Nina Rautio

Nina Rautio (born 21 September 1957) is a Russian operatic soprano. Her son Jan Karl Rautio (1980) – pianist, conductor, composer.

For the first nineteen years of her life, Nina Rautio lived in Petrozavodsk (Republic of Karelia, Russia). To begin with, she graduated as a pianist from the Petrozavodsk School of Music, and then completed a Dual Degree, studying theory and singing (the latter with Z.I. Larkina) – achieving distinction in both disciplines – at the K.E. Rautio Music College. In 1983 she graduated from the Saint Petersburg Conservatory (vocal class of E.A. Abrosimova) as a spinto soprano. During her studies at the conservatoire, Nina performed the role of Violetta ("La Traviata") at the Conservatoire Opera Studio. She was the winner of the Second Prize at the Villa-Lobos Competition in Rio de Janeiro in 1983, as well as receiving the Fourth Prize in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1986.

She began her operatic career in earnest in 1984, performing a number of leading roles as part of the Mikhaylovsky Theatre (formerly the Maly Opera Theatre) in St. Petersburg. After competing in the Tchaikovsky Competition she was invited to join the Bolshoi Theatre company where, starting in January 1987, she became one of its leading sopranos, as well as performing in many renowned concert halls in Moscow and St. Petersburg. She made numerous radio and State Television appearances. Between 1987 and 1993, Nina Rautio was the Prima Donna of choice for a wide variety of roles, including those of Maria (Tchaikovsky's "Mazeppa", dir. S.F. Bondarchuk) and Amelia (Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera", dir. S.A. Stein) in 1987; Elisabeth of Valois (Verdi's "Don Carlos", dir. I.M. Tumanov) and Santuzza (Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana", dir. S.A. Stein) in 1988; Tatyana (Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin", dir. B.A. Pokrovsky) and Lisa (Tchaikovsky's "The Queen of Spades", dir. Baratov) in 1989; Oksana (Rimsky-Korsakov's "Christmas Eve", dir. A.B. Tittel) in 1990; and Joan (Tchaikovsky's "Maid of Orleans", dir. B.A. Pokrovsky) in 1992 and 1993, as well as many others.