Canadian dramatic soprano Antonina Ermolenko is fast gaining international acclaim. Her tremendous vocal power, combined with unusual flexibility, range, and remarkable acting ability make her a unique artist capable of tackling a wide range of repertoire. She has performed dramatic coloratura roles such as Bellini’s Norma, Donizetti’s Anna Bolena, and Mozart’s Mme. Herz alongside heroines such as Puccini’s Tosca, Verdi’s Lady Macbeth and Wagner’s Isolde in venues such as the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, the Danny Kaye Playhouse in New York, and the historical Ekhof Theater Gotha. Having long been a staple of independent theatres, Antonina has recently been attracting mainstream acclaim.

After being featured at the International Midsummer Festival of Tagliacozzo (Italy) this August, Ms. Ermolenko tackled a new medium through an online gala with Toronto’s Opera by Request in November 2020, performing excerpts from Verdi’s Aida and Macbeth, as well as Puccini’s Tosca. In June, she will debut as Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s opera with Opera by Request’s digital production. In the summer of 2021, Antonina will perform Elisabetta I in Roberto Devereux, adding the third Donizetti queen to her repertoire, after which she will join the ranks of the few sopranos to have performed all three Tudor queens in a single season as she sings Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda, as well as Elisabetta in the space of one month at OBR’s bel canto festival, after which she will cover the role of Manon Lescaut at the Festival Puccini in Torre del Lago.

Ms. Ermolenko opened Opera by Request’s ²⁰¹⁹⁄₂₀₂₀ season with a long-awaited debut as Puccini’s Tosca. Highlights of last season’s performances include a solo recital at Music in the Atrium (Toronto), the title heroine of Puccini’s Turandot with OBR, Marcellina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with Teatro Goldoni (Livorno), as well as soprano soloist at Vesnivka Choir’s gala concert “Remembering Holodomor”, where she joined forces with the Gryphon Trio and the Elmer Isler Singers.

Highlights of past seasons include Mme. Herz in Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor with Freiburg’s Die Schönen Musiktheater im E-Werk; the title role in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena and Maria Stuarda, Abigaille in Verdi’s Nabucco, Elisabetta in a concert version of Verdi’s Don Carlo, and the title role in Bellini’s Norma, all with Opera by Request; the title role in Puccini’s Suor Angelica with the Bay of Islands Musical Arts (Canada); Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with New York Lyric Opera (USA); Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, at the Kurtheater Bad Ems, as well as Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Opera Classica Europa (Ekhof Theater, Gotha) (Germany). Antonina made her European debut in 2015 with the Johann Strauß Ochester Wiesbaden conducted by Mo. Herbert Siebert, singing excerpts from Verdi’s Il Trovatore and La Traviata.

Antonina received her Bachelors Degree in Vocal Performance from the prestigious Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada, and her Masters Degree in the same from Hunter College, CUNY, in New York. She has had extensive training in classical ballet and character dance and was a member of the Desna Ukrainian Dance Company of Toronto (2000 - 2007). Ms. Ermolenko studied the dramatic arts at the Equity Showcase Theatre (Toronto), where she completed their Player’s Academy.

Antonina spent her first year out of college as a Resident Artist with Michael Capasso’s Dicapo Opera Theatre in New York. During this time, she collaborated with several other New York based companies, singing Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème with the The Martha Cardona Theatre, and Musetta with the Dell’arte Opera Ensemble.