Ksenia Dorliak

Ksenia Dorliak, née Feleizen, was a Soviet opera singer, vocal teacher, and musical public figure. Earlier in life she served as a maid of honor at the court of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. She was known for a flexible mezzo-soprano voice, a beautiful timbre, polished vocal technique, and a refined performing culture.

She was born on 11 January 1882 in St. Petersburg, into the wealthy noble Feleizen family. In 1900 she graduated from the Smolny Institute in St. Petersburg, where she later taught piano in the junior classes and directed the choir until 1906. From 1903 to 1909 she studied singing at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in the class of S. Gladkaya.

Dorliak made her operatic debut in 1906 in a conservatory production as Marcellina in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. After graduating from the conservatory with distinction, she pursued a concert career until 1911 while also continuing to refine her vocal art under the guidance of N. Iretskaya. In 1911 and 1912 she sang in Wagner operas at the Paris Grand Opera. On 27 April 1912 she debuted at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg as Aida in Verdi's opera of the same name. In 1913 and 1914 she toured in Berlin, Prague, and Charlottenburg.

In 1914, after the death of her husband, she left the stage. She resumed concert activity in 1920, and her final concert took place in 1937 in the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.

A major part of Dorliak's career was devoted to teaching. From 1914 to 1929 she taught at the Petrograd Conservatory; from 1918 she was a professor, from 1922 to 1928 she headed the vocal department, and she also directed the opera studio. From 1930 she taught at the Moscow Conservatory, where she taught solo and chamber singing, served repeatedly as dean of the vocal faculty, supervised postgraduate study in solo singing in 1944 and 1945, and led the Opera Studio in different periods. From 1930 she also taught chamber singing at the Gnessin Music School. In 1925 she was sent to Paris and London as a pedagogue.

Among her students were a number of notable singers and performers, including Nina Dorliak. In 1941 she became a Doctor of Art History. She was named Honored Worker of the Arts of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in 1944 and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in the same year.

Dorliak died on 8 March 1945 in Moscow and was buried at Novodevichy Cemetery. She was the mother of the actor Dmitry Dorliak and the opera singer Nina Dorliak.

Connections

This figure has 1 connection in the Music Lineage catalog.