Nina Isakova

Born Oct. 8, 1928, in Se-bezh, present-day Pskov Oblast. Soviet Russian mezzo-soprano. People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1969).

Isakova was a partisan during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45. She later was a student in F. S. Petrova’s class at the Moscow Conservatory. Upon graduation in 1958, she was accepted into the company of the K. S. Stanislavsky and V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theater. Her voice is rich and has a deep timbre. It is particularly beautiful in the lower contralto register. Isakova displays great vocal mastery and dramatic talent. She has been most successful in the roles of ambitious, strong-spirited women. Her portrayals of comic roles are characterized by spontaneity and lightness on stage. Her roles have included Ustin’ia in Koval’s Emel’ian Pugachev, the Comissar in Kholminov’s Optimistic Tragedy, Sonetka in Shostakovich’s Katerina Izmailova, Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, and the title role in Offenbach’s La Perichole. Isakova is also well-known as a chamber singer. Her concert and opera repertoires primarily consist of works by contemporary composers, such as Z. A. Levina, K. V. Molchanov, T. N. Khrennikov, and D. D. Shostakovich. She won second prize at the International Competition of Musical Performance in Geneva in 1958. A deputy to the seventh convocation of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, Isakova has been awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor and various medals.