Vladimir Nikolaïevitch Chernov (; born 22 September 1953) is a Russian

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

, particularly associated with the Russian and Italian

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

repertories.

Early life

Vladimir Chernov was born in a small village near the town of

Krasnodar Krasnodar, formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern Russia, with a population of 1,154,885 residents, and up to 1.263 millio ...

in southern Russia. He studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. After graduating, he became a member of the Kirov Opera in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in 1981. That same year he won a Special Jury Prize in the Glinka Competition. In 1982 the Kirov sent him to the Accademia della Scala where he studied with Giulietta Simionato. In 1983, he won second prize at the vocal competition "Voci Verdiane" (as well as the special Carlo Galetti prize) in Verdi's hometown of Busseto,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Quickly, Vladimir Chernov attracted international attention.

Career

Opera singer

As a member of the Kirov Opera of

in 1987, he appeared at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

in London. Later performances were given at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

in Milan, the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

, the

Paris Opéra The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

, the Rome Opera, the

Verona Arena The Verona Arena is a Roman amphitheatre located in the historic center of Verona, an iconic symbol of the Venetian city alongside the figures of Romeo and Juliet. It stands as one of the grand structures that defined Roman architecture and ...

, and others, mostly in the Italian repertory. He made his

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

debut in 1991, as Sharpless in ''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...

'', and later took part in productions of Verdi operas such as '' Stiffelio'', '' Simon Boccanegra'', '' Don Carlo''. In addition to his great success in Italian operas, he often returned to his native repertory, appearing in ''

Eugene Onegin ''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (, Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: Евгеній Онѣгинъ, романъ въ стихахъ, ) is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin. ''Onegin'' is considered a classic of ...

'', '' The Queen of Spades'', ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work comprises both a fictional narrative and chapters in which Tolstoy discusses history and philosophy. An ...

'', '' Mazeppa''.

University teaching appointment

From March 2005, Chernov became Regents' Lecturer in the Division of Voice and Opera of the Music Department of the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

. He coached young singers in both private and class lessons, taught two Master Classes which were open to the public, and performed in recital.

" He had not been seeking a teaching post when he was invited to accept a tenured teaching position, but in 2006 Chernov became a Professor of Vocal Studies in the Music Department. 'He completely won over the hearts and minds of the faculty and the students,' said Ian Krouse, chair of the music department....The post...enables him to continue his international singing career while serving as a mentor to those who will follow."Judy Lin, "Students, fans adore him", ''UCLA Today Online'', 22 April 2008

He is also a faculty member of Opera Ischia.

References

Notes Sources *Mancini, R. & Rouveroux, J-J, ''Le guide de l'opéra, les indispensables de la musique'', Fayard, 1995.

External links

Carie J. Delmar,"Vladimir Chernov: Professor Extraordinaire", ''Classical Singer'', August 2007
Profile of Chernov. * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chernov, Vladimir 1953 births Russian operatic baritones Living people Russian music educators Moscow Conservatory alumni UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music faculty People from Shovgenovsky District