IuriiSamoilov

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  • Baritone

About Iurii

Iurii Samoilov is one the most exciting and versatile baritones of his generation. Although still young, he has already appeared at some of the most renowned opera houses and festivals, including The Metropolitan Opera, Opéra national de Paris, Teatro Real in Madrid, La Monnaie in Brussels, Semperoper Dresden, Dutch National Opera, Salzburg Festival, Rossini Opera Festival, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Royal Albert Hall in London and Brucknerhaus in Linz, working with many of the great conductors such as Franz Welser-Möst, Antonio Pappano, Alain Altinoglu, Riccardo Frizza, Tadaaki Otaka, Ivor Bolton and Pablo Heras-Casado.

This 2024/25 season, Iurii will make his house debut at Houston Grand Opera as Dandini La Cenerentola, and make returns to Teatro Real Madrid as Eugene Onegin and Opéra National de Paris as Marco Gianni Schicchi. On the concert platform, he will return to Cleveland to sing Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Cleveland Orchestra and again later in the season with Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.

Recent highlights include his house debuts at the Metropolitan Opera as Schaunard in La bohème, Lukyan Timofeyevich Lebedev The Idiot at Salzburger Festspiele, Grand Teatre del Liceu for the title role in Eugene Onegin, Irish National Opera for Marcello La bohème, Oslo's Den Norske Opera and Finnish National Opera in the title role of Eugene Onegin, Opéra National de Paris as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Cleveland Orchestra as Sonora La faniulla del West, Olympia Municipal Music Theater Maria Callas in Athens for Sir Riccardo Forth I puritani, On the concert platform Iurii was the soloist in the 2023 New Year’s Eve Concert of the Staatskapelle Dresden under conductor Franz Welser-Möst.

Iurii grew up in Yuzhne, a small port city in Ukraine, and in 2011 received his master's degree with honors from the National Music Academy in Kyiv, where he studied vocal performance with Roman Mayboroda. During this period, he undertook postgraduate studies at the Dutch National Opera Academy and became a member of the Opera Studio Nederland in Amsterdam.

Iurii is based in Berlin

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Contact

Mark Hildrew

Mark Hildrew

Executive Director
Grace Hewett

Grace Hewett

Assistant Artist Manager

Representation

Worldwide general management with Askonas Holt

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Season Highlights

Aug 2024
Salzburger Festspiele
Weinburg The Idiot (Lukjan Timofejewitsch Lebedjew) Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (conductor)
Oct 2024 - Nov 2024
Houston Grand Opera
Rossini La Cenerentola (Dandini) Lorenzo Passerini (conductor)
Nov 2024
Mandel Concert Hall, Cleveland
Mahler Das Lied von der Erde The Cleveland Orchestra Franz Welser-Möst (conductor)
Jan 2025 - Feb 2025
Teatro Real Madrid
Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin (title role) Gustavo Gimeno (conductor)
Apr 2025 - May 2025
Opéra Bastille
Puccini Il trittico - Gianni Schicchi (Marco) Carlo Rizzi (conductor)
Jun 2025
Grosse Tonhalle, Zurich
Mahler Das Lied von der Erde Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich Franz Welser-Möst (conductor)

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Selected Repertoire

Bellini

I puritani (Sir Riccardo Forth)

Bizet

Les pêcheurs de perles (Zurga)

Britten

Albert Herring (Sid)   •   Billy Budd (title role)   •   Peter Grimes (Ned Keene)   •   The Rape of Lucretia (Tarquinius)

Debussy

Pelléas et Mélisande (Pelléas)

Donizetti

L’Elisir d’Amore (Belcore)   •   Lucia di Lammermoor (Enrico Ashton)   •   Don Pasquale (Malatesta)   •   La favorite (Alphonse XI)

Gounod

Roméo et Juliette (Mercutio)

Handel

Giulio Cesare (Giulio Cesare)

Lehar

Die Lustige Witwe (Danilo)

Leoncavallo

I Pagliacci (Silvio)

Mazzoli

Breaking the waves (Jan Nyman)

Menotti

The telephone (Ben)

Monteverdi

Orfeo (title role)

Mozart

Così fan tutte (Guglielmo)   •   Don Giovanni (title role)   •   La Finta Giardiniera (Nardo)   •   Le Nozze di Figaro (Conte Almaviva)   •   Die Zauberflöte (Papageno)

Prokofiev

The Gambler (Mister Astley)   •   War and Peace (Andrei Bolkonsky)

