Leonid Smetannikov
Leonid Smetannikov | |
|---|---|
Леонид Сметанников | |
Smetannikov in 2008 | |
| Born | Leonid Anatolyevich Smetannikov 12 August 1943 |
| Alma mater | Saratov Conservatory |
| Occupations | Opera singer (baritone), music educator |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Title | People's Artist of the USSR (1987) |
| Website | smetannikov |
Leonid Anatolyevich Smetannikov (Russian: Леонид Анатольевич Сметанников; born 12 August 1943) is a Soviet and Russian baritone opera singer and music pedagogue. For decades, he has been one of the leading performers of the Saratov Opera and Ballet Theater.
Biography
Leonid Smetannikov was born on 12 August 1943 in the village of Fershampenuaz, Chelyabinsk Oblast, during the evacuation of his family during World War II. After the war, his family moved to Dniprodzerzhynsk, Ukrainian SSR. He graduated from a technical college in 1961 and worked as an electrical technician at the Dnipro Metallurgical Plant. Having sung since childhood, he later joined the factory's amateur choir and decided to pursue professional vocal training.
In 1962, Smetannikov entered the Dnipro Academy of Music. He continued his studies at the Saratov Conservatory under Alexander Bystrov and graduated in 1971.
He joined the Saratov Opera and Ballet Theater in 1968, where he debuted as Prince Yeletsky in Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades. Over his career, he performed more than 900 times on stage and appeared in hundreds of concerts in the USSR and abroad. His repertoire includes more than 300 arias, romances, and songs by Russian, Soviet, and international composers.[1]
In 1973, Smetannikov won prizes at several major competitions, including the All-Union Contest of Soviet Song Performers (Minsk), the World Festival of Youth and Students (Berlin), and the Mikhail Glinka Vocal Competition (Chișinău).
He was among the first performers of David Tukhmanov and Vladimir Kharitonov's song Victory Day on the TV program Little Blue Light in 1975, alongside Lev Leshchenko.
Since 1977, Smetannikov has taught at the Saratov Conservatory, where he became a professor in 1989. From 1991 to 2008, he was a member of the Council for Vocal Art under the Russian Ministry of Culture In 2024, he received the National Opera Award "Onegin" in the "Legend" category.
Personal life
Smetannikov has been married twice. His second wife, Zinaida Ivanovna, is also an opera singer and manages his concert tours. He lives in Saratov and is a practicing Orthodox Christian.
Selected opera roles
- Prince Yeletsky – The Queen of Spades by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
- Figaro – The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini
- Eugene Onegin – Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
- Escamillo – Carmen by Georges Bizet
- Germont – La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
- Robert – Iolanta by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
- Don Giovanni – Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Demon – The Demon by Anton Rubinstein
Honours and awards
- Orders
- Order "For Merit in Culture and Art" (2025)
- Order of Friendship (2000)
- Order of the Badge of Honour (1980)
- Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov (Russian Orthodox Church, 2005)
- Titles and prizes
- People's Artist of the USSR (1987)
- People's Artist of the RSFSR (1979)
- Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1976)
- Glinka State Prize of the RSFSR (1982)
- Laureate of the National Opera Award Onegin – "Legend" (2024)
- Honorary Citizen of Saratov (1999)
References
- ^ "Сметанников Леонид Анатольевич" [Leonid Smetannikov]. Саратовская государственная консерватория имени Л. В. Собинова (in Russian). Saratov State Conservatory.