Julia Lezhneva

  • Soprano

General management

Julia Lezhneva © Ksenia Zasetskaya

"... sublime cantilenas with ornaments woven in like silver threads, trampoline-springing staccati and evenly swinging trills ... Even more haunting, how she knew how to use the messa di voce, the rising and falling of the tone, as an expression of emotional tremor." (FAZ, May 2021) The Süddeutsche Zeitung sees her as a "...magician: she can almost make her voice disappear, performing the most ludicrous vocal feats and garland fireworks".

Julia Lezhneva's international career began with a bang when she caused a sensation in 2010 at the Classical Brit Awards in London's Royal Albert Hall with Rossini's Fra il padre at the invitation of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.

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Just a decade later, she is discovering a broad repertoire with various orchestras, conductors, operas and oratorios. She made her highly successful debuts with the Berliner Philharmoniker in October 2019 and at the Musikverein Vienna in December 2019. She returned to the Mozartwoche Salzburg in January 2020, this time under Sir András Schiff in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro; in January 2023 she sang in Don Giovanni. In June 2023, she appeared for the first time at La Scala in Milan in Porpora's Carlo il Calvo.

In December 2020, she made her celebrated debut with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Herbert Blomstedt. Her debuts with the LA Philharmonic and Atlanta Symphony are on her calendar for the 2024/25 season.

Orchestras such as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB), the Orquestra Nacional de España, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the Kaohsiung Philharmonic and the Seoul Philharmonic regularly invite Julia Lezhneva and she regularly works with renowned conductors such as Adam Fischer, Giovanni Antonini, Herbert Blomstedt, Emmanuelle Haïm, Paavo Järvi, Vladimir Jurowski and Andrea Marcon.

Julia Lezhneva is a welcome guest at the Salzburg Festival, the Schwetzingen Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Lucerne Festival, the Dubrovnik Festival, the Festival de la Vézère, the Sion Festival, the Nordland Music Festival and at Bayreuth Baroque.

Julia Lezhneva's debut in Handel's Alcina (Morgana) at the Hamburg State Opera in September 2018 was celebrated to great acclaim and she was immediately invited back for Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia and further performances of Alcina. In 2021, she sang the role of Poppea in a new production of Handel's Agrippina (stage director: by Barrie Kosky), in 2022 Zerlina in Don Giovanni and in May 2024 she sang Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro. Before that, she made her debut at the Liceo in Barcelona in March 2024 in a staged performance of Handel's Messiah.

In winter 2019, she made her debut in Bach's Christmas Oratorio (conducted by Vladimir Jurowski); in the same season, she sang in Handel's Messiah and La Resurrezione, Vivaldi's Juditha triumphans; as well as Haydn's Creation and Mahler's Symphony No. 4. In October 2024 appeared for the first time with Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir in Handel's Esther.

Born in 1989 in a family of geophysicists on Sakhalin Island off the Pacific Coast of Russia, Ms. Lezhneva began playing piano and singing at the age of five. She graduated from the Gretchaninov Music School and continued her vocal and piano studies at the Moscow Conservatory Academic Music College. At 17 she came to international attention as the winner of the Elena Obraztsova Opera Singers Competition, and was invited to share the stage with Juan Diego Flórez at the opening of the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro in the following year. In 2009, she won first prize at the Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition in Helsinki and the following year took first prize at the Paris International Opera Competition, as the youngest contestant in each competition’s history. Opernwelt magazine named her “Young Singer of the Year” in 2011 for her debut at La Monnaie in Brussels. The following year she performed at the Victoires de la Musique Classique in Paris.

Julia Lezhneva’s teachers and mentors include Dennis O’Neill, Yvonne Kenny, Elena Obraztsova, Alberto Zedda, Richard Bonynge and Thomas Quasthoff.

Please use this authorized biography of Weigold & Böhm only, Season 2024/25.

