Since Julia Lezhneva caused a sensation at the Classical Brit Awards in 2010 with Rossini’s aria Fra il padre and achieved her final international breakthrough at the Salzburg Mozart Week, the soprano, who was born in 1989 on the island of Sakhalin in Russia’s Far East, has been one of the absolute greats in the baroque and classical field. Although her parents, both geophysicists, would have preferred a career in the natural sciences, they encouraged their daughter musically at an early age. When Lezhneva was seven, the family moved to Moscow. It is said that Cecilia Bartoli’s CD Vivaldi album finally enraptured the 11-year-old, and since then she has been determined to become an opera singer. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa supported her on her way, as did Marc Minkowski, who helped her to final fame at the aforementioned Mozart Week.
Lezhneva’s great success is based on her crystal-clear voice and perfect breathing technique. The likeable soprano, who works with all the renowned orchestras and conductors of our time, will hopefully remain with the classical music world for a long time to come.