“Tsvetinska is world class”
The Lviv National Opera turns 125 on October 4. ELLE met with one of the theater's young stars — Marianna Tsvetinska, Honored Artist of Ukraine, laureate of numerous all-Ukrainian and international vocal competitions, who will be actively involved in performances in honor of the theater's anniversary.
The opera “Dialogues of the Carmelites” by Francis Poulenc, staged by the Lviv National Opera, became the winner of the National Rating of the Ukrinform agency “Infoboom-Classical Music 2024” in the nomination “Best Musical Performance of the Year”. And the tour of the Lviv Opera with “Dialogues of the Carmelites” in the capital at the beginning of 2025 caused a real sensation! ELLE takes a closer look at the performer of the main part of the successful performance – Marianna Tsvetinska.
Marianna, by her formation and life, is, in my opinion, the materialization of a united and indivisible talented Ukraine. The singer was born in Verkhnyodneprovsk, in the north of the Dnipro region. She graduated with honors from the Dnipro Academy of Music in the class of the Shevchenko Prize laureate, Professor Nonna Surzhyna. She continued her vocal education, studying privately with Professor Elizabeth Cohen at the University of Western Michigan (Kalamazoo, USA). She toured with performances and concerts around the world, performing on the best stages in the world. During her performance in the Netherlands with the role of Violetta in G. Verdi's La Traviata, she received high praise from the famous critic Peter Thart: “Tsvetinskaya is world class.”
And now Marianna is one of the best singers of the Lviv Opera, one of the best Ukrainian voices who live, work and support their compatriots with their art in terrible times at home and occasionally represent Ukrainian culture abroad at a high level.
Marianne, you worked at the Dnipro Academic Opera and Ballet Theater and the Zaporizhzhia Regional Philharmonic. Since 2020, you have been a soloist at the Lviv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after Solomiya Krushelnytska. How did fate bring you to the Lviv Opera?
I rather think not about fate, but about choice and work. My love for Lviv and the Lviv Opera began back in 2015, when I first came here to relax and get to know the city. Walking through the streets of Lviv, admiring the architecture and atmosphere, I felt like I was at home. And when I went out onto the square in front of the opera house, the beauty simply took my breath away. Even then, I thought: “I want to live and work here.” From then on, I knew that I had to work even harder to improve my technique, acting skills, and repertoire, and make every effort to come to auditions and fight for a place in the opera troupe.
At the Lviv Opera, I feel both artistic and personal freedom. Here I can grow, reveal my voice so that it sounds its fullest and brightest.
Which of your wartime works do you consider particularly significant and why?
Among the significant productions for me that the Lviv Opera has already implemented during the full-scale invasion is “The Terrible Revenge” by Yevhen Stankovych under the baton of maestro Volodymyr Sirenko, directed by Andreas Weyrich. We worked on the opera in the fall of 2022, during the first attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. I remember how we came to the theater for dress rehearsals and waited for hours for the lights to come on. Several times the rehearsals never took place. However, the premiere was a success. For me, working on this performance is a special experience. For the first time since the beginning of the Great War, we took to the stage to bring to life the music of Stankovych, one of the most brilliant composers of our time, and felt unity with colleagues and viewers who needed the healing power of art. Working on Stankovych's opera has become one of the sources of strength and inspiration, motivation to not give up, to sing and to live on. I am very proud of this production and the team that worked on it.
Undoubtedly, another of my favorite productions of the Lviv Opera is Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites, directed by Vasyl Vovkun and conducted by Ivan Cherednichenko. Poulenc's music is my great love. Back in my conservatory days, I studied his mono-opera The Human Voice. This work was a revelation and a real challenge for me, primarily because of its volume (40 minutes of continuous singing), the complexity of the musical language, and the French. But working on The Human Voice helped me understand Poulenc's compositional style, his harmonic techniques, and gave me a sense of his music. Thanks to this, preparing for The Dialogues was easier for me.