Contacts

Photos

  • Julia Lezhneva, Pavel Nersessian, Oper Budapest © Nagy Attila
  • Julia Lezhneva, Pavel Nersessian, Oper Budapest © Nagy Attila
  • Julia Lezhneva, Pavel Nersessian, Oper Budapest © Nagy Attila
  • Julia Lezhneva Barcelona 2024 Handel/Mozart Messiah © David Ruano
  • Julia Lezhneva Barcelona 2024 Handel/Mozart Messiah © David Ruano
  • Julia Lezhneva Barcelona 2024 Handel/Mozart Messiah © David Ruano
  • Julia Lezhneva © Ksenia Zasetskaya
  • Lezhneva1© Emil Matveev
  • Carlo Il Calvo © Falk von Traubenberg
  • Carlo Il Calvo © Falk von Traubenberg
  • ALCINA 2018 © Staatsoper Hamburg - Hans Joerg Michel
  • Julia Lezhneva © Ksenia Zasetskaya
  • Julia Lezhneva © Ksenia Zasetskaya
  • Carlo Il Calvo © Falk von Traubenberg

News

© Oliver Röckle

Ovation for Julia Lezhneva and Valer Sabadus in Ludwigsburg

© LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura 2025 - Studio Pagi

Shining stars of the baroque repertoire in Lugano

2025_01_19_Julia Lezhneva u. Luca Pianca @ TWW

An exceptional lyrical recital in Girona

Julia Lezhneva © Ksenia Zasetskaya

Festive music with Julia Lezhneva and the Freiburger Barockorchester tonight on SWR2

Warner_Hasse_Serpentes_01 NEW c4alt SQ

Among the best 10 classical albums of 2024 - CD „Serpentes ignei in deserto“ with Julia Lezhneva and Philippe Jaroussky

Julia Lezhneva © Ksenia Zasetskaya

Julia Lezhneva's debut at Konzerthaus Berlin - an event!

Warner_Hasse_Serpentes_01 NEW c4alt SQ

CD release “Serpentes ignei in deserto“ with Julia Lezhneva and Philippe Jaroussky

Julia Lezhneva © Ksenia Zasetskaya

Julia Lezhneva's debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Julia Lezhneva © Ksenia Zasetskaya

Julia Lezhneva - Happy Birthday, Ton Koopman!

A gift - Julia Lezhneva and Thibault Noally in Bremerhaven

Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg - Julia Lezhneva und Adam Fischer © Claudia Höhne

The Elbphilharmonie becomes a theatre stage

Julia Lezhneva - Concerto Köln - Zürich 27. Mai 2024 © Quim Vilar

A great moment with Julia Lezhneva and Concerto Köln in the Tonhalle Zurich

© Bernd Sangmeister

Julia Lezhneva - debut as Cherubino at the Hamburg State Opera

Julia Lezhneva Barcelona 2024 Handel/Mozart Messiah © David Ruano

Julia Lezhneva at the Liceo in Barcelona with Mozart's / Handel's „Messiah"

Lezhneva1© Emil Matveev

Julia Lezhneva - to die for!

Bayreuth Baroque 2023 - Julia Lezhneva und Max Cencic © Clemens Manser

Live broadcast of Handel's "Flavio, Re de' Langobardi" with Julia Lezhneva and Concerto Köln in Bayreuth on 17.09.23

Julia Lezhneva © Ksenia Zasetskaya

Synopsis of press reviews - Julia Lezhneva in CARLO IL CALVO and IL POLIFEMO

Julia Lezhneva, Pavel Nersessian, Oper Budapest © Nagy Attila

Julia Lezhneva and Pavel Nersessian inspire with their duo programme in Bonn and Budapest.

Julia Lezhneva © Ksenia Zasetskaya

Julia Lezhneva in Handel's Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno at ARTE TV

Julia Lezhneva © Ksenia Zasetskaya

Great night for Lezhneva! Julia Lezhneva as Fiordiligi at the TCE in Paris

Julia Lezhneva © Ksenia Zasetskaya

Julia Lezhneva with the Berlin Philharmonic

„Weigold & Böhm“ - artists in German Top 20 Classical Charts

Julia Lezhneva © Ksenia Zasetskaya

Julia Lezhneva at the Salzburger Mozartwoche

Lezhneva1© Emil Matveev

Great - Julia Lezhneva with Dmitry Sinkovsky, Luca Pianca and La Voce Strumentale in Berlin

Concerto Köln ©WarsawPhilharmonic

Julia Lezhneva and Concerto Köln provide „one of the most beautiful evenings in the life of a music enthusiast“ at the Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele

Concerts

Projects

  • Julia Lezhneva (Sopran) – Alexander Melnikow (Klavier)

    Lieberabend - Sergey Rachmaninoff

    Details

    Program:

    Julia Lezhneva und Alexander Melnikow veröffentlichen ein neues Album mit Liedern und Werken von Sergey Rachmaninoff.

