General Management
Chrisni Mendis
chrisni@onlystage.co.uk

Susanna Stefani Caetani
susanna@onlystage.co.uk

Elena Mikhailenko was born in Magnitogorsk. In 1997, she graduated with honors from the Glinka Magnitogorsk College of Music, specializing in Choral Conducting. In 2001, she also graduated with honors from the Conducting and Choral Department of the Magnitogorsk State Conservatory (class of Professor S.M. Miroshnichenko). From her third year at the conservatory, she worked as a choir performer at the Magnitogorsk Opera and Ballet Theater. In 2000, she met Professor B.G. Tevlin, who heard Elena perform as a soloist in the Magnitogorsk Conservatory Choir and invited her to continue her studies in graduate school at the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, specializing in Contemporary Choral Singing. After entering graduate school in 2001, Elena performed with the Chamber Choir of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory under the direction of Boris Tevlin, where she continued to be a soloist after completing her studies.

In 2004, she entered the vocal department of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music, studying under Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, Professor R. P. Lisitsian, and graduated with honors from the Academy in 2008. 2006 proved to be a pivotal year in the artist's life and career, as Elena successfully auditioned for the Moscow Helikon Opera and was accepted into the company. She made her debut as Katerina Izmailova in Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, directed by D. Bertman, at the Israel National Opera in Tel Aviv during the theater's tour. Since then, Elena has performed leading roles in most of the theater's productions.
In 2007, an audio recording of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk was made, with Elena as Katerina Izmailova. In 2008, Elena performed the role of Aida in Verdi's Aida in a co-production between Helikon Opera and the French Opera de Massy. In 2015, she was invited to play the role of Lisa in The Queen of Spades and in 2021, she played the role of Aida in Aida, both produced by the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre named after D. A. Hvorostovsky.

Since 2018, she has been a guest soloist with the Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre named after M. Jalil, where she performs the roles of Turandot and Tosca in Giacomo Puccini's operas of the same names. Elena Mikhailenko was nominated for the 2018 Golden Mask Theatre Festival award for her role as Princess Turandot in Puccini's opera Turandot (directed by D. Bertman, Helikon Opera Theatre).

Since 2022, she has been a teacher in the Helikon Opera Theatre's Youth Opera Singers Program.

On November 12, 2023, the premiere of the opera film The Queen of Spades (directed by D. Bertman and V. Spirin) took place, in which Elena appeared before audiences as Lisa.

In June 2023, she made her debut at the Vienna Staatsoper as Katerina Izmailova in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. During 2023-2026 she performed the role of Ortrud in the opera Lohengrin by Richard Wagner at the Bolshoi Theatre. In July 2025 she performed the role Turandot in Israel opera (production of Covent Garden 1963year) with maestro Dan Ettinger.

Season 2025/2026