the character and, in turn, exposes me to the world.
What is your pre-performance routine? Do you need to do something before a performance or a contest?
I cannot function without a good night’s sleep, especially on the day before a performance. I do not think anything will be more important than that, though staying healthy probably is. Also, I prefer to do my makeup and hair early so I can concentrate on my character for a couple of hours before going on stage. It doesn’t always work out, but that’s what I try to aim for. But taking the time to immerse yourself in the role is very important. It means setting aside all other matters and just staying laser-focused on the role.
If I feel unprepared and cannot deliver, I do not participate. Constructive criticism is a must for an artist. That’s what I was taught at the Conservatory. That said, I will rehearse my pieces numerous times before I go on stage or participate in a competition. And to conclude on a slightly different note, it’s happiness, calmness, and inner energetic fulfillment – these I will always share with the audience.
Also, you won the Boris Tchaikovsky International Competition and took the third prize in the Romansiada International Competition. Do you find it useful to attend this kind of contest? How do you prepare for a competition and for going on stage?
Without a doubt, each competition meant a lot. The two competitions I won have greatly impacted my life. That is quite a memory of sheer excitement and hard preparation. And then afterwards, when you hear your name called out by the jury, time freezes, and your heart stops beating. I just couldn’t believe it – to go all the way through constant rehearsals and to win. It was hard to believe because everybody deserved to win, and all voices were great. But I was going to have to prove that I was the worthiest. And I remember I was preparing as if it was going to be my last time singing. As for the repertoire, I put a lot of time into preparing it. I researched my heroine. I know every bit of what the composer intended to say. I learned exactly what each character meant to express. I live my heroine’s life to the point that even in real life, my own voice changes. During the preparation process, I could feel the heroine was born and lived in me when she sang in me. I love her. So when I’m on stage, I am here. When I go on stage, I know I only have this single shot to sing a piece or the part and must do it impeccably. I tell myself this: I only have the here and now.
How competitive is the opera industry nowadays?
Competition is part of every business. We are all competitive to some extent. But competition is good because it forces us to grow and do our best every time. I also think that every deserving artist will earn their place in the sun. You’ll find success if you live your profession and love what you do. Everyone faces competition in the opera industry at some point, but there comes a moment when you become the best. Better than you’ve ever been. It takes only hard work, unwavering love, and dedication to opera.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges that an artist has to overcome?
Challenges will always be there when you think about it, no matter your career path. There will always be obstacles like health that may let an artist down. Obviously, it is not an easy path, because it may seem that when you graduate from a conservatory, you are instantly admitted to theatres and become an opera diva. But it is a long journey through a lot of competitions, auditions, flights, and searches for representation, among other things. And sometimes, only your voice can convey what you want to say.
It might be challenging when you move countries. Starting from scratch is almost like earning your name, repertoire, and reputation. Day by day, you search for your uniqueness and the qualities that make you unique. Just what is it about you? What is it that makes you stand out from others? That’s such a great question, isn’t it? The challenge is to look for that specialness and maximize it.
Past and present singers, who inspire you the most?
I am madly in love with the 20th-century era and the operatic greats of that time.
Renata Scotto – how effortless her upper register and breathing are, and how effortlessly she takes the top notes from L’elisir d’Amore. I am fascinated. Maria Callas – her vocal versatility and resilience of character. The marvelous Montserrat Caballé is an opera goddess with a magical range. Among the contemporary ones, it’s Renée Flemming – her incredibly beautiful vocal timbre—a true American soprano. Marvelous Kristina Mkhitaryan – I am enthralled by her pianissimo vocal qualities.
Plácido Domingo – I am amazed at his versatile talents and youthful vocal dynamic. His voice sounds so young – my dream is to learn the secret of his beauty and his voice’s youthfulness. Dmitri Hvorostovsky – I believe he was the finest baritone of our time. He sang with soul. I always cried when listening to him.
Getting closer to the end of our conversation… What are your future engagements?
A lot is planned in San Francisco, where I have lived for the past two years. I regularly give recitals where I sing opera arias and romances with other finest voices. Each time, we plan something unique and engaging. I recently held a solo recital of classical music Viva La Musica on November 18, which was a beautiful and huge success. On December 17, 2023, I will have a Puccini Gala recital at JJC Los Gatos. On January 20, 2024, I also plan to hold a classical music recital at the ambient Tateuchi Hall in Mountain View, California. A large event is being scheduled for next year, 2024, at St. Joseph’s Art Society called Diana Montara Ocean. It will be a unique concert and exhibition with complete immersion in the world of art and music. In June/July 2024, I am playing the role of Mimi for Pocket Opera and Cinnabar Theater – a total of nine performances. This will be my return to one of my absolute favourite roles. My mission and aspiration are to keep bringing opera music to people.
What is the most charming feature of opera?
Opera has been my whole life. I am free to be myself. My voice is meant to sing the operatic repertoire where I live, breathe, and convey all the emotions and shades. And every time I dive into a new role, I realize how much I can express. Opera is a world in itself, a world where the story of a life is expressed through the voice.
Thank you, dear Diana!