Tatiana Chudova
RUSSIAN WOMEN
FALL 2025
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Tatiana Chudova (1944 - 2021)
Composer, educator, and professor at the Composition Department of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. She was an Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, a member of the Russian Composers’ Union, and recipient of the USSR Lenin Komsomol Prize (1984). Chudova authored more than 500 compositions.
In 2024, Tatiana Chudova would have turned 80. The inaugural season of the Muffled Voices Festival was dedicated to honoring the legacy of this remarkable composer and cultural figure.
“Russian Women” (1997)
A musical composition by Tatiana Chudova in ten scenes for two female soloists and piano, based on poetry by Nikolai Nekrasov, Alexander Pushkin, and the Decembrist poets. The work tells the story of Princesses Trubetskaya and Volkonskaya, who courageously followed their exiled husbands to Siberia after the failed Decembrist uprising of 1825.
The opera traces the emotional and physical journey of these two women — from the moment of their husbands’ arrest to their reunion in a Siberian penal colony:
1. The Sentence
The women read aloud the decree by Emperor Nicholas I, sentencing their husbands to hard labor in Siberia.
2. Visit at the Peter and Paul Fortress
Trubetskaya secures a visit with her husband in prison. She is filled with determination to seek justice for him.
3. Farewell to a Child – Lullaby
Volkonskaya sings a tender lullaby as she says goodbye to her newborn son — a farewell for life. The Tsar demanded that any wife following her husband into exile must renounce her family, wealth, and status.
4. The Road & 5. The Uprising
The princesses travel by carriage through snowy fields, reflecting on their homeland. Trubetskaya remembers her privileged childhood and the grand balls of her youth. Scenes of the Decembrist revolt flash before them — and the Tsar’s order to fire upon the rebels.
6. Dialogue with the Governor
The Governor of Irkutsk, under imperial orders, tries to convince Trubetskaya to return to St. Petersburg. She refuses, choosing shame and hunger over abandoning her husband.
7. The Shackled Prisoners
Chains rattle. The women imagine bloody vengeance upon the nobility — and the Tsar himself.
8. Pushkin’s Message
Lines from Pushkin’s famous poem to the exiled Decembrists are heard:
“Deep in the Siberian mines,
Keep your proud and patient hope...” — a message he sent through Alexandra Muravyova in January 1827.
9. Siberia & 10. The Reunion
Trubetskaya reflects on the compassion of the Russian people. Volkonskaya speaks with emotion about reuniting with her husband — and kissing his chains.
About the Music
"Composers are born to leave the fruits of their labor to future generations, their country, and civilization."
— Tatiana Chudova
Tatiana Chudova believed that a composer must draw on both tradition and innovation — the search for new intonations, images, harmonies, and unique blends of consonance and dissonance. This philosophy formed the basis of her work. For true innovation, she insisted, a composer must possess both deep classical training and a vivid musical imagination, along with a deep understanding of instrumental possibilities.
Critics often noted that, despite the complexity of Chudova’s musical language and textures, her music always retained a clear and recognizable Russian foundation. She welcomed what she called “intelligent avant-garde” — bold, surprising, imaginative, and unpredictable. However, she firmly opposed when avant-garde forms lost their aesthetic grounding and turned into what she called “irrational” expression.
Russian Women is one of Chudova’s earliest operas, composed in 1991. Based on two parts of Nikolai Nekrasov’s poem of the same name, the opera powerfully captures the Russian spirit and the resilience of the noblewomen. Through contrasting vocal writing — even within duet scenes — the music emphasizes the complexity of the female characters and their individual emotional journeys.
Historical Background
Nikolai Nekrasov’s poem Russian Women is dedicated to the wives of the Decembrists — noblewomen who chose to follow their exiled husbands into Siberia after the failed uprising of 1825. The work consists of two parts: the first, written in 1871, centers on Princess Ekaterina Trubetskaya, while the second, completed in 1872, is based on the memoirs of Princess Maria Volkonskaya.
