BIO || REPERTOIRE || RECORDINGS || PRESS and MEDIA
Soprano Zoya Gramagin is recognized for her beautiful, rich, and powerful voice that possesses warm darker colors, while maintaining a very Italianate sound.
Recent reviews: “Tatyana is sung by the remarkable Zoya Gramagin. Her voice is what the Italians would call a “lirico spinto soprano”, i.e. a soprano with the force and clarity to be readily heard through all the sound of the chorus and orchestra. Her long aria in Act 1, where she writes the letter to Onegin, is a triumph. Her voice is a stunningly beautiful instrument over which she has such utter and complete, yet easy and natural control. I could listen to this lady sing forever..” – Steve Callahan, Broadway World about Gramagin’s role of Tatyana at the Union Avenue Opera, Saint Louis in 2022.
“Her lush soprano was perfect for the role.” – Voce di Meche about Zoya Gramagin’s portraial of Tatyana, December 2021, Russian Opera Society, New York.
Operawire about Zoya Gramagin’s dramatic talent when portraying Lisa, “The Queen of Spades”: “Last from “The Queen of Spades” was “Lisa’s Arioso,” sung by Gramagin. The rapid accompaniment and its repeating figures were quickly taken up with urgency by Gramagin. While she employed a soaring vocality that finely conveyed Lisa’s despair and concerns, Gramagin took it even further with a frantic, ruinous cry that was both dramatically appropriate and mesmerizing.”
For the role of Madama Butterfly at The St.Petersburg Opera Company, Ms. Gramagin was praised as the right singer for this role: “She has that Slavic steel in her voice that helps to power through the role. The audience stopped the show cold after her “Un bel di vedremo.” Equally impressive to me are her entrance scene and “Tu? Tu? Piccolo iddio!,” her third act aria.” (William S. Oser)
Her Liza in “The Queen of Spades” in Boston was characterized as a “major-league success…” (Boston Musical Intelligencer)
For her March performance at the Viva Verdi concert in New York, Zoya Gramagin was praised for the beauty and range of her voice: “Soprano Zoya Gramagin sang ‘Pace, pace mio Dio!’ convincingly with gorgeous tone. There was plenty of strength at the bottom of the register and we enjoyed the fortissimo climax.” (Voce di Meche)
The Petersburg Concert (Russia) called her a “true Verdian soprano, [with] fascinating richness of the voice and fiery musicality.”
Her appearance was as guest artist at the annual Sergio Franchi Memorial Gala where she “wowed the crowd” of 4,000 with her “thrilling” interpretation of “Un bel di…”
Zoya Gramagin made her singing debut at a very early age with the famous Russian ensemble of soloists “Cantabile”. Soon after, she was recognized at the Feodor Chalyapin Voice Competition where she won First Prize. She was also awarded an exclusive “Inspiration” Grant, a special award presented by the Russian government in support of unique artistic talents in that country. Since 2003, Zoya has performed numerous concerts and recitals in the United States, Russia, and Europe with great success.
She started her operatic career at an early age. When she was 18 years old, she received much attention for singing the lead role of Lyubasha in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Tsar’s Bride with the Moscow Youth Symphony Orchestra. After that initial success, she continued singing mezzo-soprano roles such as Carmen and Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana), which she performed in Moscow, New York, and Novafeltria, Italy, until she transitioned into the lirico-spinto soprano operatic repertoire.
In addition to her appearance at Lowell House Opera, she also sang Giorgetta (Il tabarro) with New York Lyric Opera (NYLO).
In May 2015 she made her Carnegie Hall debut singing Amelia (Un ballo in maschera) in a NYLO Gala. Past performances include Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) with Manhattan Opera Studio and Liza with the Moscow Contemporary Symphony Orchestra. In concert, she has appeared as a soloist in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky, and Handel’s Messiah.
Zoya Gramagin received her music education at the Tchaikovsky Music School in Moscow and the Mannes School of Music – The New School in New York City, where she currently resides with her family.
Zoya Gramagin’s selected engagements: Tatyana in “Eugene Onegin”, Union Avenue Opera, Saint Louis (2022), a modern multimedia production of Carmen at Cleveland Ballet (OH), concerts at Carnegie Hall (2019), “Russian Music Masterpieces” for the St Nicholas Cathedral Anniversary (2021), Tatyana in Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” at the Russian Opera Society, NYC. Upcoming: soloist in the Ukrainian Anthology concert, New York City, Fall 2022.
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