Puccini

La bohème (Marcello)   •   Gianni Schicci (Marco)   •   Manon Lescaut (Lescaut)   •   La fanciulla del West (Sonora)   •   Madama Butterfly (Sharpless)

Rimsky-Korsakov

The Golden Cockerel (Tsarevich Afron)

Rossini

Il cambiale di Matrimonio (Slook)   •   Il barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)   •   La Cenerentola (Dandini)   •   Il Viaggio a Reims (Don Alvaro)   •   Le siege de Corinthe (Omar)   •   Il turco in Italia (Prosdocimo*)

Tchaikovsky

Eugene Onegin (title role)   •   Iolanta (Robert)   •   The Queen of Spades (Count Yeletsky)

Thomas Adès

The Tempest (Prospero)

Weinberg

Der Idiot (Lebedjew)   •   Die Passagierin (Tadeush)

News

Press

  • Rossini La Cenerentola

    Houston Grand Opera
    Oct 2024 - Nov 2024

    • Samoilov has an effortless, star-turning way on stage, maneuvering through Rossini’s treacherous style with room to spare. Everything he sings sounds easy. And he sings magnificently.

    • As Dandini, Iurii Samoilov’s nimble stage manner suited the clever and mischievous valet, and his vibrant baritone underscored the comic prankster’s confidence.

    • baritone Iurii Samoilov threw himself into the pseudo-prince overkill—swaggering and preening but smiling, too, lending the act a bit of charm. Samoilov sang with spirit and red-bloodedness, giving the music exuberance amid the antics.

    • Muy bien estuvo el barítono ucraniano Iurii Samoilov, quien representó el papel de Dandini, actuando con insolencia, desparpajo y facilidad; valiéndose de un canto apto e idóneo por estilo y calidad. The Ukrainian baritone Iurii Samoilov, who played the role of Dandini, was very good, acting with impudence, self-confidence and ease, using an apt and suitable singing style and quality.

  • Weinberg Der Idiot

    Salzburg Festival
    Aug 2024

    • Die Figur Lukjan Timofejewitsch Lebedjew ist mephistotelisch aufgeladen. Bariton Iurii Samoilov singt und spielt das diabolisch gut. Stets den Kopf und die Schulter schief. Eine Art Erzähler, der die Handlung zu voller Dramatik hin manipuliert. Keck, kontrolliert, stimmlich nie überbordend, stets kontrolliert und die Situation bestimmend. Er schreibt Briefe, verteilt Briefe, die Schmerz entfachen. Er labt sich daran, wie Myschkin und Nastassja leiden. [Translated] The character of Lukyan Timofeyevich Lebedev is charged with Mephistotle. Baritone Iurii Samoilov sings and plays it diabolically well. Always tilting his head and shoulders. A kind of narrator who manipulates the plot towards full drama. Pert, controlled, never vocally exuberant, always in control and dominating the situation. He writes letters, distributes letters that inflame pain. He savours how Myshkin and Nastassya suffer.

    • Iurii Samoilov wirkt in seiner Rolle des Lukjan Timofejewitsch Lebedjew als Moderator und begleitender Erzähler der Handlung. Dabei läßt ihn die Regie auch zum Magier werden. Seine Mimik und Gestik ist stark und bringt der Rolle Gewicht, wie auch sein kräftiger Bariton. [Translated] In his role as Lukyan Timofeyevich Lebedev, Iurii Samoilov acts as moderator and accompanying narrator of the plot. The director also turns him into a magician. His facial expressions and gestures are strong and add weight to the role, as does his powerful baritone.

    • Hinzu traten der exzellente, immer wieder kommentierende Iurii Samilov als Lebedjew.

    • Eine große Karriere dürfte auch Iurii Samoilov bevorstehen, der als diabolischer, mysteriöser Lebedjew mit hoher Bühnenpräsenz durch den Abend führt. [Translated] Iurii Samoilov, who leads through the evening as the diabolical, mysterious Lebedev with great stage presence, also looks set for a great career.

    • Das große Ensemble ist durchgehend hochklassig, Iurii Samoilov muss als Lebedjew kein schleimiger Opportunist sein, sondern eine Art böser Geist, der sich am Unglück der anderen weidet. [Translated] The large ensemble is top class throughout, Iurii Samoilov as Lebedev does not have to be a slimy opportunist, but a kind of evil spirit who feasts on the misfortune of others.