Nekrasov’s original manuscript bore the title The Decembrist Wives (Dekabristki), but he later changed it to Russian Women to emphasize not their social status, but their national identity and the universal significance of their heroic act of self-sacrifice.
The Decembrist Uprising of December 1825 took place on Senate Square in St. Petersburg and was led by a group of noble officers and reform-minded aristocrats. They attempted to prevent Nicholas I from ascending the throne and instead called for the end of autocracy, the abolition of serfdom, the establishment of fair courts, equality before the law, a constitution, and representative government.
Though the uprising was quickly suppressed, its ideals and the moral courage of those involved made a lasting impact on Russian society and strongly influenced the political and cultural landscape of Nicholas I’s reign.
World premiere from the Moscow International House of Music
As a part of Muffled Voices Festival First Season
07
Olga Nadezhdina
Mezzo-soprano
Born in Moscow, Olga Nadezhdina graduated from the Academic Music College of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, majoring in music theory, and later earned a degree in vocal performance and music education from the M.A. Sholokhov Moscow State University for the Humanities.
She is a soloist with both the Moscow Synodal Choir and the A.D. Kozhevnikov State Academic Moscow Regional Choir.
Her operatic experience includes performing in Leonid Desyatnikov’s The Blind at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre as part of Vasily Barkhatov’s Contemporary Opera Lab project. She also performed the mezzo-soprano solo in St. Matthew Passion by Metropolitan Hilarion under the baton of Dmitry Kogan at the First Volga Festival of Sacred Music in Samara.
Olga made her debut at the Bolshoi Theatre in 2012, singing the role of Xenia’s Nurse in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov. In 2013, she was featured at the opening ceremony of the Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition in Kaliningrad.
In addition to her classical work, Olga is a composer and vocalist in the international crossover project Kontraltos Duet, and a soloist in the vocal ensemble Melody Trio. She is an active participant in chamber concerts across Moscow and regularly collaborates on social and charitable initiatives, including performances for the volunteer movement Teremok Nadezhd. Her sacred music tours have taken her to Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Lebanon, Greece, Serbia, Croatia, and throughout Russia.
Trubetskaya
Olga Nadezhdina
mezzo-soprano
Yulia Petrachuk
Soprano
Russian-American soprano Yulia Petrachuk studied at Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and is a graduate of Bern Opera Studio in Bern, Switzerland.
Her debut as a professional opera singer was with the State Theater Bern, Switzerland, in 2010. After that, she performed with many other recognized opera companies and concert venues such as Theater Biel (Switzerland), Ash Lawn Opera Festival (US), Opera Ischia (Italy), Dicapo Opera Theater in New York (US), Great Moscow Hall (Russia), Vocal Productions NYC (US), Nova and Opera Camerata in Washington, D.C. (US), Smetana Hall in Prague (Czech Republic), Carnegie Hall in New York (US), Musikverein and Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna (Austria), and many others. Yulia specializes in contemporary opera and other forms of vocal music of the 20th and 21st centuries. She has performed many World and US premieres.
Out of her passion and drive to sustain and give lesser-known and unknown music a voice, Yulia Petrachuk founded Lyrica Classic Entertainment as a sounding beacon to deliver superior-level presentation of music. Yulia has robust experience in international performing arts projects, execution, and collaborations in the US and EU.
Volkonskaya
Yulia Petrachuk
soprano
Karina Pogosbekova
Pianist
Karina Pogosbekova is a renowned pianist and educator, emerging from Moscow's rich cultural landscape, where she was born into a family celebrated for its scientific achievements, including her father, L. Zhivotovsky, a distinguished scientist and laureate of the National Award of the Russian Federation. A testament to her musical prowess, Pogosbekova excelled at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, securing a solid foundation in both solo piano and piano accompaniment through her graduate and postgraduate studies. Her commitment to fostering the next generation of musicians is evident in her current role as a piano accompaniment instructor at the same institution.
