Valerija Iljin

Valerija Iljin is a Lithuanian spinto lyric soprano currently studying with Joan Rodgers CBE and Helen Yorke at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where she is a Morag Noble scholar. She is also a young artist at Manhattan Opera Studio, in the summer of 2023 she is due to make her Carnegie Hall recital debut and perform the role of the First Lady (Mozart, Zauberflöte) with MOS in New York City. Valerija is a winner of many international competitions and festivals in Europe and USA. Valerija has performed with various orchestras including Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, ‘Trimitas’ orchestra, Panevezys musical theatre symphony orchestra,‘Kaunas big band’, Belarus state symphony orchestra and Polish National symphony orchestra. In 2019 Valerija was awarded a bachelor's degree in theatre studies from Vilnius College and London College of Music; she has also studied at American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City and played in the operetta 'Gondoliers' production directed by David Henson. In May 2021, Valerija has developed roles of Susanna and Emma in Mussorgsky’s opera‘ Khovanschina’ (Bolshoi Theatre) working with the creative team: Simon McBurney OBE, Gerard McBurney and Leah Hausman. In 2022 Valerija was announced the winner of Roy Pleasance Competition 21-22 by Alec Crow, also won a IIIrd prize in Edith Poulsen recital prize adjudicated by Janis Kelly, also was announced a ‘Musical Odyssey 2022’ Benslow Prize Winner. Attended masterclasses and studied with Yvonne Howard, David Cowan, Geraldine Cassidy, Beatrice Penzi, Carmen Santoro, Sergei Leiferkus, Manolis Papasifakis, Ubaldo Fabbri, Dr. Pantelis Polychronidis, Lynton Atkinson, Alison Wells, Nomeda Kazlaus, Kristian Benedikt, Asmik Grigorian, Joy Robinson and others. As a recognized artist of Lithuania she was invited to a special inauguration concert of the President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda in 2019.