    • Zum Volltreffer wird der Abend durch die exzellenten Sängerinnen und Sänger. Selbst kleinere Rollen wie Lebedjew (Jurii Samoilov) oder Ganja (Pavol Breslik) sind stark besetzt. [Translated] The evening is made a hit by the excellent singers. Even smaller roles such as Lebedev (Jurii Samoilov) or Ganja (Pavol Breslik) are strongly cast.

    • Gewohnt großartig Ausrine Stundyte als gefallene Nastassja, herausragend Vladislav Sulminsky als Rogoschin, Iurii Samoilov als Lebedjew, Xenia Puskarz Thomas als Aglaja und eigentlich alle weiteren kleineren Rollen. Großer, verdienter Jubel für eine Pioniertat. [Translated] As usual, Ausrine Stundyte as the fallen Nastasya is magnificent, Vladislav Sulminsky as Rogozhin, Iurii Samoilov as Lebedev, Xenia Puskarz Thomas as Aglaja and all the other smaller roles are outstanding. Huge, well-deserved applause for a pioneering work.

    • Nicht zu vergessen auf Jurii Samoilov, der als Lukjan, dienstbarer Geist von Rogoschin, eine zwielichtige Rolle einnimmt zwischen Intrigant, Spielmacher und Erzähler der Geschichte. Ein beweglicher, stimmlich in jeder Lage präsenter Bariton. Das ganze Ensemble profitiert von der delikat führenden und das Orchester zu starker, aber kontrollierter Emotionalität anhaltenden Dirigentin. Die Sängerfreundlichkeit ist dieser im besten Sinn „filmmusikalischen“ Partitur gleichsam schon eingeschrieben. Ein großes Werk in einer großen, wahrhaft festspielwürdigen Interpretation. Der Jubel ist dem entsprechend ausgefallen. [Translated] Not forgetting Jurii Samoilov, who as Lukyan, the servant ghost of Rogozhin, takes on a dubious role between schemer, playmaker and narrator of the story. An agile baritone, vocally present in every register. The whole ensemble benefits from the conductor's delicate conducting, which encourages the orchestra to display strong but controlled emotionality. This score, which is ‘film-musical’ in the best sense of the word, is already written to be singer-friendly. A great work in a great, truly festival-worthy interpretation. The cheers were correspondingly enthusiastic.

    • Der Bariton des Ukrainers Iurii Samoilov ist leichter, behender, so auch sein Spiel als Schlaumeier und Reindrängler Lebedjew. Aus der Rolle des schon von Medwedew und Weinberg aufgewerteten omnipräsenten Kommentators und Windeis macht Warlikowski erst recht ein Teufelchen. Zaubern kann Lebedjew auch. [Translated] Ukrainian Iurii Samoilov's baritone is lighter and more nimble, as is his performance as the sly and pushy Lebedev. Warlikowski makes a devil out of the role of the omnipresent commentator and winch, already enhanced by Medvedev and Weinberg. Lebedev can also work magic.

    • Das vieldeutige Spiel wird durch ein ganzes Ensemble-Arsenal hoch motivierter Sängerinnen und Sänger erweitert. Allen voran Iurii Samoilov als tänzerischer Kommentator Lebedjew. [Translated] The ambiguous play is enhanced by an entire ensemble arsenal of highly motivated singers. Above all Iurii Samoilov as the dancing commentator Lebedev.

    • Iurii Samoilov, ein himmlisch schmiegsam-hoher Bariton, der sich als Inbegriff von Lug, Trug und Intrigenwirtschaft erweist. [Translated] Iurii Samoilov, a heavenly, smooth and high baritone, who proves to be the epitome of lies, deceit and intrigue.

    • Iurii Samoilov singt diesen Lebedjew mit kristallklarer, knackiger Stimme, er spielt wie ein Akrobat, kann zaubern, sich selbst am Klavier bei einem walzerhaften Trinklied begleiten, er ist Movens und Kommentar der Handlung und tief beeindruckend. [Translated] Iurii Samoilov sings this Lebedev with a crystal-clear, crisp voice, he plays like an acrobat, can perform magic, accompany himself on the piano in a waltz-like drinking song, he is the moving force and commentary of the plot and is deeply impressive.

    • Großartig auch Iurii Samoilov als Lebedjew, der als Erzähler immer wieder aus der Rolle ausbricht. [Translated] Iurii Samoilov as Lebedjew, who repeatedly breaks out of the role as narrator, is also great.

  • Puccini La bohème

    Irish National Opera
    Nov 2023

    • Ukranian baritone Iurii Samoilov was superb as Marcello

    • The best thing about the production is the energy of the four bohemian lads: baritones Iurii Samoilov as the painter Marcello, and Gyula Nagy as the musician Schaunard; bass Lukas Jakobski as the philosopher Colline; and the earnest tenor Merūnas Vitulskis as the complex poet Rodolfo.