In the competitive sphere, Pogosbekova's talents have been consistently recognized. She clinched an award for the best classical sonata performance at the Young Talent competition in Vladimir, Russia, in 1992, and went on to capture two Grand Prix at the 1993 Young Artists Competition in Cincinnati – one for her solo program and another for her orchestral concerto performance. Her laureate status was affirmed at Italy's Meranofest in 1994, and later, she earned the Best Accompanist title at Moscow's Levko Vocal Competition in 2008 and at the Inspiration Art Festival.
Pogosbekova's accolades continued with Best Accompanist awards at the First Open National Natalia Spiller Vocal Competition in 2014 and at the International Classical Music Forum in 2017, where she was also recognized for her exceptional contribution to the preparation of participants. In 2020, she was honored with the Best Accompanist award at the inaugural Russian-Chinese competition #Pushkin2020.
Beyond competitions, Pogosbekova is a dynamic concert performer. Her collaborative engagements have seen her share the stage with illustrious operatic talents such as Elena Obraztsova and Hibla Gerzmava, reflecting her versatility and demand as a top-tier accompanist. Notably, she was the regular pianist for the National Artist of the USSR, Zurab Sotkilava, for over a decade. Her diverse projects include coaching for Russia's Channel One production of "Phantom of the Opera," participating in the premiere of M. Matyushin's avant-garde opera "Victory over the Sun," and the world premiere of Ilya Demutsky's opera "Black Square."
Her entrepreneurial spirit led to the inception of the "Music of Our Time" concert project in 2019, which she founded to spotlight contemporary classical vocal music. This initiative has brought more than 50 contemporary composers' works to renowned Russian stages such as the Rachmaninoff and Small Halls of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and Moscow Zaryadye Hall, engaging stars and soloists from leading opera houses.
Pogosbekova's expertise extends to adjudicating, where she has served on juries for prestigious competitions including the Renaissance International Competition and Festival in Gyumri, Armenia, the Golden Talent of the Commonwealth of Independent States competition in Russia, and the International Opera Festival "Cantofest" in Portugal, among others.
Her illustrious career not only illustrates her exceptional talent and dedication to the performance and teaching of piano accompaniment but also highlights her influence on the advancement and appreciation of contemporary classical music on the international stage.
Piano
Karina Pogosbekova
Creators
Tatiana Chudova
(June 16, 1944 – Nov. 24, 2021, Moscow)
Tatiana Chudova was a Russian composer, recipient of the Lenin Komsomol Prize, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, and professor at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory.
Born in Moscow, she graduated from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 1968, where she studied under Professors Yuri Shaporin and Tikhon Khrennikov. She later completed her postgraduate studies there in 1970.
Chudova composed in nearly all genres and devoted many years to the study of Russian folklore traditions. Her extensive body of work includes three ballets, several operas—including To Grandfather in the Village, based on Chekhov, the vocal novella Aelita, the monoopera The Head of Professor Dowell, and the one-act opera in letters von Meck – Tchaikovsky—as well as five symphonies, choral works such as the choral symphony Borodino (on poems by M. Lermontov), instrumental concertos, compositions for folk orchestra, vocal cycles, and numerous chamber music pieces.
Her music was performed regularly in Russia and abroad.
In the later years of her career, Chudova focused increasingly on the operatic genre, often exploring new literary sources. Many of her premieres were presented at the annual Moscow Autumn international festival of contemporary music. In 2018, she unveiled an operatic trilogy based on works by Griboedov, Fonvizin, and Karamzin: Chatsky. Revelation of the Minor. Poor Liza. In 2019, she premiered a new trilogy of mono-mini-operas inspired by the fables of Ivan Krylov: The Grasshopper and the Ant, The Quartet, and The Crow and the Fox. In 2021, she completed and presented another cycle of mono-mini-operas.
Tatiana Chudova
Composer
Elena Arsenyevna Gulyga
(1946/47 – 2008)
Elena Gulyga was a Russian poet, author, and literary translator. She was the daughter of Arseny Gulyga, Doctor of Philosophy, and Anna Isaeva, a renowned translator from German.
