The Koval dynasty

Until recently Tamara Koval was a soloist with the National Opera of Ukraine. Now she is the chief assistant and accompanist of her husband, the noted opera singer Mykola Koval, laureate of the First Krushelnytska International Song Competition and soloist with the National Opera. Their eldest daughter Veronika is also a professional singer, who is polishing her skills at the Academy of Young Soloists of Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg after graduating from the Moscow Conservatory. She dreams of singing in Kyiv, on her parents’ home stage. Her dream may come true, considering that she has already played Tatiana in Eugene Onegin in Kyiv, where she demonstrated her sparkling vocal talent. Her younger sister Ksenia has decided to become a dancer. She will soon graduate from the University of Culture, majoring in contemporary choreography. She dances with the group Red Fox and teaches young talented people.

Tamara and Mykola first met when they were students at the Moscow Conservatory, almost three decades ago. Tamara vividly remembers the first time she noticed a young singer with curly hair and a pair of sparkling dark eyes. She was then a pianist, a graduate of the Gnessin State Musical College, and had enrolled in the conservatory to master the vocal art. They were introduced to each other and shortly afterward Tamara realized that he was in love with her. Once, together with a group of first-year conservatory students, they went on a picnic. Tamara, who is a good swimmer, made it across the Moskva River, but took her time swimming back. Everybody was worried, Mykola most of all, and when she stepped out of the water exhausted, he told her he loved her and asked if she would marry him. This was the beginning of their family history.

How did the Belarusian Mykola and the Russian Tamara become Ukrainian opera stars? After graduating from the conservatory, Mykola was invited to sing with the Taras Shevchenko Opera and Ballet Theater in Kyiv, where his lyrical- dramatic baritone could be put to good use in the repertoire. Since 1981 Mykola has sung over 40 leading parts in such operas as Carmen, Prince Igor, The Tsar’s Bride, Moses, Boris Godunov, and The Queen of Spades. Tamara also sang a number of leading roles.

The Day: Two creative personalities within a single family. Is this a burden or a blessing?

Tamara Koval: Perhaps a burden in a sense, but then I think about what would have happened if Mykola had had a non-singing wife. Would such a woman have been able to comprehend all the specifics of the operatic profession? Definitely not. As a singer, I know all these specifics, I can understand his problems. I know when to offer a helping hand and when to keep my distance, when I have to remind him of something, when to play the piano so he can rehearse his vocal part.

Mykola Koval: I believe that it’s good that Tamara knows my profession and can understand the way I feel before and after a performance. She is my number- one assistant; she is a splendid musician. There is no one else better than her when I have to work on a role. We rehearse at home. We work out our programs, because we have a number of chamber appearances on our schedule. Tamara is a skilled teacher. She has many promising pupils, and she helps many of them master the vocal art. Also there is our daughter Veronika. She spent her childhood backstage at the opera house. She would fall asleep sitting in the audience; she heard our rehearsals and watched our performances, so her desire to become a singer was only natural. Veronika’s professor was the famous opera singer Bella Rudenko (former resident of Kyiv). I don’t know what course my daughter’s destiny will take, but I hope that she makes her career at the National Opera in Kyiv.

The Day: Can your peaceful family atmosphere be attributed to your wife or the both of you?

Mykola Koval: Tamara is a very kind-hearted and friendly woman. She is an excellent housewife. Our home is empty during the work week because everyone is busy outside the home. Apart from teaching at the music college, Tamara heads the Opera Studio at the [former] Zhovtnevy Palace, which means a great deal of work, so we meet only when we come home late in the evening.

Tamara Koval: That’s true, except that I have to shoulder most of the household chores. In fact, I enjoy coping with all of them so that I can provide Mykola with enough space for his creativity. It is no secret that in any family someone must make sacrifices. I enjoy making them for the benefit of my husband and children. Earlier, when our life was dominated by the theater, we had more time to spend taking care of the family. Now the situation has become a bit complicated; there is a different kind of rhythm and other problems. Veronika is also a good housewife; whenever she visits from St. Petersburg, she tidies up our apartment and makes it sparkling clean. She has been accustomed to such arrangements since childhood. She is a truly talented singer; I’m saying this not as her loving mother but as a teacher: she will become an opera star, of that I am sure.

The Day: Mr. Koval, are you interested in conducting vocal classes?

Mykola Koval: I am, very much so. I think my mother passed on her talent to me because I can sense the nature of songs. I can help people with creative potential master the operatic art; I know that I can do this. I know how to teach them to sing the right way. How well Tamara and I can do this is evidenced by the numerous concerts in which we perform with our pupils. These are very interesting creative programs that display the creative potential of future singers. Our teaching talents seem to be revealed in our daughters, especially Ksenia, so this must be hereditary.

The Day: Mrs. Koval, do you regret that you didn’t advance your singing career?

Tamara Koval: I’m happy that my husband and I love each other; he treats me with a great deal of care and understanding. We have raised nice children, and I pray that they will live interesting and creative lives. It’s true that I haven’t made a spectacular operatic career, nothing to match that of Mykola’s, but I’m happy to know I have sung on the stage of Ukraine’s main opera house, performing excellent operatic parts. Now it is our children’s turn to uphold our creative family tradition.