Born in Ukraine, Olha Zhuravel studied piano, choral conducting and singing there. She made her début in 2005 in the rôle of Turandot in Seoul and also as Odabella in Attila in Vienna. She returned to Turandot in 2006 at the Macerata Opera Festival and returned the following year to inaugurate the Festival in the Sferisterio with Verdi's Macbeth. Chosen by Maestro Gelmetti to sing the title rôle in Alfano's Sakuntala for Rome Opera, she appeared under his direction again as Tosca for the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, followed by a tour of Japan with the Rome Opera. In January 2008 she made her début at the Carlo Felice Theatre in Genoa in Puccini's Manon Lescaut. This was followed by Lady Macbeth for the theatres of Trento and Rovigo. In May she returned to South Korea with the Macerata Opera Festival as Turandot and made her début in the role of Abigaille in Nabucco at the summer festival of the Fondazione Toscanini.

OCTOBER 2008