Although her passport stated that she was born on January 1, 1947, in Moscow, Elena was in fact born on December 29, 1946, in Berlin, where her father served as a senior lieutenant. According to Soviet law at the time, children of military personnel and diplomats born abroad could be officially registered as born in Moscow. Her parents also chose to make her legally one year younger. She was brought to Russia at the age of one, and her earliest memory was of snow-covered houses and the lights of the military settlement of Losinka near Moscow.
She spent her childhood in Losinka and, beginning in the 8th grade, lived in Moscow. From 1965 to 1971, she studied at the Department of Romance and Germanic Philology at Moscow State University, specializing in French. As a student, she participated in ethnographic expeditions organized by the Department of Russian Folklore.
Her first poem was published in Ogonyok magazine when she was just seven years old. Over her literary career, she authored nine books for children and two for young adults, as well as poetry collections including White May (1983) and Pearl Catch (1994). She translated poetry from French (Jean Racine, Louis Aragon, Maurice Carême, Claude Roy), German, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, and Danish, as well as from poets of neighboring post-Soviet countries. She also translated poems written by children from around the world for the “Little Boat” section of Pioner magazine and contributed to over thirty anthologies of translated poetry.
Elena Gulyga became a member of the USSR Writers’ Union in 1979. She passed away in Moscow on December 2, 2008 (some sources list November 25, 2008).
Elina Gulyga
Libretto
Elizavrta Korneeva
Stage director
Elizaveta collaborates with the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, the independent Moscow-based company Montecchi vs Opera, the Moscow International House of Music, the Helikon-Opera Theatre, the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre (within the framework of a festival), the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia (within the framework of a festival), the State Opera of Hanover (Germany), and the Grand Théâtre de Genève (Switzerland). She is also a recurring collaborator with Lyrica Classic, an international organization dedicated to the promotion of contemporary classical music.
She was a nominee for the Golden Mask National Theatre Award in 2022, as well as for the Onegin Opera Award, and is the winner of three nationwide competitions for young directors organized by the Russian Cultural Foundation. She won the 4th International Competition for Young Opera Directors Nano-Opera, held by Dmitry Bertman, and participated in the Creative Laboratory for Young Directors under the leadership of Alexander Petrov.
In 2021, Elizaveta collaborated with the State Opera of Hanover (Germany) and the Grand Théâtre de Genève (Switzerland).
She regularly works with the independent theatre company Montecchi vs Opera and serves as stage director of the Russian Opera Festival in Taltsy (Irkutsk).
Currently, she is working on new productions at the Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theatre, Helikon-Opera, and the Mariinsky Theatre.
Elizaveta Korneeva
Stage Director
Varvara Timofeeva
Set Designer
Varvara Timofeeva is a Russian set designer known for her innovative work in opera, theatre, and contemporary dance. She earned her Master’s degree in Graphic Design from Saint Petersburg State University in 2012, and later studied Scenography at the British Higher School of Art and Design in Moscow, graduating in 2015.
Since then, she has collaborated with acclaimed directors and choreographers across Russia and internationally. In the 2022/23 season, she designed the set for the world premiere of Salvatore Sciarrino’s Venere e Adone at the Hamburg State Opera, as well as for Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.
Her designs have been featured in productions at the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre (The Mark on the Wall, 2017; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 2019), the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre (Leningrad Symphony, Marevo), the Chamber Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre (Iolanta, 2019), the Moscow State Conservatory (Facing South by Linda C. Smith, 2021), and the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre (In Neutrino, 2018), among many others.
She has also worked with Wuppertal Opera (Rigoletto, 2017) and the Theatre of Nations (The Broken Jug, 2020), and created visual concepts for major theatre and dance festivals, including the Territory Festival (Moscow), Open Look (St. Petersburg), and Metadrama (Vladivostok).
Her work has been nominated for leading Russian theatre awards, including the Golden Mask and Onegin.
