Mariya Matveyevna Stepanova (

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: Мария Матвеевна Степанова) (1 January or 27 March 1815 – 1903) was a Russian opera singer who created the leading soprano roles in ''

A Life for the Tsar ''A Life for the Tsar'' ( ) is a "patriotic-heroic tragic" opera in four acts with an epilogue by Mikhail Glinka. During the Soviet era the opera was known under the name '' Ivan Susanin'' ( ), due to the anti-monarchist censorship. The original ...

'', '' Ruslan and Lyudmila'', and ''

Dmitry Donskoy Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy (; 12 October 1350 – 19 May 1389) was Prince of Moscow from 1359 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1363 until his death. He was the heir of Ivan II. He was the first prince of Moscow to openly challenge Mongol ...

''.Forbes, Elizabeth (2008)
"Stepanova, Mariya Matveyevna"
in L. Macy (ed.). ''The Grove Book of Opera Singers'', p. 465. Oxford University Press. ISBN Stepanova was born into a family of musicians active in the Imperial Theatres in Saint Petersburg. She initially studied to be ballet dancer and was then trained in singing by

Catterino Cavos Catterino Albertovich Cavos (; ; October 21, 1777 – ) was an Italian composer, organist and conductor who settled in Russia. He played an important role in the history of Russian opera and was the father of Alberto Cavos.Ardoin, John. (2001). ...

. She made her operatic debut in 1835 and the following year created the role of Antonida in Glinka's ''A Life for the Tsar''. She sang with the Imperial Opera at the

Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre The Saint Petersburg Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre (The Big Stone Theatre of Saint Petersburg, ) was a theatre in Saint Petersburg. It was built in 1783 to Antonio Rinaldi's Neoclassical design as the Kamenny (i.e., Stone) Theatre; Giovann ...

in Saint Petersburg until 1846 and then at the

Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈat(ə)r, t=Grand Theater) is a historic opera house in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové. Before the October Revolutio ...

in Moscow until 1855 when she retired from the stage. During that time, she periodically returned to perform in Saint Petersburg where she created the role of Ksenia in

Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He was the elder brother of Nikolai Rubinstein, who founded the Moscow Conservatory. As a pianist, Rubinstein ran ...

's ''Dmitry Donskoy'' in 1852.

Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre (, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic opera house in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces ...

"History of the Mariinsky Opera"
Retrieved 1 February 2017. Stepanova died in Saint Petersburg in 1903 and is buried in the city's

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery () is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. History The cemetery was designed by Ivan Mashkov and inaugurated ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stepanova, Mariya Matveyevna 1903 deaths 1815 births 19th-century women opera singers from the Russian Empire Russian operatic sopranos Singers from Saint Petersburg Sopranos from the Russian Empire Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery (Saint Petersburg) Year of birth uncertain