Praised for his “rare beauty of sound, powerful and balsamic at the same time” (Tagesspiegel), Mikhail Timoshenko has emerged as one of the most distinctive baritones of his generation – an artist equally at home on the world’s opera stages, concert halls, and in the intimate world of Lied.
Born in a small village in the Ural Mountains of Russia, he began his musical education there and went on to hone his craft at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar and the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin with Michail Lanskoi. From 2015 to 2017, he was a member of the Académie de l’Opéra national de Paris, appearing in Jean-Stéphane Bron’s award-winning documentary L’Opéra. In 2016, he secured the First Prize at the International Singing Competition Bordeaux Médoc, the Cercle Carpeaux Lyric Prize, the AROP Prize from the Opéra National de Paris, and the Siemens Opera Contest First Prize. The following year, he won the Grand Prix at the International Maria Callas Competition in Greece.
Since then, he has appeared in leading roles across Europe, including Ottokar (Der Freischütz) at the Konzerthaus Berlin; Albert (Werther) and Prosdocimo (Il turco in Italia) at the Opéra de Lausanne; Leporello (Don Giovanni) at the Glyndebourne Festival; Marcello (La bohème) at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden; Shchelkalov (Boris Godunov) in Toulouse; Belcore (L’Elisir d’amore) in Nancy, Taddeo (L'Italiana in Algeri) at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris; and Papageno (Die Zauberflöte) in Montpellier and at the Opéra Bastille. He also sang the title role in Alexandre Desplat’s chamber opera En Silence in its world premiere in Luxembourg and later at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris.
On the concert stage, he has collaborated with conductors such as Teodor Currentzis, Philippe Herreweghe, Manfred Honeck, Markus Poschner, Emmanuelle Haïm, and Martin Haselböck, performing at venues including the Musikverein Wien, the Salzburg Festival, the Bergen International Festival, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the Berliner Philharmonie, and the Konzerthaus Berlin.
Together with pianist Elitsa Desseva, he forms one of today’s most acclaimed Lied duos, hailed as “a duo of exception that enchants the audience” (Webtheatre). Their appearances include Wigmore Hall (London), the Konzerthaus Berlin, Brucknerhaus Linz, Musée d’Orsay (Paris), and Hugo Wolf Academy (Stuttgart), as well as the festivals of Heidelberg Frühling, Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker, and Boswiler Frühling. The duo has won the International Chamber Music Competition “Franz Schubert and Modern Music” (Graz), the International Hugo Wolf Academy Competition (Stuttgart), and the Wigmore Hall / Independent Opera Song Competition (London), among other awards.
His discography includes Mozart Masses (Complete) with Christoph Poppen, the Cologne Radio Choir, and the Cologne Chamber Orchestra (Naxos); Im wachen Traume – Schumann / Reimann, Byrd / Pierini, Purcell with the Delian Quartett (ECM); and Le Concert d’Astrée & Emmanuelle Haïm – Une nouvelle fête baroque! 20 ans (Erato). In 2024, the Duo Timoshenko–Desseva released a critically acclaimed album with Hänssler Classic featuring the world premiere of songs by Eduard and Irene Erdmann alongside works by Philipp Jarnach. Their dedication to rediscovering forgotten treasures of the Lied repertoire also includes a recording of Jacques Ibert’s Quatre chansons de Don Quichotte for B-Records. His performances are featured on BBC Radio 3, SWR, Medici TV, as well as in the WDR mediathek.
Philanthropy is a cause close to Mikhail's heart. Since 2009, he has been giving charity concerts for children with mental disorders in Russia. In collaboration with "Touch" in Orenburg and the Center for Social Adaptation "Majak" in Orsk, he supports several boarding schools for mentally disabled children.
