Born in Khabarovsk, Mariinsky Opera Company solist Zinaida Tsarenko graduated from the St Petersburg State Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire in 2020. A year later she was awarded an Atkins Fellowship at the Mariinsky Theatre. In 2022 she took part in her first Mariinsky performance, singing the role of Olga in the chamber version of Eugene Onegin.

Her repertoire includes Konchakovna (Prince Igor), Marina Mnishek (Boris Godunov), Marfa (Khovanshchina), Polina (Queen of Spades), Princess Clarice (The Love for Three Oranges), Fenena (Nabucco), Emilia (Otello), Dalila (‘Samson and Dalila’) and many more.

She is a laureate of several prestigious competitions, such as the XVII International Tchaikovsky Competition (2023) and the XIII International Elena Obraztsova Competition for Young Opera Singers.

This is her first appearance with the IPO.