Ukrainian mezzo-soprano Olena Leser studied at the R. Glier Kyiv Institute of Music and the Pyotr Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, before completing her vocal studies at the “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig. After winning first prize at the international Boris Hmyria International Singers’ Competition, she started her career as an ensemble member of the Leipzig Opera and the Vienna State Opera. Her international breakthrough came as Angelina in Rossini’s La Cenerentola.
Since then, Olena Leser has been a regular guest on international stages, appearing among others, as Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) at the Vienna State Opera and the Teatro Real in Madrid, as Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Dusseldorf, the New National Theatre in Tokyo and the Grand Théâtre de Genève, as Angelina at the Leipzig Opera and the National Theatre in Prague, as Olga (Eugene Onegin) at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, the Teatro Comunale in Bologna, the Malmö Opera and the Opéra de Limoges, and as Varvara (Káťa Kabanová) at the Teatro Regio in Turin and the Teatro San Carlo in Naples.
After her debut at the Kyiv National Opera in 2016 as Angelina, she further appeared as Adalgisa in Bellini’s Norma and in the title role of Bizet’s Carmen, a role she first sang at the Bregenz Festival.
Olena Leser is an equally sought-after soloist on the concert stage, having appeared previously as a soloist at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Beethovenhalle in Bonn and the Herkulessaal in Munich, among others. As part of José Carreras’s farewell tour, she appeared as a soloist at the Vienna Konzerthaus and performed the alto part in Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra under Fréderic Chaslin. At the Charity Concert in support of Ukraine promoted by the Vienna Musikverein in March 2022, she touched the audience with songs by the Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov.
Olena Leser’s discography includes Dolci Momenti, with arias by Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti, Classic Vienna, featuring arias by Mozart, Gluck and Haydn and Spring Night, dedicated to works by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, which received Opus Klassik nomination in 2021 under the category “Solo Vocal Recording”. Her most recent award-winning solo album entitled Passion for Ukraine was released in 2022, dedicated to Ukrainian art and folk songs.
