About
Aida Garifullina is a celebrated artist in the midst of an internationally acclaimed career. She is a regular guest artist of the world’s leading opera houses and concert venues, including the Royal Opera House (London), La Scala (Milan), the Metropolitan Opera (New York), Paris National Opera, Arena di Verona (Italy), and Salzburg Festival.
“Aida is one of the most exciting opera divas of today and tomorrow.” – Plácido Domingo
Born in 1987 in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Aida Garifullina was surrounded by music from an early age. Her first lessons in music came from her choirmaster and pianist mother who encouraged in her a love and devotion to singing. The work with her mother led her to further her musical development from early childhood and, later, inspiring a passion to pursue a career in opera. She made her performance debut at just five years old, as the youngest participant in one of Moscow’s most popular televised singing competition, and the stage has been her home ever since.
Following initial studies in Nuremberg, Germany, and The University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria, Aida achieved huge recognition at Plácido Domingo’s 2013 Operalia Competition, winning First Prize. She later joined the ensemble of the revered Vienna Staatsoper, regularly performing there whilst continuing to further her international career.
On the operatic stage she has sung under the musical guidance of some of the most prominent conductors, including Gustavo Dudamel, Zubin Mehta, Kent Nagano, Antonio Pappano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Plácido Domingo.
Alongside a successful operatic career, Aida is a celebrated recording artist. Her acclaimed solo album AIDA, with Decca Records, won Best Solo Album of the year (ECHO), and in 2017 she was nominated for a Grammy (Best Opera Recording) for the Rimsky Korsakov’s The Golden Cockerel.
“Soprano Aida Garifullina shows she has a fine future ahead of her with this excellent debut album featuring an alluring combination of arias” – Daily Mail
As a guest singer on Andrea Bocelli’s Album Si, she joined artists such as Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, and The Weekend. The album topped both the US and U.K. charts, and Aida joined Andrea Bocelli for a US tour – performing at Madison Square Garden in NYC, MGM Las Vegas, and Verizon Centre in Washington, DC.
“…Garifullina is equally talented and beautiful, and commanded the stage with her vocals and looks…” – Las Vegas Sun
In 2018, Aida performed alongside Robbie Williams at both the opening and closing ceremonies of the FIFA World Cup, with over one billion people watching live. She appeared as the guest soloist at the 2018 BBC Proms in Hyde Park, London, and the Bastille Day Concert in Paris – both to vast international audiences – alongside several highly acclaimed international recitals worldwide.
“Aida Garifullina made an auspicious house debut, gamely removing her drawers during ‘Quando m’en vo’, but finding humane dignity over Mimi’s deathbed.” – The Telegraph
In 2019, Aida was a guest soloist in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China – as part of the Deutsche Grammophon 120th Anniversary Celebrations. The event was broadcast worldwide, and later released on DVD.
“Depth, warmth, and tenderness make Russian soprano Aida Garifullina’s voice unmistakable.” – La Volta
An opportunity to combine two of her greatest passions – Opera and Film – Aida appeared on the big screen as opera singer Lily Pons in the Oscar nominated movie Florence Foster Jenkins directed by Steven Frears, featuring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant.
“Filming Florence Foster Jenkins made me as excited and nervous as performing in any opera,” says Garifullina. “It was my first time in a feature film, and I had the wonderful Stephen Frears directing me and Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant in the audience – no pressure! And then it was all done in one take, live to camera. I could hardly believe it was all over so quickly but the result looks and sounds amazing.” – The Guardian
She was also an invited guest of Good Morning America in December 2019, following her successful Metropolitan Opera Debut. In the same year, she was invited by Alibaba /Jack Ma to perform at his annual Gala Event, alongside Taylor Swift and Lang Lang at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai.
In 2019, Aida performed a solo concert for the official inauguration of the “One Shenzhen Bay” concert hall in the Chinese city of Shenzhen – located on the 72nd floor of the highest skyscraper in the complex. On that same evening, the tower was given the title of “The Highest Concert Hall in the World” in the Guinness Book of world records.
2019 brought several further landmark events for Aida, as she gave her Argentinian debut with a solo concert at one of the world’s most beautiful Opera houses – the renowned Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. The journey was supported, and filmed, by a German Film Production company, who made a documentary of the events surrounding the performance. The film was later broadcast throughout Argentina, Europe, and Russia.
“Aida is fearless. She got to the point where the high notes just bloom.” – The New York Times
During 2020, Aida was honoured to receive an audience with Pope Francis, later singing at annual charitable concert of the Vatican – “Concerto di Natale”. The concert raised funds to support children in need in Africa, and was broadcast live on Christmas Eve.
The next stop was the legendary, historical theatre – La Scala, Milan – where Aida appeared as soloist in a Christmas concert, performing Mozart’s Exsultate, Jubilate.
In 2021, Aida was named by GQ magazine as Super Woman Of the Year in Culture.
With a strong desire to help those around her, Aida is on the board of several charitable foundations and involved with many humanitarian projects. She works alongside “Angela Vavilova” Children’s hospice in her home city of Kazan, and the Khabensky Charitable Foundation in Russia, and is on the board of trustees for “Friends Fund’. She sings regularly in support of many foundations, including the David Foster Foundation, Andrea Bocelli, and Mohammed Ali’s “Celebrity Fight Night” and many more.
Aida is in high demand both on the international operatic stage and concert platform, and is currently working with her team on several large scale music projects, to officially be announced in the near future.