
About
Opera singer. Vocal coach. Laureate of International competitions.
Head of the vocal department of the V.S.Kalinnikov Moscow Conservatory.
Teacher of the Academic Music School at the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory.
Senior lecturer at the International Slavonic Institute.
Permanent jury member of various All-Russian and International competitions.
Organizer of international auditions and master classes.
​Since 2024, Pauline has been working with opera singers as a manager
Polina Bakanova Di Grande
Born in Moscow but based in Italy, mezzo soprano Polina Bakanova Di Grande studied vocal technique with Elisaveta Novikova in Moscow and graduated from International Slavic University in Moscow in 2007.
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From early years she pursued her operatic career and sang in numerous operas. She made her debut in 2004 as Olga in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin at Prokofiev Lirico, Moscow. Immediately after that she had a chance to try herself as Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Polina and Contessa in Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades.
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Worth remembering is the number of Polina’s performances in Purcell’s operas (King Arthur, Dido and Aeneas) at Open Stage Project “Petit Opera” in Moscow.


Another page of her singing profile are sacred works. Important year of her career was 2008 as she became a soloist of the Academical Big Choir of The Russian State TV and Radio Music Centre. This creative cooperation resulted in copious performances and records such as: “B-minor Mass” by Bach, “Requiem” by Mozart, “Requiem” by Verdi, "Petite messe solennelle” by Rossini, "Messiah" by Haendel, "Nelson Masss” by Haydn (CD), “All-night vigil” by Rachmaninov (CD),“Aleksandr Nevskij" by Prokofiev.
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In her zealous endeavors of fulfilling herself as a top notch professional, Polina won a number of vocal awards. Among such are: diploma of International Students Competition “Bella voce”, Moscow (2004); diploma of International Independent competition (2008). In 2010 she received second prize at the International Chamber Festival of Geneva. In 2012 she won the Grand Prix in “Bravo voice” Competition. In 2019 she received a special prize of “ Big Romansiada” competition and recently she was distinguished by special prize from Stretta Artistic Agency at the Corsica Lirica Vocal Competition, Corsica, Frace(2022).
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Polina leads a vast concert touring activity. Together with The Academical Big choir and soloist of “Petit Opera”, Prokofiev-Lirico she was invited in a row of countries such as in South-Korea, Italy and Germany. In 2020-2022 she worked as a soloist at the Moscow Opera House.
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She had a possibility to hone her vocal and interpretational skills at a manifold of masterclasses including those with Vaja Chachava, Elena Obraztsova, Olga Popikyan, Christa Ludwig, Margherita Guglielmi, Marcello Lippi.
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Among her repertoire are such roles as: Lyubasha in Tsar's bride by Rimsky-Korsakov, Marfa in Khovanshchina and Feodor, Marina in Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky, Carmen and Mercedes in Bizet’s Carmen, Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera, and Azucena in il Trovatore , Fenena in Nabucco by Verdi, Principessa in Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, The Third Dame in Mozart’s Magic Flute.



Repertoire
Mozart "The Magic Flute" - Third Lady
Bizet "Carmen" - Carmen, Mercedes
Verdi "Rigoletto" - Maddalena
Verdi "Il Trovatore" - Azucena
Verdi "Aida" - Amneris
Verdi "Nabucco" - Fenena
Mascagni "Cavalleria Rusticana" - Mamma Lucia, Lola
Cilea "Adriana Lecouvreur" - Princess de Bouillon
Russian Opera
Tchaikovsky "Eugene Onegin" - Olga, Nurse
Tchaikovsky "The Queen of Spades" - Pauline, Countess
Rimsky-Korsakov "The Tsar's Bride" - Lyubasha
Rimsky-Korsakov "Kashchey the Immortal" - Kashcheyevna
Mikhail Glinka "Ruslan and Lyudmila" - Ratmir, Naina
Mikhail Glinka "A Life for the Tsar" - Vanya