Ninel Aleksandrovna Tkachenko

Born Nov. 21, 1928, in Kharkov. Soviet soprano. People’s Artist of the USSR (1964). Member of the CPSU since 1972.

Tkachenko studied singing with T. Ia. Veske at the Kharkov Conservatory, graduating in 1958; in the same year she became an operatic soloist at the Kiev Conservatory, subsequently joining the L’vov Theater of Opera and Ballet in 1960, the Minsk Theater of Opera and Ballet in 1962, and the Odessa Theater of Opera and Ballet in 1968. Tkachenko’s voice is strong and even. Her artistry is characterized by virtuosity, and her performance by great sincerity. She has sung the title roles in Verdi’s Aida and Puccini’s Tosca, as well as the parts of Liza and Tat’iana, respectively, in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades and EugeneOnegin, Natasha in Dargomyzhskii’s The Mermaid, Iaroslavna in Borodin’s Prince Igor, and Leonora in Verdi’s // Trovatore. Tkachenko has also sung with chamber ensembles and has toured abroad.