The production itself was very valuable for me and full of important experiences. It was my first time working with Vasyl Volodymyrovych (Vasyl Vovkun is the general director and artistic director of the Lviv National Opera. — Ed. note) and I set myself up to be attentive and collected before the start of rehearsals, in order to hear his wishes and do the maximum that I am capable of. I was very interested in working with him. Vasyl Volodymyrovych is an outstanding artist and at the same time a person with a big heart. As for Ivan Volodymyrovych, working with him is also a pleasure. Ivan is an exceptional conductor, he knows our vocal “kitchen” and psychology so well that you always feel very calm and confident with him. When something doesn’t work out technically for me, I am convinced that Ivan will always help find a solution. At the same time, I know how subtly he feels about music and how much information he gives the singer during lessons about a specific opera or character, delicately conveying meanings and subtexts that we, the performers, may sometimes not find or feel on the first try.
And I still can't help but mention the latest opera in the theater's repertoire – the restored “Golden Hoop” by Boris Lyatoshinsky. The plot of the opera “Golden Hoop” reminds us that history is cyclical, and the theater is a mirror of what is happening in society, in the country. We worked on this opera performance with Ivan Uryvsky and maestro Ivan Cherednichenko. It was an extremely exciting, interesting process. Boris Nikolayevich's musical language became a discovery and a test for me at the same time. This opera is unlike any that I have performed before. However, that is why it is valuable to me, from now on it is the pearl of my repertoire. And, undoubtedly, cooperation with Uryvsky was intriguing – we were all very much looking forward to working together with this theater director.
On a personal note. Congratulations to you and Ivan Cherednichenko on your marriage! Do you remember the moment when you realized that you were meant to be together?
Thanks for the congratulations! In our relationship with Ivan, everything happened rather than “suddenly”, but gradually, through mutual support, respect and shared values. I believe that this is how real feelings are born.
Family is conscious, daily steps towards meeting each other, acceptance and unconditional support. We are both self-sufficient people, which is why we can truly be together.
What do you think is the most important thing in a relationship between a woman and a man?
I once read this phrase online: “A relationship should be your safe place, not another battle you’re fighting.” I really like this view of relationships. Ivan and I are lucky that our love is based on immense respect for each other, on admiration and shared values. We cultivate this attitude towards each other every day.
What helps you maintain your inner balance today?
Honestly, it is very difficult to keep a balance in war conditions. The news, daily shelling, pain for one's people and country are my biggest stress. In addition, everyone has their own life difficulties. But we must continue to live, work and do everything in our power to bring victory closer. Lately, I have noticed that discipline helps me. When I have a certain schedule for the day, it is easier for me to be productive both at work and to have time to devote to my everyday life and family.
How are you personally preparing for the anniversary of the Lviv Opera?
For the anniversary of the Lviv Opera, I am working on one of my most famous roles – Blanche de La Force from Francis Poulenc's “Dialogues of the Carmelites”. With a wonderful cast of colleagues and maestro Ivan Cherednichenko, we will perform this opera on October 3 and 9 on the stage of the Lviv Opera. This is a great honor and at the same time a responsibility for me. I would like to sincerely invite the audience to the performances dedicated to the 125th anniversary of our theater! These are the already mentioned “Dialogues of the Carmelites” by Poulenc, “The Golden Hoop” by Lyatoshynsky, and Alexander Rodin's ballet “Solaris” staged by Kateryna Kurman, which I sincerely adore. All these performances will take place under the baton of Ivan Cherednichenko.
What do you see in your dreams of the theater in, for example, 5 years? And Ukraine in 5 years?
I believe in victory. I see Ukraine free, strong, known to the world not only because of the war, but also because of its culture, music, voices that sound freely and proudly. In my dreams, we are no longer fighting for the right to exist, but simply creating and living.
I see the theater even more confident and bold, with new productions, a modern take on the classics, and with audiences who come here for inspiration.
Interview: Myroslava Makarevych