    Darin enthalten eine Auswahl von Liedern aus Opus 21, 26 und 34.

    Contact:

  • Kammerorchester Basel – Julia Lezhneva (Sopran)

    Mermaids & Water in music

    Details

    Program:

    FIRST PART (c. 40 min)
    Handel - Water Music - Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348 - Ouverture
    Porpora - Polifemo - «Se al campo e al rio soggiorna»
    Porpora - Polifemo - «Smanie d'affanno»
    Handel - Water Music - Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348 - Gavotta
    Torelli - Trumpet Concerto in D (Roger 188) WITH TRUMPET
    Porpora - Polifemo - «Sì che son quella, sì»
    Vinci - Rosmira fedele - «Vuol tornare alla sua sponda»

    SECOND PART (c. 40 min)
    Handel - Partenope - Ouverture
    Haendel - Partenope - «Voglio amare»
    Sarro - Partenope - «Per abbattere il mio core» WITH TRUMPET
    Handel - Water Music - Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348 - Bourée & Hornpipe
    Haendel - Partenope - «Io ti levo l'impero dell'armi»
    Broschi - Artaserse - «Son qual nave»

    Among the many natural elements, water is undoubtedly one of the most important in the poetics of the Baroque period. Seas, rivers, lakes, storms: how much instrumental or vocal music was inspired by water in its various forms? This programme will explore Baroque works where female characters were closely linked to water and its fascinating world: the nymph Galatea (protagonist of works such as Nicola Porpora's 'Polifemo'), the siren Partenope (the legendary founder of the city of Naples: protagonist of operas such as Leonardo Vinci's 'Rosmira fedele', Georg Friedrich Handel's 'Partenope'). This selection of arias for soprano, performed by Julia Lezhneva, will be completed by a choice from Handel's famous 'Water musik' suites.

    Contact:

  • Les Accents – Thibault Noally (Leitung) – Julia Lezhneva (Irene) - Carlo Vistoli (Tamerlano)

    Vivaldi – Tamerlano

    Details

    Program:

    Julia Lezhneva (Irene)
    Carlo Vistoli (Tamerlano)
    Eva Zaicik (Andronico)
    Renato Dolcini (Bajazet)
    Anthéa Pichanick (Asteria)
    Suzanne Jérosme (Idaspe)

    Vivaldi - Tamerlano (auch Il Bajazet, RV 703)

    Contact:

  • Les Accents – Thibault Noally (Leitung) – Julia Lezhneva (Irene) - Carlo Vistoli (Tamerlano)

    Vivaldi – Tamerlano

    Details

    Program:

    Julia Lezhneva (Irene)
    Carlo Vistoli (Tamerlano)
    Eva Zaicik (Andronico)
    Renato Dolcini (Bajazet)
    Anthéa Pichanick (Asteria)
    Suzanne Jérosme (Idaspe)

    Vivaldi - Tamerlano (auch Il Bajazet, RV 703)

    Contact:

  • Il Giardino Armonico – Giovanni Antonini (Leitung) – Julia Lezhneva (Sopran)

    Details

    Program:

     

    Antonio Vivaldi:

    Concerto in E minor for strings and basso continuo RV 134

    Allegro

    Andante

    Allegro

     

    "Anderò, volerò griderò" from Orlando finto pazzo RV 727

     

    "Sposa son disprezzata" from Bajazet RV703

     

    "Gelosia" RV711

     

    Concerto in D Major "il Gardellino" RV 428 for flautino, srings and basso continuo

    Allegro

    Largo

    Allegro

     

    "Vedrò con mio diletto" from Il Giustino RV 717

     

    "Siam navi all'onde algenti" from L'Olimpiade RV 725

     

    ***

     

    G. P. Telemann:

    Concerto in C Major TWV 51: C1 for recorder, strings and basso continuo#

    Allegretto

    Allegro

    Andante

    Tempo di Minuet

     

    F. J. Haydn:

    Arianna a Naxos Hob. XXVIIb:2 (anonymous 18th century transcription) for soprano, strings and basso continuo

    Contact:

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Biography 2024/2025