The Russian born soprano, Elvira Fatykhova, began her singing studies at the Ufa College of Arts and continued at the Ufa Institute of Arts. In 1995, she was awarded a special prize at the Glinka Singing Competition, in 1996 the Grand Prix at the Almuhametov Singing Competition in Ufa, and in 2002 was a finalist at the Competizione dell'Opera International singing contest of Italian opera in Dresden. Elvira became a principal singer at the Bashkirian State Opera House in 1997. She then joined the Ankara State Opera and Ballet Company in 1999, where she was a principal singer with the ensemble until 2007 and remains a guest principal. She has also been a principal guest artist with the Croatia State Opera, and has performed for Split Opera, Croatia. In 2004, she made her debut with Opera Australia in the title role in Massenet’s MANON which was followed by Violetta, the Contessa, Donna Anna and Miss Wordsworth. This excerpt finds her as Leila in Bizet's LES PÊCHEURS DE PERLES at the Bashkir Opera and Ballet Theater , conducted by Artem Makarov on September 10th 2021 - with baritone Artur Kaipkulov as Zurga in their Act III duet.
