EKATERINA GUBANOVA

Singing Judith in Bartók's "Bluebeard's Castle" (Paris), Gubanova proved how familiar she is with the repertoire of the 20^th century. No need to mention that Gubanova's repertoire also includes great roles of Russian opera such as Lyubasha in Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Tsar's Bride" or Olga in Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin". Gubanova is a regular guest at opera houses like the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Bavarian State Opera, the Scala in Milan, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, the Berlin State Opera, the Chicago Lyric Opera, the Vienna State Opera as well as opera houses in Paris, Barcelona and Amsterdam. She is also regularly invited to the Salzburg, Baden-Baden and Edinburgh Festivals.

Curiously enough, Gubanova did not seem to be born to a singing career. Gubanova started her musical education playing the piano and was awarded an honorary degree in choral conducting. At the age of 17, when her voice settled, she was discovered while singing in a choir. She subsequently studied singing at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, later entering the "Young Artists Programme" at the Royal Opera House (London). Gubanova plans her career wisely. In interviews she always refers to the basics of Italian opera singing.