Mikhail Timoshenko
Baritone
Known for his "rare sound beauty, powerful and balsamic at the same time" (Tagesspiegel), baritone Mikhail Timoshenko is a sought-after guest on international opera and concert stages.
Highlights of his first professional seasons include the premiere of the chamber opera En Silence by Alexandre Desplat at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro at the Opéra national de Lorraine in Nancy, Ottokar in Der Freischütz at the Konzerthaus Berlin, Albert in Werther at the Opéra de Lausanne, Marcello in La bohème at the Opéra National du Capitole de Toulouse, and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte in Montpellier.
His future highlights include Chtchelkalov (Boris Godunov) in Paris/Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Le Tribut de Zamora (Ch. Gounod) in St. Etienne, Marcello at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and in the Festival de Sanxay, Papageno at Paris-Bastille, as well as concerts with Elitsa Desseva in Linz, Boswil, Paris.
Mikhail is a recipient of numerous awards, including the 1st Prize at the I Concours International de Chant des Châteaux en Médoc-Bordeaux and the Siemens Opera Contest France, the Prix Lyrique du Cercle Carpeaux and the Prix de l'AROP of the Opera national de Paris, and the Maria Callas International Grand Prix in Athens.
In duo with pianist Elitsa Desseva, he won first prizes at the International Chamber Music Competition "Franz Schubert and Modern Music" in Graz, the International Competition for Song Art of the Hugo Wolf Academy in Stuttgart, and the Wigmore Hall/Independant Opera Song Competition in London, among other prizes at the International Schubert Lied-Duo Competition in Dortmund and the Concours International de Musique de chambre in Lyon.
As a concert singer, he has worked with conductors such as Teodor Currentzis, Manfred Honeck, Philippe Herreweghe, Markus Poschner, and Emmanuelle Haim. His performances as a song interpreter together with Elitsa Desseva have captivated the demanding audiences in London, Berlin, Paris, Moscow, Stuttgart, Vienna, and many other major stages across Europe.
He began his artistic training in Mednogorsk (Russia) in the vocal class of Tatiana Mayorova and, after studying in Weimar and Berlin with Michail Lanskoi, joined the Academy of the Opéra National de Paris in 2015. He played the lead role in the documentary film "L'Opéra" by Jean-Stéphane Bron.
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 the NGO "Touch" in Orenburg and the Center for Social Adaptation "Majak" in Orsk, he supports several boarding schools for mentally disabled children.
