The Russian bass Pavel Kudinov was born in Dimitrovgrad and received his training at the Sobinov Conservatory in Saratov. He made his operatic debut outside Russia as Ruslan in Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila at the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe. This was followed by engagements as Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Selim (Il turco in Italia), and Colline (La bohème) at the Vienna Volksoper; as King Heinrich (Lohengrin) at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto; as Alidoro (La Cenerentola) and Escamillo (Carmen) at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf and as Sarastro at the Teatro Regio in Turin.
He has also appeared as a guest artist performing Sarastro at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and at Leipzig Opera, as well as Escamillo at the Opera Festival in St. Margarethen.
He regularly collaborates with conductors such as Teodor Currentzis, Christophe Rousset, Paolo Carignani, Axel Kober, Christopher Moulds, Marc Minkowski, George Petrou, Fabio Luisi and Pedro Halffter.
Highlights of his career include Gurnemanz (Parsifal) and King Heinrich at the Tyrolean Festival Erl, Ariodate (Serse) and Segeste (Arminio) at the Handel Festival in Karlsruhe, Zaccaria (Nabucco) and Pagano (I lombardi alla prima crociata) at the Heidenheim Opera Festival, the Gold Merchant (Cardillac) at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Segeste at the Opera Rara Festival in Kraków and his debut at the Hamburg State Opera as Consalvo in Handel’s Almira. He has also performed Vivaldi’s Astolfo (Orlando furioso) and Handel’s Ernando (Publio Cornelio Scipione) and Emireno (Ottone) in concert performances at the Theater an der Wien.
Following his debut at the Salzburg Festival in Porpora’s Polifemo, his projects included Silva (Ernani) and Filippo II (Don Carlo) at the Heidenheim Opera Festival, as well as King Heinrich in a production of Lohengrin at the Salzburg Landestheater in the Felsenreitschule.
He can be heard on award-winning recordings of Tamerlano, Alessandro, and Ottone.
He maintains a close collaboration with Theater Bonn, where he has appeared in roles such as Lamoral (Arabella), the Commendatore (Don Giovanni), Filippo II, King Heinrich, Procida (Les Vêpres siciliennes), Sparafucile (Rigoletto), Prince Gremin (Eugene Onegin), Zio Bonzo (Madama Butterfly) and the Woman-Cook (The Love for Three Oranges).
