She defied her father's will and conquered the world opera: Lyubov Kazarnovskaya is 70 years old

Lyubov Kazarnovskaya is one of the brightest stars of the Russian opera scene, whose voice has conquered the largest theaters in the world. Her journey from a Moscow student to the diva of the Metropolitan Opera and La Scala became an example of talent, perseverance and unconditional dedication to art. Her powerful vocals, deep acting expressiveness and boldness in choosing the most difficult parts made her performance a benchmark. Lyubov Kazarnovskaya celebrates her 70th birthday on July 18, 2026. Izvestia recalls her career, main roles and achievements.

Childhood, education and the first steps in music by Lyubov Kazarnovskaya

Lyubov Yurievna Kazarnovskaya was born on July 18, 1956 in Moscow into an intelligent family. His father, Yuri Ignatievich, was a reserve general and author of books on military history, his mother, Lidia Alexandrovna, was a philologist, and his older sister, Natalia, was a philologist and lecturer at the Sorbonne.

Singer Lyubov Kazarnovskaya, 1987

Photo: TASS/Alexandra Chumichev

Lyubov's childhood was spent in a cultural atmosphere: Pushkin and Gogol were read a lot in the house, and her grandmothers instilled a love for the word from an early age. But music took a special place in the girl's life. Lyubov listened enthusiastically to records and radio — from mazurkas and polonaises by Chopin performed by Gilels and Neuhaus to opera arias, Neapolitan songs by Mario Lanza and Soviet pop music. At home, she and her mother played four—handed, including Tchaikovsky's "Children's Album," as her connection with the world of music gradually strengthened.

The father saw his daughter's future in a more "respectable" profession, from his point of view, journalism. Lyubov was even going to enroll in the journalism faculty of Moscow State University, but the craving for music turned out to be stronger. She chose the Gnessin Institute, where she studied at the Faculty of Musical Theater actors under the guidance of teacher Nadezhda Matveevna Malysheva.‑Vinogradova. It was there that she finally established herself in her vocation. In 1982, Kazarnovskaya graduated from the Moscow Conservatory and completed postgraduate studies in 1985 in the class of Elena Shumilova.

Soloists of the opera Anatoly Mishchevsky and Lyubov Yuryevna Kazarnovskaya during the performance of the opera Orpheus in Hiroshima by Japanese composer Akutagawa Yasushi at the II International Music Festival in the Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, May 7, 1984.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vladimir Vyatkin

In 1981, while still studying, Lyubov became a soloist at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich‑Danchenko Theater, making her debut as Tatiana in Eugene Onegin. In the same year, she became a laureate of the All-Union Glinka Vocal Competition. The success of the young artist attracted the attention of People's Artist of the USSR Evgeny Svetlanov, and he invited Kazarnovskaya to the Bolshoi Theater. There she performed leading roles in the operas Iolanta by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini, May Night by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and others.

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How Lyubov Kazarnovskaya became a star of world opera

A breakthrough in the singer's career occurred in 1984: she won the Grand Prix at the UNESCO Young Performers Competition in Bratislava, as well as an award and an honorary diploma at the Miriam Hellin competition in Helsinki. These successes have attracted the attention of critics and the public.

The turning point was 1988: the brilliant performance of Tatiana's role in London's Covent.‑Gardena" opened the way for the singer to the main world stages. Already in 1989, Herbert von Karajan invited her to the Salzburg Festival, where Kazarnovskaya sang the soprano role in Verdi's Requiem conducted by Ricardo Muti.

Laureate of All-Union and international competitions, Doctor of Musical Sciences, Professor, opera singer Lyubov Kazarnovskaya during a concert in Moscow, November 1, 2001.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Galina Kmit

Since the early 1990s, the artist began collaborating with the Covent Theater.‑The Garden (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London), The Metropolitan Opera (The Metropolitan Opera, New York), La Scala (Teatro alla Scala, Milan) and others. Kazarnovskaya's powerful voice, acting talent and deep exploration of roles have made her one of the most recognizable stars of world opera.

She also performed the most difficult role of Salome in Richard Strauss's opera of the same name — Kazarnovskaya became the first and still the only Russian singer to present it on the leading stages of the world. At the same time, the artist herself performed the climactic "Dance of the Seven Veils", which many singers abandon in favor of ballerinas. Strauss himself, after watching the play, wrote, "My grandfather probably had Kazarnovskaya in mind when he wrote this opera."

The main roles and creative achievements of the singer

Lyubov Kazarnovskaya's repertoire includes more than 50 opera roles. Notable roles include Tatiana in Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Salome in Richard Strauss's opera, Tosca and Manon Lescaut in Giacomo Puccini's operas of the same name, Amelia in The Masquerade Ball, Violetta in La Traviata and Leonora in Giuseppe Verdi's The Force of Fate, Marguerite in Charles Gounod's Faust, Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in Wolfgang Mozart's Don Juan, Fevronia in Nikolai Rimsky's The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Virgin Fevronia‑Korsakova, Nedda in Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci.

In addition to the opera scene, Kazarnovskaya realized herself in films ("Anna", "Dark Instinct", "The Gypsy Baron", "The Spanish Hour"), was engaged in dubbing, hosted television and radio shows ("Romance of Romance", "Vocalissimo"), was a member of the jury of musical projects ("The Phantom of the Opera", "One to one", "Exactly").

For her contribution to art, the singer was awarded the Lenin Komsomol Prize (1986), included in the Cambridge 2000 list of the most outstanding musicians of the 20th century (2000), and received the Compatriot of the Year Award (2006). In 2023, Lyubov Kazarnovskaya was awarded the title of Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.

The singer also supports young talents. In 1997, she established the Lyubov Kazarnovskaya Foundation, which awards scholarships to aspiring performers and invites leading artists to Russia.

Since 2015, the singer has been the artistic director of the Academic Vocal Department at the Institute of Contemporary Art.

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Lyubov Kazarnovskaya and her family

Lyubov Kazarnovskaya is married and has a son. In 1989, she met Robert Roscik, an Austrian impresario of Croatian descent. He came to Moscow to select young performers for the Salzburg Festival. Feelings arose between them, and soon they got married. For the sake of his family, Robert left the impresario profession — so he wanted to avoid rumors about his wife's promotion.

Opera singer Lyubov Kazarnovskaya with her husband Robert Roscik

Photo: RIA Novosti/Ekaterina Chesnokova

In 1993, the couple had a son, Andrey. He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory with a violin class, became a musician, led the Malevich Quartet and won awards at international competitions. His dream is to become a symphony conductor.

Interesting facts about Lyubov Kazarnovskaya on her 70th birthday

• Before the concert in Salzburg, conductor Herbert von Karajan gave Kazarnovskaya a small horseshoe "for luck." After the performance, the singer forgot to return the talisman, and when she remembered, she decided to keep it. Since then, she always takes the horseshoe with her to performances.
• Lyubov Kazarnovskaya has an impressive collection of jewelry — gifts from her husband. At the same time, the singer is closer to emeralds, amethysts, tourmalines and pearls set in silver, gold or platinum. She also appreciates unusual designer jewelry and spectacular massive jewelry.
• Together with her husband, the singer lives in a small house in the Yaroslavl region. The interior is decorated with an emphasis on antiquity — it has a lot of antique furniture. The hostess is particularly proud of the large Russian samovar: it is taken out when guests arrive at the house.
• Lyubov Kazarnovskaya is the author of four books on classical music.