About

Some interesting facts about Maria Guleghina:

 

You can also write us your questions to info@mariaguleghina.com and the best ones will be published on the website, with the corresponding answers of course (please notify us if you want your name to be published next to your question).

Here a few Questions to Maria Guleghina:

Which nationality are you? In each newspaper article or interview you are always either Ukrainian or Armenian or Russian.
this is a very good question! Once after a concert I heard an argument between the Ambassador of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Armenia. Each one was claiming me for his country! The problem is that I feel and in fact I am not one nationality but a minimum of 6 nationalities combined. I have Ukrainian blood as well as Armenian, Jewish and Polish blood, i am the citizen of Belarus and i speak Russian, have a Russian son, a Russian husband, partially even live in Russia... And of course i sing in Italian, i am constantly in Italy, so i even feel Italian...

Did you always want to become an opera singer?
- No, I wanted to become a ballerina, but my (Armenian) father was not too excited about this.
 
What is your favourite Opera?
- There are too many, actually I love every single Opera I sing. Every Role has a character of its own and in order to perform the role well, I become the character I am performing. I could not sing the role if I did not like it.
 
How do you prepare for a role?
-There is no special recipe, I research! I read the libretto, I speak to my friends and family about the role, I read different books that involve the character that I am about to perform and I also view the existing videos of the opera productions. And of course I try to imagine who this personage I will portray is, but again, it is always a new approach, and there is no recipe to learn a role. Or as I once answered a reporter who asked me how I prepared for Lady Macbeth, because I was so believable: i said: very simple, i kill three for breakfast, 5 for lunch, and 2 for dinner....
 
What do you dislike about your Job?
- Bad Productions meaning unmotivated and nonsense productions, productions that change the plot of the actual opera.

If you have not had the chance to work as an opera singer what would you have liked to become?
- A cook and a mother of 5. I still dream of opening a restaurant one day.
 
What do you do in your free time?
- I love to cook and invite my friends over for dinner. - I love to read and I even started to write poetry and something like a book, but I do not think that I will ever publish it , it is very personal.

Imagine you are stranded on an island, what would you like to have beside you (only material things)?
- Books, lots of books - I would not take any food along - this way I will lose weight! - I would not take any music with me - the nature has beautiful music of its own. - My laptop. (to play PC games on a rainy day)

What was the saddest day of your life?
When my mother died.

What was the happiest day of your life?
I have had so many, I can not tell you which one!

You have a 10 year old son, how do you manage your career and your family life?
-Of course it is not easy. He used to travel with me most of the time, but now that he started school it did become more difficult. However, I make sure that I do not have performances during his school-vacations and always take him somewhere. I have great family and friends that help me manage both my career and the family life.

You mentioned that you are „far-away“ from politics. But there must be some issues that you can not ignore.
-Yes of course i can not ignore natural treasures such as a child's life, happy and protected childhood. Especially for this I became a Goodwill Ambassador to Unicef I want other children to also have a chance in this world.

Also, I do not ignore the Paralympic Movement. I find it very important to be on the Honorary board of the Paralympic Committee. I bow before the people with „limited possibilities“ but with unlimited will power and strength! To me as to most people that have watched at least one Paralympic Event - these athletes are not at all limited and the Paralympics should be on the same level as the Olympics.

In Life as well as on Photographs you are incredibly beautiful, please share your beauty secrets?
-Well, thank you very much. The secret is simple... I very much want to be worthy of my heroines therefore I go on diets and work out, take care of my self - it is not always easy

When you go on stage, do you thing about the triumphs of your past performances and the applause at the end?
-Triumphs is the very last thing I think about in all cases. The most important is to receive the pleasure while performing and therefore it is necessary to be very well prepared vocally as well as physically.