Ana Netrebko: From Janitress to Opera Diva

Ana Netrebko was born in Krasnodar (Russia), in a family of Kuban Cossack background. While a student at the Saint Peter*****urg conservatoire, Netrebko worked as a janitor at Saint Peter*****urg's Mariinsky Theatre. Later, she auditioned for the Mariinsky Theatre, where conductor Valery Gergiev recognized her from her prior work in the theater. He subsequently became her vocal mentor. Under Gergiev's guidance, Netrebko made her operatic stage debut at the Mariinsky at age 22, as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. She went on to sing many prominent roles with the Kirov Opera, including Amina in La sonnambula, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor. In 1994, she sang the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte with the Riga Independent Opera Avangarda Akadēmija under conductor David Milnes. Now, she is one of the most in demand operatic singers in the world.

Time magazine placed her on its Time 100 list in 2007. She was identified by the journal Musical America as "a genuine superstar for the 21st century" and was named 'Musician of the Year' for 2008. She has also been described by Associated Press as "the reigning new diva of the 21st century". She was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation (2004).