Jurij Kruglov

This present regular guest at several Czech opera houses studied not only operatic singing but also conducting in Kiev. After graduating from the musical academy he sang first in Kiev then in a whole series of opera houses in the former Soviet Union, and gained his first international experience as a laureate in the Giuseppe Verdi International Vocal Competition in Barcelona. In 1990 the then-head of the opera of Prague’s National Theater visited Kiev and chose him for the role of the Commendatore in a new production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni under the baton of Sir Charles Mackerras, mounted for the gala reopening of the Estates Theater. Besides his performances in opera houses of the Czech Republic, Germany, and Switzerland, he has also appeared with his song and oratorio repertoire in Greece, Spain, Tunis, France, Bulgaria, Germany, and Ireland. Following previous guest performances, as of March 1, 1997 he became a regular soloist of the Prague State Opera.