Andrei Bondarenko or Andriy Bondarenko[1] (Ukrainian: Андрíй Володи́мирович Бондаре́нко, born 1987) is a Ukrainian baritone opera singer.

Life

Bondarenko was born and brought up in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine.[2] He trained at the Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music in Kyiv. He won the "Art in the 21st Century" competition in Vorzel, and was a prize-winner at the 2006 International Rimsky-Korsakov competition in St Petersburg and the 2008 Nadezhda Obuhova Young Vocalists´ Festival. In 2007 he joined the Mariinsky Academy of Young Singers and has studied in Kyiv with Valery Buimister.[3][4]

Bondarenko appeared in the Salzburg Festival in 2009, and in 2011 represented Ukraine in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition,[5] winning the Song Prize[6] and getting through to the final for which he became hot favourite.[7] Interviewed by Josie d'Arby for BBC2 immediately following his performance in the final, he stated that he would award himself only "70 per cent", and he was defeated by Valentina Naforniță for the main prize.[8] In 2014, Bondarenko starred in Eugene Onegin at Glyndebourne, [9] and in 2014 he was Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro at Sydney Opera House.[10]

In 2017, Bondarenko gave a recital at Carnegie Hall, which received mixed reviews; his French accent was criticized.[11] In the 2017-18 season, Bondarenko made his début at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Marcello in La bohème,[12] a role he had previously played at Glyndebourne.[13]

Bondarenko was married to the Ukrainian soprano, Eleonora Vindau.[14] Since 2020 he has been married to the artist manager Maria Zaikina.

In 2023, Bondarenko played the leading role in King Stakh’s Wild Hunt, an opera by Olga Podgaiskaya, at the Barbican in London; the production, by Belarus Free Theatre, featured Belarusian and Ukrainian performers.[15]

References

  1. ^ Андрій in Ukrainian should be written as Andriy, as well as National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine Archived 2019-10-23 at the Wayback Machine or Ukrainian Classic Artist Management Archived 2018-09-09 at the Wayback Machine refers him.
  2. ^ "The Giacomo Variations". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  3. ^ Askonas Holt: Artists
  4. ^ Christiansen, Rupert. "Andrei Bondarenko: new face". article. the telegraph. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
  5. ^ BBC Cardiff Singer of the World
  6. ^ BBC News Wales: "Ukrainian Andrei Bondarenko wins Cardiff song prize"
  7. ^ Wales Online Review
  8. ^ Wales Online Review: BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Final
  9. ^ Hugh Canning (18 May 2014). "The name's Bondarenko". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  10. ^ Elizabeth Fortescue (29 July 2015). "Opera's young gun Andrei Bondarenko set to shine in The Marriage Of Figaro". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  11. ^ Rick Perdian (11 December 2017). "Baritone Andrei Bondarenko's Ambitious, Uneven Recital of French and Russian Song". Seen and Heard International. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Andrei Bondarenko". Royal Opera House. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  13. ^ Rupert Christiansen (12 Oct 2011). "Andrei Bondarenko: new face". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  14. ^ BBC News (17 June 2011). "Cardiff Singer of the World finalists battle for crown".
  15. ^ Arifa Akbar (17 September 2023). "King Stakh's Wild Hunt review – operatic fairytale of rebellions and false myths has present-day echoes". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 January 2024.


Categories