    • As Marcello, baritone Iurii Samoilov shone wonderfully as he harrumphed in disgust at Musetta's Act 2 antics and provided good comic relief throughout the opera.

  • Mozart Die Zauberflöte

    Opéra Bastille
    Oct 2022 - Nov 2022

    • Iurii Samoilov's amuse follement en Papageno, de bout en bout, avec égalité des registres, timbre charmeur et diction exemplaire (qualités se réunissant particulièrement pour son troisième air où son jeu théâtral emporte l’adhésion de l’auditoire). [Translated] Iurii Samoilov has a lot of fun in Papageno, from start to finish, with equality of registers, charming timbre and exemplary diction (qualities meeting especially for his third aria where his theatrical play wins the support of the audience).

  • Puccini La bohème

    Metropolitan Opera New York
    May 2023 - Jun 2023

    • Iurii Samoilov was making his Met debut as Schaunard. He’s a singer with vocal allure and charisma to burn. Samoilov never sought the limelight, it naturally falls upon him

    • Ukrainian-born, Frankfurt resident lyric baritone Iurii Samoilov made a pleasing debut as Schaunard.  Nice-looking and vividly animated and engaged onstage, Samoilov has a pleasing instrument with a nice soft nap to it.

  • Puccini Manon Lescaut

    Oper Frankfurt
    Nov 2019

    • Manon’s brother is perhaps the most complex character in the opera, and Iurii Samoilov captured him perfectly. There was just something so likable in Samoilov’s impish yet brutally practical Lescaut... Samoilov’s voice is fascinating too, a warm and rich baritone.

    • Iurii Samoilov als Lescaut is een natuurtalent, een geboren acteur. Dat wisten we al sinds Die Lustige Witwe. Het wordt tijd om hem weer eens in een grotere rol te zien." [Translated] "Iurii Samoilovas Lescaut is a natural talent, a born actor. We have known that since Die Lustige Witwe. It is time to see him again in a bigger role.

    • Iurii Samoilov überzeugte als rüpelhafter Rookie und Bruder Manons, voller Tattoos und moralisch bedenklichen Ansichten, denn die Korrumpierbarkeit scheint in der Familie zu liegen. Stimmlich und darstellerisch fügte sich der recht metallisch klingende Bariton in Ollés Produktion perfekt ein." [Translated] "Iurii Samoilov convinced as a rude rookie and brother Manon, full of tattoos and morally questionable views, because the corruption seems to be in the family. Vocally and dramatically, the quite metallic-sounding baritone was perfect for Ollé's production.

    • Ganz grandios auch Iurii Samoilov mit schön gerundetem Bariton als leichtlebiger Lescaut, der sich so schnell und glaubhaft in die Halbwelt einfügt, dass man kaum glauben kann, dass er die Rolle nur spielt." [Translted] "Quite grandiose also was Iurii Samoilov with a nicely rounded baritone as a light Lescaut who fits so fast and believable in the demimonde that you can hardly believe that he plays the role only.

    • Auch alle übrigen Partien, darunter insbesondere der ukrainische Bariton Iurii Samoilov als Manons Bruder Lescaut und der Tenor Michael Porter als Student Edmondo, sind trefflich besetzt." [Translated] "All other parts, including in particular the Ukrainian baritone Iurii Samoilov as Manon's brother Lescaut and the tenor Michael Porter as a student Edmondo, are excellently staffed.

    • der sympathische, stimmlich wie körperlich bewegliche Iurii Samoilov..." [Translated] "the sympathetic, vocally and physically mobile Iurii Samoilov...

    • De uit Oekraïne stammende bariton Iurii Samoilov wist zich uitstekend te weren en zette een in deze setting zeer geloofwaardige Lescaut neer." [Translated] "Baritone Iurii Samoilov, who comes from Ukraine, was able to defend himself perfectly and set up a very credible Lescaut in this setting.

    • Aber auch Ensemblemitglied Iurii Samoilov als Manons Bruder hinterlässt stimmlich und darstellerisch einen starken Eindruck." [Translated] "But ensemble member Iurii Samoilov as Manon's brother also leaves a strong impression both vocally and dramatically.

    • Ukrainian baritone Iurii Samoilov combined a rich tone with subtle acting as the sleazy but not quite heartless Lescaut.

  • Bellini I Puritani

    Oper Frankfurt