Yelena Dof-Donskaya
Soprano Yelena Dof-Donskaya enjoys a distinguished international career ranging from her native Moscow, to capitals in Eastern and Western Europe, Israel and the United States. A pupil of the great Russian operatic soprano Zara Dolukhanova, Ms. Dof-Donskaya has a degree in Choral Conducting from the Ippolitov-Ivanov Musical College, and a degree in Voice from the Gnessin Institute, Moscow. She has also studied at the Accademia d’Arte Lirica in Italy under Sergio Segalini, and taken master classes with Giuseppe di Stefano.
Among many artistic accomplishments, she has participated in the Institute of Vocal Arts Metropolitan Opera-New Israeli Opera Program, a joint venture taking place in New York and Tel Aviv, which resulted in performances with Fiorenza Cossoto, Ghena Dimitrova, Louis Quilico, and Virgnia Zeani, as well as special collaborations with the Joan Dornemann, the renown vocal coach of the Metropolitan Opera. She has toured internationally with performances as in opera, oratorio and chamber music and includes among her repertoire the leading soprano roles in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Don Giovanni, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Francesca da Rimini, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Traviata, and Die Zauberflöte, in addition to lieder, chansons, and Jewish music. Ms. Dof-Donskaya has appeared in concert with the Moscow Philharmonic under the baton of Sir Yehudi Menuhin, the USSR State Symphony Orchestra under Gennady Rozhdestvenskiy and with the USSR Cinematography Orchestra, conducted by Emin Khachaturian. She has also appeared as a soloist with the State Chamber Choir of the USSR on tours of Western Europe, Turkey and Canada.
A laureate of the Glinka Competitions in Baku and Riga and the Competition of Musicians in Natania, Israel, she has also sung in concerts organized by the Government of Israel in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Victory in World War II, and the State Funeral in Memory of Yitzhak Rabin, with the Chamber Orchestra of the Israeli Army at the Philharmonic in Tel-Aviv. Her discography includes Schubert’s Mass in G Major, and Vaughn Williams Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6, under the baton of G. Rozhdestvenskiy; the soprano solo in Schnittke's Concerto for Choir; Sergey Prokofiev's Three Songs of Ophelia with E. Khachaturian; and Tarnapolskiy’s operetta Three Graces, also conducted by Rozhdestvenskiy. Ms. Dof-Donskaya has made her home in the United States for the last eleven years, where she performs extensively as a recitalist and guest artist.