Varvara Timofeeva
Set Designer
Yulia Petrachuk
Producer and art-director of Lyrica Classic
Renowned for her dynamic presence in the classical music realm, Yulia Petrachuk is a Russian-American operatic soprano, an esteemed producer, and the creative force behind Lyrica Classic Entertainment. She takes pride in her role as the artistic director and producer of the notable contemporary classical music festival "Spread New Music to the World" and the innovative "Muffled Voices Festival," which showcases contemporary opera by female composers.
An alumna with honors from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Russia and the Bern University of the Arts in Switzerland, Petrachuk made her international debut in 2010 at the Bern State Theatre with her performance in Prokofiev's "The Love for Three Oranges." Her artistic journey has led her to perform in prestigious venues across the globe, including Theater Biel, Ash Lawn Opera Festival, Dicapo Opera Theater and Carnegie Hall in New York, Opera Camerata in Washington, D.C., Smetana Hall in Prague, Musikverein and Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna, among many others.
Petrachuk's repertoire of lyric soprano extends beyond the traditional, delving into contemporary opera and vocal music of the 20th and 21st centuries, with her repertoire featuring world and continental premieres. Notable performances include Vitaly Hubarenko's mono-opera "The Love Letters" and the soprano solo in Emmanuel Dubois's "Requiem for the Fallen" at Carnegie Hall, the titular role in a mono-opera adaptation of Strauss's "Elektra" by Richard Duenser in Austria and Germany, and Volkonskaya in Tatiana Chudova's chamber opera at Moscow International House of Music.
With a passion for elevating lesser-known music, Petrachuk founded Maryland-based nonprofit organization Lyrica Classic Entertainment, quickly receiving international acclaim for its superior music presentations. The company has made significant contributions to the arts, showcasing new and undiscovered works at renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kauffman Music Center, the Strathmore Hall, the Congress Hall in Graz, the Moscow Catholic Cathedral and International House of Music.
Lyrica Classic's Spread New Music to the World festival gained recognition in 2023, having been nominated for "Best Project of the Year" by the International and European Association 2022 — a testament to Yulia Petrachuk’s impactful leadership and dedication to the arts.
In 2024, Yulia served as executive producer of the Muffled Voices Festival, highlighting the contributions of women composers in classical music. The festival was named a finalist for the International & European Association Award in the category of Best New Event and became the winner of the Global Recognition Award 2024 for its outstanding contribution to the global classical music scene, particularly in promoting underrepresented voices.
Yulia Petrachuk
Executive Producer
Cast
Olga Nadezhdina
Mezzo-soprano
Born in Moscow, Olga Nadezhdina graduated from the Academic Music College of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, majoring in music theory, and later earned a degree in vocal performance and music education from the M.A. Sholokhov Moscow State University for the Humanities.
She is a soloist with both the Moscow Synodal Choir and the A.D. Kozhevnikov State Academic Moscow Regional Choir.
Her operatic experience includes performing in Leonid Desyatnikov’s The Blind at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre as part of Vasily Barkhatov’s Contemporary Opera Lab project. She also performed the mezzo-soprano solo in St. Matthew Passion by Metropolitan Hilarion under the baton of Dmitry Kogan at the First Volga Festival of Sacred Music in Samara.
Olga made her debut at the Bolshoi Theatre in 2012, singing the role of Xenia’s Nurse in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov. In 2013, she was featured at the opening ceremony of the Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition in Kaliningrad.
In addition to her classical work, Olga is a composer and vocalist in the international crossover project Kontraltos Duet, and a soloist in the vocal ensemble Melody Trio. She is an active participant in chamber concerts across Moscow and regularly collaborates on social and charitable initiatives, including performances for the volunteer movement Teremok Nadezhd. Her sacred music tours have taken her to Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Lebanon, Greece, Serbia, Croatia, and throughout Russia.
Trubetskaya
Olga Nadezhdina
mezzo-soprano
Yulia Petrachuk
Soprano
Russian-American soprano Yulia Petrachuk studied at Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and is a graduate of Bern Opera Studio in Bern, Switzerland.
