Uninvited Guest

Her previously scheduled appearance on the National stage promised to be newsworthy. Recipient of the Maria Callas Grand Prix (awarded for the first time in the past decade), following the February debut as Lucia, she appeared on this stage only once, in the May concert dedicated to La Scala soloist, the "baritone king", Renato Bruzon.

The young prima donna's creative biography lists appearances in numerous festivals, concert tours in a number of countries, and three convincing victories in international vocal contests. Regrettably, at home she is often confronted with indifference, an approach that has become characteristic of officialdom these days, the opera's management included (as evidenced by Sunday's cancellation). The shower of bouquets from her devotees at the entrance to the Opera House was weak consolation: the gifted singer is helpless in the face of backstage administrative intrigues.

And her accomplishment overseas is self-evident: this December she will be singing as Gilda in a season-opening premiere rendition of Verdi's opera in a leading US operatic company. If all goes well, December 7 will see her in a gala solo concert at the National Opera. Olha will give her admirers a real Christmas gift, a new program of selected arias, quite a few of which will be heard in Kyiv for the first time (e.g., inspired Italian bel canto numbers from Verdi's earlier works that are very seldom performed). Without doubt, this concert will be further evidence of her unique dramatic soprano, a gift bestowed on a handful throughout vocal history. Among her near future creative plans is the part of Marfa in Rimsky-Korsakov's The Czar's Betrothed. Recently she cut a new disk with Ukrainian romances in Holland, in addition to the previous album  of arias and romances.