Evgeniya Sotnikova was born in Russia (Kurgan). She studied at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in St.Petersburg and was a prizewinner in many competitions.
After she performed the title role in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta in the Opera and Ballet Theatre under the St.Petersburg Conservatory. In the same year Evgeniya Sotnikova joined The Kolobov Novaya Opera Theatre (Moscow), where she sang the part of Tatyana in Tchaikovsky’s EUGENE ONEGIN.
In 2009 she was awarded the special Oscar und Vera Ritter-Stiftung Prize at the International Singing Contest of Italian Opera in Dresden. This led to her joining the opera studio of the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich going on to join the Ensemble of the Bayerische Staatsoper.
She went on to make her UK debut with the Glyndebourne Touring Company, singing the role of First Wood Sprite RUSALKA, following this with Ilia in IDOMENEO, Leïla in LES PÊCHEURS DE PERLES and Soeur Constance in DIALOGUES DES CARMÉLITES for the Stadttheater Klagenfurt.
At the Zurich Tonhalle, she sang the soprano solo in Stravinsky LES NOCES, conducted by David Zinman and made a most successful return to the Bayerische Staatsoper as Jemmy GUILLAUME TELL for which she was awarded the Festspiele Preis of the Festspiele 2014. She sang at the Ruhrtriennale as Hadewijch in Louis Andriessen’s DE MATERIE. Later sang the title role of Rimsky-Korsakov’s SNOW MAIDEN for the Estonian National Opera.
She made her Italian debut in Stravinsky’s LES NOCES with the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, conducted by Pablo-Heras Casado and her United States debut in New York’s Armory Hall as Hadewijch DE MATERIE both with great success. Her role debut as Contessa LE NOZZE DI FIGARO was in concerts at the Copenhagen Opera Festival and at the Malmöfestivalen and she then repeated the role in a staged production for the Malmö Opera.
Later in 2017 she sang Countess in Estonian National Opera and made her debut in Hamburg State Opera as Jemmy.
In 2017 she sang in Bavarian State Opera parts of Jemmy and 1st Nymph again.
Evgeniya made her debut at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg in Silvesterkonzert with Kent Nagano, later she sang in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Symphony Orchestra Innsbruck.
In 2018 Evgeniya made her debut as Despina in Bolshoi Theater.
In 2018 she sang part of Aleya in Janacek’s new production FROM the HOUSE of DEAD at Bavarian State Opera.
In 2020 she sang fragments from the opera DER ROSENKAVALIER (part of Sophie) at Tchaikovsky Concert Hall with Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra and Vladimir Jurowski.
In 2022 Evgeniya sang in the world premiere of the opera THE END of CREATION by Bernhard Lang in Staatstheater Augsburg, 5 Magd in ELEKTRA, Esmeralda in THE BARTERED BRIDE at Bayerische Staatsoper, Jemmy in GUILLAUME TELL in Bern and in 2023 again Contessa LE NOZZE DI FIGARO at Malmö Opera, also she made debut at Wiener Staatsoper as Axinja in Schostakowitsch LADY MACBETH von MZENSK.
In the season 23/24 Evgeniya will appear at Bayerische Staatsoper as Julia in TCHAIKOVSKY OVERTURES, Yvette in new production DIE PASSAGIERIN by Weinberg and as 5 Magd in ELEKTRA by Strauss.
Evgeniya Sotnikova worked with such conductors as: Kirill Petrenko, Andris Nelsons, Peter Rundel, Kent Nagano, Thomas Hengelbrock, Asher Fisch, Paolo Carignani, Constantinos Carydis, Karel Mark Chichon, Teodor Currentzis, Dan Ettinger, Stefan Soltesz, Pablo-Heras Casado, Simone Young, Vladimir Jurowski and with such stage directors as: Árpád Schilling, Antú Romero Nunes, Martin Kušej, Heiner Goebbels, Richard Brunnel, Peter Stein.
Upd. 2023.10.19