Her debut as a professional opera singer was with the State Theater Bern, Switzerland, in 2010. After that, she performed with many other recognized opera companies and concert venues such as Theater Biel (Switzerland), Ash Lawn Opera Festival (US), Opera Ischia (Italy), Dicapo Opera Theater in New York (US), Great Moscow Hall (Russia), Vocal Productions NYC (US), Nova and Opera Camerata in Washington, D.C. (US), Smetana Hall in Prague (Czech Republic), Carnegie Hall in New York (US), Musikverein and Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna (Austria), and many others. Yulia specializes in contemporary opera and other forms of vocal music of the 20th and 21st centuries. She has performed many World and US premieres.
Out of her passion and drive to sustain and give lesser-known and unknown music a voice, Yulia Petrachuk founded Lyrica Classic Entertainment as a sounding beacon to deliver superior-level presentation of music. Yulia has robust experience in international performing arts projects, execution, and collaborations in the US and EU.
Volkonskaya
Yulia Petrachuk
soprano
Karina Pogosbekova
Pianist
Karina Pogosbekova is a renowned pianist and educator, emerging from Moscow's rich cultural landscape, where she was born into a family celebrated for its scientific achievements, including her father, L. Zhivotovsky, a distinguished scientist and laureate of the National Award of the Russian Federation. A testament to her musical prowess, Pogosbekova excelled at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, securing a solid foundation in both solo piano and piano accompaniment through her graduate and postgraduate studies. Her commitment to fostering the next generation of musicians is evident in her current role as a piano accompaniment instructor at the same institution.
In the competitive sphere, Pogosbekova's talents have been consistently recognized. She clinched an award for the best classical sonata performance at the Young Talent competition in Vladimir, Russia, in 1992, and went on to capture two Grand Prix at the 1993 Young Artists Competition in Cincinnati – one for her solo program and another for her orchestral concerto performance. Her laureate status was affirmed at Italy's Meranofest in 1994, and later, she earned the Best Accompanist title at Moscow's Levko Vocal Competition in 2008 and at the Inspiration Art Festival.
Pogosbekova's accolades continued with Best Accompanist awards at the First Open National Natalia Spiller Vocal Competition in 2014 and at the International Classical Music Forum in 2017, where she was also recognized for her exceptional contribution to the preparation of participants. In 2020, she was honored with the Best Accompanist award at the inaugural Russian-Chinese competition #Pushkin2020.
Beyond competitions, Pogosbekova is a dynamic concert performer. Her collaborative engagements have seen her share the stage with illustrious operatic talents such as Elena Obraztsova and Hibla Gerzmava, reflecting her versatility and demand as a top-tier accompanist. Notably, she was the regular pianist for the National Artist of the USSR, Zurab Sotkilava, for over a decade. Her diverse projects include coaching for Russia's Channel One production of "Phantom of the Opera," participating in the premiere of M. Matyushin's avant-garde opera "Victory over the Sun," and the world premiere of Ilya Demutsky's opera "Black Square."
Her entrepreneurial spirit led to the inception of the "Music of Our Time" concert project in 2019, which she founded to spotlight contemporary classical vocal music. This initiative has brought more than 50 contemporary composers' works to renowned Russian stages such as the Rachmaninoff and Small Halls of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and Moscow Zaryadye Hall, engaging stars and soloists from leading opera houses.
Pogosbekova's expertise extends to adjudicating, where she has served on juries for prestigious competitions including the Renaissance International Competition and Festival in Gyumri, Armenia, the Golden Talent of the Commonwealth of Independent States competition in Russia, and the International Opera Festival "Cantofest" in Portugal, among others.
Her illustrious career not only illustrates her exceptional talent and dedication to the performance and teaching of piano accompaniment but also highlights her influence on the advancement and appreciation of contemporary classical music on the international stage.
Piano
Karina Pogosbekova